Scarenbecca Kriek | Hanssens Artisanaal bvba

3.45/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.75

375ml cork and cage into snifter

pours ruby red but no carb at all - not even a glimmer of head or cascade of beading
Sweet cherries with hints of funk.
More of the same on the palate with an almost medicinal backdrop
Fuller bodied and a bit sticky. Dead flat - not even a spritz.

Overall the lack of carbonation really hurt this beer - without it the cherries are overpoweringly sweet and needed a lift badly from more bright and effervescent carbonation. Reading reviews of many flat bottles and given the price I am supremely pissed at Hannsens for releasing this beer - I am sure it was expensive to make, but when it doesn't re-ferment you can't up-charge for a failed beer.... Not pleased

★ 698 characters

3.66/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. This has got to be at least 5 years old. Pours flat and dark red. Like a really concentrated Shirley Temple. Aroma is of earthy funk, sweet red fruit, and tart cherry. Flavor doesn't add much complexity but it is fairly yummy. Unfortunately, this is flat as hell. 4-6 years was too much for this cork. Tastes decent but it needs some bubbly pick-me-up.

★ 360 characters

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not really a love it or hate it thing here, the bottle I had just sort of dutifully checked off the boxes without any one outstanding feature. Apparently there are rather still bottles of this out there, but mine easily had enough carbonation. Nice cherry presence on the nose, tart, some rubber/marker phenols at first blush but those cleared up within several minutes. Color is a lovely claret, zero head, clear with a careful pour but a ton of straight up Mississippi River-level silt at the bottom of the bottle. Palate is puckery cherries, really nice flavor, no cough syrup, super light oaky funk, a touch thin maybe, and an acidic/vinegary character that grows over time. That last part is what, pardon the pun, soured me on this one. A nice kriek, but that emergent stomach acid note leaves a sour (sorry, had to do it again) taste in your mouth.

★ 854 characters

3.89/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ratings are after I force carbonated it with my soda stream. As it poured straight from the bottle with no carbonation I found it almost completely undrinkable. The carbonation really changed everything about this beer.

★ 219 characters

2.5/5  rDev -36.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.25

Horrible waste of money, no carb, zero, thick sour syrup mess. Tastes nothing like cherries, more like unsweet cranberries. Aectic acid is the only flavor profile, so if you want to drink a glass of red wine vinegar seek this out. I don't write too many BA reviews, but this is to warn people from wasting your money, people are being nice with past reviews!

★ 358 characters

3.27/5  rDev -16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

You can smell the funk right away. It tastes maybe more like cranberries rather than cherries. Woody. Very little cinnamon undertones. Honestly, not worth the money spent on it. I could have bought 3 Marriage Parfiat Krieks, which, in my opinon, is WAY better.

★ 265 characters

4.11/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

375 ml bottle into a teku

No pop from the cork, pours w/o any head and very low carb, kind of a light brownish reddish plum. Nose is a little overwhelming..yes some sour cherry, but more musty leathery oak and tart plum...a little vanilla there too. On the tongue the cherries become dominant...primarily sour but some sweet juicy cherry notes as well, especially as it lingers on the back. Nice pucker, not bright though; really nice to sit, sip, and savor.

★ 462 characters

3.94/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375 ml bottle into tulip glass; no bottle dating, but was recently released locally. No pop on the cork upon opening. Pours slightly hazy dark ruby red color with no head or lacing to speak of. Some light bubbles do appear on the sides of the glass eventually. Aromas of sour cherry, lemon, green apple, raisin, plum, red wine vinegar, leather, hay, straw, musty funk, brown sugar, toasted oak, light vanilla, and yeast/oak earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of sour cherry, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak barrel, and malt notes; with good strength. Taste of big sour cherry, lemon, green apple, raisin, plum, red wine vinegar, leather, hay, straw, musty funk, brown sugar, toasted oak, light vanilla, and yeast/oak earthiness. Large amount of acidic/tannic sourness on the finish; with lingering notes of sour cherry, lemon, green apple, raisin, plum, red wine vinegar, leather, hay, straw, musty funk, brown sugar, toasted oak, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of sour cherry, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak, and malt flavors; with a good malt/acidity balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Zero carbonation and medium bodied; with an acidic and lightly slick/syrupy mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice kriek lambic style. All around good robustness, complexity, and balance of sour cherry, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak, and malt flavors; and smooth to sip on with the moderately balanced acidity. Would have liked to see some carbonation to lighten up the mouthfeel a bit; but was still a very enjoyable offering.

★ 1,713 characters

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This review is definitely going to come off as biased. Reviewed 7/12/15, not sure of the bottle date, but seemed to be a bit older.

Bright red appearance, no carb. Really pretty.

Smells like soft cherry juice with a bit of funk. Very enticing.

