Oude Schaarbeekse Kriek
Brouwerij Boon

Dark cherry red to purple, but actually clear up close, with a short pastel mauve-ish white head that disperses to a thickly creamy ring.

Lusciously beautiful, juicy cherry that's lightly spiced meets slight char threads and a little buttery pie crust in a roundly, softly fluffy body that comes to a but bone dry finish. The acidity is held to a very mild tartness as opposed to an overwhelming sourness, while also avoiding any cloying sweetness, very deftly navigating the two pitfalls krieks often fall victim to.

2018 vintage drinking prime right now, i was worried i missed this one, not sure ive seen another year on this one, so stoked to have found one. its got great funk now, probably always did, and with these special cherries, this seems like a beer in between the lambic driven marriage parfait kriek and the sweeter original boon kriek, i have yet to try their normal oude kriek, but i love this cherry and its deep red hues and tannic pucker really shine in here, i loved this, and think the time in bottle may have added to the complexity, a little green glass weirdness in there with the bretty wildness, the iodine character, and the farmy tang, super cool overall fermentation profile, but this is also really fruit forward, the best of both worlds. deep ruby jewel tone look to this with a very light body apparently and a ton of carbonation. the nose is green glass oxidation, real old funky lambic, wheat still evident, and the sweet and tangy cherries which are both robust and very natural, a little medicinal with the ferment, but thats desirable for me here. the flavor is the same, really complex, subtle red raspberry and cranberry nuances in these cherries, a light spice profile too rising up, perhaps from the oak, mellow cedar, pink gum, and even a chamomile thing as it warms, light bitterness somehow too, but still a no alpha aged hop aspect, dynamic to say the least. a touch sweet late but its not out of place, shockingly light and even delicate in feel, and with gorgeous carbonation punctuating it. so glad i found this, an amazing kriek with these very special cherries, an elegant brew, i definitely want more of this, and i definitely want to try one like 20 years old someday...

 

 

Light fizzy head, dark ruby maroon color

Nose big cherry, sweet cherry, little tart, candy like but mostly fresh cherry

Taste loads of cherry, fresh juicy sweet cherry, tart but not funky, little oak like character, dry finish, big cherry little raspberry like

Mouth is med to lighter bod, med frothy carb

 

 

2018 bottle, defintley one of the nicer kriek’s i’ve had, gets the sweetness of the cherries just right without making it overwhelming, nicely tart too, crazy lambic flavours present, leathery, earthy, floral, herbal, some caramel, some brown bread, quite acidic, wood, nutty, almonds, brazil nuts, hint of bitterness, quite nice and complex, fun stuff.

 

The cork popped off of the bottle here with much gusto as I opened it. Poured out of a 12.7 oz bottle into my tulip glass.
This beer pours a fairly cloudy/hazy dark red color. There were a lot of yeasty chunks in the glass after I poured it even though I tried to give this one a fairly gentle pour for this very reason. Has a pink head that made a fizzing sound when first poured. Head eventually settles to a solid 1/4 inch thick with good retention. Aromas of some bready malts and wheat along with some cherry tart sweetness along with a bit of funk. A similar flavor profile with bready malts and wheat that gives way to cherry tart sweetness and some barnyard funk notes. Also a bit of an oak note too. Good balance of flavors. Has a crisp, also smooth, medium to full bodied mouthfeel with moderate to heavy carbonation. This is a fairly heavily carbonated beer indeed that leaves you feeling full. Has a dry finish with a nice tart, slightly sour and funky aftertaste. I like this overall, but this is not something I could drink all the time.

Eric

Had on tap while socially distant outside at Special Brews Lynnwood, WA

 

L: Deep ruby red with a pink fluffy head. It's clear. I'm going to let it settle for a few minutes anyway.

S: A strong aroma of well-aged grains fills the room. You can pick up some cherry but it's an afterthought.

T: She's cherry alright. If you enjoy a cherry background, it is lovely. The classic Belgian lambic flavor is perfectly balanced with the cherry. She has lots of great tasting flavor while not overdoing it.

F: Mildly tart, balanced by fruit sugars. Wet cherry finish. Light bodied and packs lots of alcohol. The stealthy 6.5% is huge for a lambic

O: This is a nice middle ground between price and flavor.

Bottle, 2018 vintage, from The Beermongers

A gorgeous deep reddish pink with a light pink head with good retention and lacing, this looks solid. The nose has wonder schaarbeekse cherries, bright, sour, fruity and with the classic cinnamon notes from their pits. Moderate almond skin as well. A really good lemon and mild lactc funk are present. As fantastic as the fruit expression is, the base lambic is just disappointing, lacking in depth and counter to the fruit. The palate opens bright and tart with lots of cherry, with cinnamon, almond, a touch of vanilla, a really lovely schaarbeekse kriek note. Again, there's a not a whole lot behind it. There's a light yogurty, lactic note, minimal lemon notes. Mild watery mid-palate. Particularly disappointing given the lovely nose.

L: Crystal clear deep red color, massive four finger pink head, minimal lacing, good carbonation.

S: Sour cherries, alcohol.

T: Sour cherries, alcohol, smooth. Nice!

F: Light bodied, nicely flavored.

O: Nice lambic, on the boozy side.

An aggressive pop on opening with a big foam head that takes a while to dissipate. A dark red pour with pink that runs throughout the foam and the lacing. Smell gives way to cherry, cherry pit, and a little bit of funk which carries through to the palette. You can tell the cherry in this lambic has already started to take on spice and cherry pit characteristics of a well-aged kriek. The cherry pit flavor is eventually subdued by tartness and a mild funk. Good mouthfeel but does not linger on the palette very long. Overall I give this a 4 due to its availability, price, and quality here in the states. Snag it if you can.

 

A 375ml corked and caged bottle, 2018 vintage, with a best before date of 3rd April 2039. Poured into a Boon stemmed glass.

Appearance: A nice hazy ruby red colour with a slightly more than two fingered pink head that had decent retention and eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some nice lacing.

Aroma: Sweet and sour, cherry, lightly tart and some floral notes.

Taste: Good balance of sweet and sour cherry, tart, oak, and light funk.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.

Overall: While the amount of funk is low, there is a good amount of cherry and a nice balance between sweet and sour flavours. Enjoyable, worth trying again.

 

375ml bottle, best before 03/04/2039. Poured into a tulip.
Look: A real purpley red, reminds me a little of blackcurrant juice. Effervescent head which quickly quickly subsides to next to nothing. Great colour.
Smell: sourness and acidity on the nose, a little funk, followed by cherry.
Taste: much like the nose, cherry, lemon, tart and sourness, there is something a little green and herbal towards the bitterness.
Feel: light, spritzy, aggressive bubbles, decent length.
Overall: Solid, tasty if a little one note.