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Verhaeghe Echte Kriek / Echte Kriekenbier
Brouwerij Verhaeghe
- From:
- Brouwerij Verhaeghe
- Belgium
- Style:
- Flanders Red Ale
Ranked #53 - ABV:
- 6.8%
- Score:
- 87
Ranked #17,405 - Avg:
- 3.87 | pDev: 12.4%
- Reviews:
- 229
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Oct 01, 2023
- Added:
- Nov 18, 2002
- Wants:
- 24
- Gots:
- 39
SCORE
87
Very Good
87
Very Good
Echt Kriekenbier, (real cherry beer)" is as the name suggests a cherry beer that is manufactured with only the real fruit of cherries instead of with flavor enhancers or extracts of cherries. The fruit is sourced from the region around Sint-Truiden in Limburg (Belgium).
Unlike the most famous fruit beers the basic beer of the "real cherry beer" is not a Lambic but a West-Flemish red-brown ale aged in oak wood. About mid-July at the picking, the Northern cherries are brought in at the brewery and laid in on the base beer.
Because the taste of the cherry fruit varies from year to year and this according to the number of hours of sunshine or rain, the kriekenbier at its final composition is blended with cherry beer from the year before and two-year old cherry beer. This with the intention of becoming a more constant taste of the "real cherry beer" over the years.
Unlike the most famous fruit beers the basic beer of the "real cherry beer" is not a Lambic but a West-Flemish red-brown ale aged in oak wood. About mid-July at the picking, the Northern cherries are brought in at the brewery and laid in on the base beer.
Because the taste of the cherry fruit varies from year to year and this according to the number of hours of sunshine or rain, the kriekenbier at its final composition is blended with cherry beer from the year before and two-year old cherry beer. This with the intention of becoming a more constant taste of the "real cherry beer" over the years.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania
3.88/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.88/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
330ml bottle into a teku. Best by 9/13/2020. Doing really well tonight.
Nice look to this one. Red with amber notes. Lively early on, then head shrinks to a ring. Somewhat neutral aroma. Fair amount going on in the taste, sour, tart, sweet, drying, even a little funk. Cherries have pretty much faded. Still, nice enough drink.
Oct 01, 2023Nice look to this one. Red with amber notes. Lively early on, then head shrinks to a ring. Somewhat neutral aroma. Fair amount going on in the taste, sour, tart, sweet, drying, even a little funk. Cherries have pretty much faded. Still, nice enough drink.
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway
3.81/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
330 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet, Nettbutikken. ABV is 6.8%. Clear deep red colour, moderate to small off-white / pinkish head. Strong aroma of sour cherries, brettanomyces / farmhouse and oak. Sour and medium sweet flavour with cherries galore, some brett and oak.
Aug 07, 2022
Rated by SushiSakeBeer from Oregon
4.34/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.34/5 rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Delightful, rich, full-bodied cherries. Wonderful.
Apr 09, 2021Reviewed by cardfan212 from Minnesota
4.3/5 rDev +11.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.3/5 rDev +11.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a fluted glass.
Look - A lot browner than I expected. I thought it'd be a very vibrant red. Sandy colored fluffy head that sticks around for a bit. Leaves a good amount of lacing.
Smell - Quite sour, decently woody, and sweet cherries. A decent blend of pleasant scents.
Taste - Like the smell but more intense. The sourness is tame enough and very enjoyable. A wonderful swirl of flavors.
Feel - Medium body with just the right amount of fizz to it.
Overall - I never thought I'd be able to fall in love with a sour beer, but this one might be close to it. Incredibly balanced and nuanced, and absolutely delicious.
Apr 17, 2020Look - A lot browner than I expected. I thought it'd be a very vibrant red. Sandy colored fluffy head that sticks around for a bit. Leaves a good amount of lacing.
Smell - Quite sour, decently woody, and sweet cherries. A decent blend of pleasant scents.
Taste - Like the smell but more intense. The sourness is tame enough and very enjoyable. A wonderful swirl of flavors.
Feel - Medium body with just the right amount of fizz to it.
Overall - I never thought I'd be able to fall in love with a sour beer, but this one might be close to it. Incredibly balanced and nuanced, and absolutely delicious.
Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas
4.06/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.06/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a turbid brown with almost no head. Zero head retention
S: Cherries, a little barnyard once warm
T: Dryness, sweet & tart cherries, woodyness up front. Sweet & tart cherry, a little woody dryness & leafy hop as this warms, a touch of leather & vinegar. Finishes tart & puckery, faint fig notes, woodyness & cherry
MF: Medium body, minimal carbonation , puckery
A nice cherry infused take on the style
Nov 15, 2019S: Cherries, a little barnyard once warm
T: Dryness, sweet & tart cherries, woodyness up front. Sweet & tart cherry, a little woody dryness & leafy hop as this warms, a touch of leather & vinegar. Finishes tart & puckery, faint fig notes, woodyness & cherry
MF: Medium body, minimal carbonation , puckery
A nice cherry infused take on the style
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota
3.74/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.74/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
11.2oz brown bottle. Best before date is '2020-01-21'.
Dark brown with reddish tint colored body. No real head upon pouring, but does yield a medium ring and a bubble fed island. No lacing.
Aroma is a sweet cherry smell, with a corresponding sour green apple.
Taste initially expresses the tart cherry and then, towards the end, a sweeter cherry comes forth. Rather short taste profile, with very little aftertaste.