Taste is fantastic, wonderful balance of sweet and tart cherry, funk, slight oak. Almost mead like.

No carbonation, which I think most people won't enjoy, but I love it. Very much like mead.

I think as a beer, it doesn't get the rating it deserves due to being still. If it was a cherry mead done by Schramm's, it would be getting rave reviews.

★ 593 characters

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Moderately sour. Lots of cherry aroma and flavor. Cherry quality dries over time. Tons of woody, earthy, leafy notes. Flat feel. Slightly watery. Overall, very good but there are better krieks in my opinion.

★ 209 characters

3.69/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: No pop as I remove the cork. Pours an opaque cherry red color with a tiny bubbly head that fizzles to nothing.
S: Acidic cherries, vinegar, light oak. A bit of that signature Hanssens funk, but not as big as other examples I have had from them.
T: At first the acidic character is pretty strong, but seems to diminish with each sip. Tannin like oak and cherry skins. Light earthy funk as well.
M/D: A light body that is almost completely flat. Which makes this really lifeless. Because you don't get much relief from the acidic cherries, this is really one noted and a little slow to sip on.

I enjoy the tannin like oak, and acidic cherries with a bit of skin. Though there is not much else. With the flat carbonation there is no relief, and that is all you get. Because of the price, and there are much better examples, not something I am reaching for often. Though once in a while, this is enjoyable.

★ 920 characters

4.17/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A small pop when I pulled the cork out, it pours a very dark...very dark red that almost looks black. A bit of foam here that has a decidedly reddish tint to it.

The smell is very sour, sour cherries and vinegar mixed with some oak barreling vanilla notes but that is pushed way to the back. I'm surprised I noticed it.

Super wine like flavours going on with tannins jumping out at me. The cherry tartness is very tasty, don't get a lot of vinegar at all, some oak vanilla, super tart in the finish.

Medium bodied with SOME carbonation, light it being.

Hey, guess what? I dig this. Another enjoyable brew from Hanssens.

★ 623 characters

3.88/5  rDev -1%

Appearance: pours a dark rose red color. Some bigger bubbles on the edges of the glass are the only head that is present. Little to no active carbonation, has a very flat look.

Smell: Tart cherries unsurprisingly jump out on the nose. A heavy dose of acidity lingers underneath the sprite tartness. Breathable oak isn't overly complex but does pair well with the cherries. Some sourness and funk hang on the back end.

Taste: The front is a surprisingly subtle cherry sweetness with some earthy, funky, malts. Then a huge wave of tartness and deep oak blast on to the palate and do not relinquish. Some interesting white grapes and acidic notes poke their way through.

Mouthfeel: Interesting transitions from a sweet, easy front to a palate punishing finish. Carbonation could be higher though, flat mouthfeel really gives the drinker no escape from the tartness.

Overall: Cool to try a rare beer, not quite that elite level of lambic but certainly quite good. A nice slow sipper on a dreary day. I wasn't crazy about the completely flat mouthfeel, but the complex cherry and oak characteristics make up for it.

★ 1,128 characters

3.71/5  rDev -5.4%

Pours a murky dark red with a foamy reddish-tan head that fades to nothing. No lacing on the drink down. Smell is sour with malt, cherry, earth, and funk aromas. Taste is much the same with sour cherry, earth, funk, and acidic flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of acidity on the palate with each sip. This beer has a low level of carbonation with an almost flat mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is tasty, but the smell has slightly better sour cherry aspects in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle.

★ 527 characters

4/5  rDev +2%

Pours deep burnt red, almost amber. A very tiny amount of carbonation. Legs from barrel aging.

Aroma of rich juicy cherries. Musty funk and a surprising hint of alcohol. Lemons and hay, but mostly straight up cherries. There is a richness perhaps from the cherries that is almost meaty (not a autolyzed yeast meaty).

Prominently sour at first with rich cherry flavor and woody funk. Quite tannic. Sourness builds over time, which is usually the opposite with me and other sour beers. Oak and a hint of oxidation, but in a complimentary way.

Virtually no carbonation, but in this case, it doesn't really detract. Sourness, tannins, and rich cherries fill the palette.

★ 669 characters

3.94/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Fills the glass with a dark red body that is almost purple until held to the light and the thinnest ring around the edge that shows there is a slight amount of carbonation present.

Cherry, lemon, oak, and funky musty yeast. A little cherry pie like.

Plenty of tartness and cherry flavor to make me happy. Slight mustiness.

No perceivable carbonation on the tongue. Ends dry.

Worth a try if you love lambic based beers even though it carries a hefty price tag.