Medium plus mouth feel. Has a lower level of carbonation.
A somewhat refreshing Flanders Red, especially when the sweet cherry expresses.
Apr 12, 2019Dark brown with reddish tint colored body. No real head upon pouring, but does yield a medium ring and a bubble fed island. No lacing.
Aroma is a sweet cherry smell, with a corresponding sour green apple.
Taste initially expresses the tart cherry and then, towards the end, a sweeter cherry comes forth. Rather short taste profile, with very little aftertaste.
Medium plus mouth feel. Has a lower level of carbonation.
A somewhat refreshing Flanders Red, especially when the sweet cherry expresses.
Reviewed by Pray_For_Mojo from Colorado
3.6/5 rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.6/5 rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: much lighter in color than I expected for a Flemish red/brown. This beer is much more red than brown. The cherries’ contribution to the color is obvious. Dark ruby with only a hint of brown. Wonderfully bright. The head is spritzy, almost artificial in appearance, which fades quickly like a hot soda. The head is off-white with just a hint of pink.
Aroma: cherry sweetness, candy-like cherry aroma. Somewhat artificial. Mild lacto-sourness and oak.
Flavor: sweet! Too sweet even after the first sip. This is too sweet to finish in a sitting. The cherry comes through as cherry cough drops (more like Ludens than medicated drops). Then comes an awful metallic taste; as if this beer were stored in an old tin soup can. The sourness is mild, or at least mellowed by the sugar. The metallic taste is overbearing!
Mouthfeel: medium-medium.
Overall: between the excessive sweetness and the overwhelming metallic taste, this beer is marginal. Fortunately, it was relatively inexpensive for the style ($10-11 / 750ml). I wouldn’t buy this beer again, though. This beer has too many areas for improvement. I drained poured the remainder of the bottle following my tasting notes.
Sep 13, 2018Aroma: cherry sweetness, candy-like cherry aroma. Somewhat artificial. Mild lacto-sourness and oak.
Flavor: sweet! Too sweet even after the first sip. This is too sweet to finish in a sitting. The cherry comes through as cherry cough drops (more like Ludens than medicated drops). Then comes an awful metallic taste; as if this beer were stored in an old tin soup can. The sourness is mild, or at least mellowed by the sugar. The metallic taste is overbearing!
Mouthfeel: medium-medium.
Overall: between the excessive sweetness and the overwhelming metallic taste, this beer is marginal. Fortunately, it was relatively inexpensive for the style ($10-11 / 750ml). I wouldn’t buy this beer again, though. This beer has too many areas for improvement. I drained poured the remainder of the bottle following my tasting notes.
Reviewed by erk0607 from Colorado
4.6/5 rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.6/5 rDev +18.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Look: Raspberry brown and copperish with a slightly pink-white head that turns to lacing.
Smell: Cherries, apples, pear, a slight funk
Taste: Slightly grainy, oaky, cherry, bright fruit. Definitely NOT a derivative of cherry cough syrup. Nice yeasty funk.
Feel: Light, crisp, dry, soft carbonation
Overall: Good kriek - would get again. I'm a Duchess fan and this is a bit less vinegary
Apr 02, 2018Smell: Cherries, apples, pear, a slight funk
Taste: Slightly grainy, oaky, cherry, bright fruit. Definitely NOT a derivative of cherry cough syrup. Nice yeasty funk.
Feel: Light, crisp, dry, soft carbonation
Overall: Good kriek - would get again. I'm a Duchess fan and this is a bit less vinegary
Reviewed by HoppyBastard from Nebraska
1.37/5 rDev -64.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1
1.37/5 rDev -64.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1
Poured from a 1 pint 9.4 ounce corked and caged bottle into a Shaker pint glass, expiration date "06/2018".
APPEARANCE: pours a dark, redish-brown color with less than one finger tan head that quickly dissipated until a thin, broken layer of small bubbles remained, there is very little lacing on the glass, highly carbonated.
SMELL: vinegar, that is really all I got, in a word..... unpleasant.
TASTE: sadly, the taste follows the nose, vinegar and some cherry in the background, I have had cherry cough syrup better than this.
PALATE: medium body and carbonation.
OVERALL: two words: drain pour. I finished half of one glass and poured the rest down my kitchen sink. That is $12.00 I'll never get back.
Mar 20, 2018APPEARANCE: pours a dark, redish-brown color with less than one finger tan head that quickly dissipated until a thin, broken layer of small bubbles remained, there is very little lacing on the glass, highly carbonated.
SMELL: vinegar, that is really all I got, in a word..... unpleasant.
TASTE: sadly, the taste follows the nose, vinegar and some cherry in the background, I have had cherry cough syrup better than this.
PALATE: medium body and carbonation.
OVERALL: two words: drain pour. I finished half of one glass and poured the rest down my kitchen sink. That is $12.00 I'll never get back.
Reviewed by OliverWilde from Oklahoma
4.97/5 rDev +28.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
4.97/5 rDev +28.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This is what low ABV bier should taste like. You know its old either from the nice yeasty-open fermentation flavor or the tartness. I've never had a kriek with this much farmhouse funk so I'm sold. A few points off for being so clear; I don't know much about beer so I don't know if some beers just clear up on their own or what but to me clear beer always seemed so superficial and commercial.
Feb 16, 2018
Verhaeghe Echte Kriek / Echte Kriekenbier from Brouwerij Verhaeghe
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
443 ratings
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