★ 466 characters

4.26/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

at 27 bucks a bottle, small bottle, this has better be as good as it is right? right. fortunately, it is. one of the most interesting cherry beers ive had, thanks to claystation for this purchase and share. dark pink in color, not too clear, with zero head, the beer appears still like much of the stuff from hanssens does. incredible nose here, layers of funk far beyond lactic lambic sourness, although that is definitely there in robust proportion. i also get a mustiness, a basement dankness, a peculiar old man funk, its long lasting, mouth watering, and covering the whole range of my senses. the cherries give some pucker, but hardly a lick of sweetness to the smell, while the yeasty weirdness carries the beat. the flavor is much the same, but unlike most krieks or lambics generally, this one isnt concentrated to the front of my tongue. it covers the whole of my palate, dry, tart, cherry heavy, and tickling, without any carbonation at all. a thin body lets the flavors do the work, and the cherry is so different, not sweet or floral, but tart and acidic, i love it. drinks a bit slow with all the sourness and complexity, but its not nearly as acidic and the nose lets on. a world class example of the kriek style, but not a beer i could ever really afford to buy. an amazing glass though, very special beer. if fruited sours are your go, find this one.

★ 1,367 characters

4.3/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

bottle thanks to Tim at beer study. snifter.

pours a dark murky red with a slight head. lots of cherries on the nose. slight sourness. taste is very tart and tastes like cherry pie . slightly sour...its tart jammy cherry pie. mild bodied with mild carbonation.

overall recommended, but pricy.

★ 294 characters

4.08/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Ruby color in Cantillon wine glass. Absolutely still.

Smell is acidic with lots of fruit character.

Taste is tangy cherry. Not as puckeringly sour as others in this style. Good fruit flavor.

Mouthfeel is light and prickly.

Overall this was a nice example of the style. Not overpoweringly sour and lots of cherry flavor.

★ 325 characters

3.51/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

375ml. No bottled on date. Served in a Cantillon tasting glass.

Appearance: Pours a bright ruby red color with no head. Completely still. Body is hazy.

Smell: Cherry, oak, some light sour funk.

Taste: Same s the aroma. Sour pie cherries, oak, musty funk, and hay. Overall funk is character is pretty mild.

Mouthfeel: Light/medium bodied. Slick mouthfeel. Zero carbonation. Finishes dry.

Overall: This was a bit of a disappointment. It's lacking in the funk department, which by itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the beer lacks the intense fruit character I was hoping would fill that void. With that said, it's still a good beer, but definitely not worth the price tag.

★ 682 characters

4.12/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375ml bottle into wine glass. No pop to the cork...ruby red color..no head.
Really amazing tart super cherry aroma...smells so funky
Perfectly tart and sour cherry flavor..although a bit over sweet and almost artificial cherry but still amazing. Its an amazing brew overall. Not quite as good as cantillon kriek but still nice.

★ 328 characters

3.87/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A. It is red, basically opaque, there's a bit of lit that comes through, but so limited. There isn't much of a head or lacing.

S. The scent is very, very strong...almost B.O. Cherry and some of a malt.

T/M. It is very sharp. There's a cherry taste that is intense. It is extremely crisp and carbonated. It is strong. High alcohol.

O. For what it is, it is very solid. For the style, it gives me what they advertise. It is extremely expensive ($18 for a 375 ml bottle; I've seen for 30-40 at a bar) so you have to want it. But it is tasty and is high quality. Kriek isn't a style I like, as cherry is a terrible taste, but this is done quite well.

★ 649 characters

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from notes. Thanks to Bo for opening this one.

A: Pours a deep ruby red color with no head or lacing whatsoever.

S: Nice aromas of cherry and raspberry, a bit of sourness and some funk/barnyard aroma.

T: Quite tasty with heavy fruit flavors. They cherry dominates, but there is a bit of raspberry and stone fruit underneath. The funk is a bit more present as well, mustier than the aroma.

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation, but sort of on the thick side of medium bodied.

O: It was good, but not worth the hefty price tag slapped on the bottle.

★ 570 characters

3.58/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

375ml bottle that my cousin scored for $11 which is surely a misprice. Blood red color and no head whatsoever. Aroma is thick cherries. Flavor is solid cherries both sour cherries and a cherry pie flavor. Oddly no funk and almost no tartness according to my tongue. Overall a very fruity kriek but this is no better than a regular hanssens kriek with polish cherries and I didn't really pickup any cinnamon notes that supposedly come along with the schaerbeekse cherries. This beer is certainly not worth the normal $23 price tag and frankly isn't worth half the price tag.

★ 573 characters

3.59/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a cloudy deep red color lambic with a small bubbly head with no retention or lacing. Aroma of tart notes of cherry with loads of barnyard notes. Taste is also dominated by tart notes of cherries though not as much sour notes or acidity as I was expecting. There is quite a bit of barnyard notes with some funky notes. Body is full with limited filtration and almost no carbonation. Interesting though not something I would need to have on a regular basis.

★ 470 characters