Kriek Audenaerde
Brouwerij Brasserie De Ranke

Deep sanguine crimson tone, a finger or two of reddish pink foam. Beautiful color.

Dark cherry aroma, pie crust, wet oak barrel.

Tart and juicy cherries, hard to miss. Smooth feel, supple carb, dry finish. Mouthwatering acidity. Tannic cranberry, subtle nutty almond note from the cherry pits.

Cherry-infused oud bruin is a nearly lost regional East Flanders style from the early 20th century. Only a few commercial examples from the Oudenaarde region still remain: Rodenbach Alexander, Cnudde Bizon, Verhaeghe Duchesse Cherry & Echte Kriek. This one is as good as any of those, cheers to De Ranke for keeping this historical style alive.

Oud Bruin #108
De Ranke #11

This is the 2022 edition in the 750 ml capped bottle. Pours a lovely shade of red-- tinged with brown rather than pink. Just a flicker of foam in the Timmermans goblet. The aroma is cork with hints of sour red wine. The mouthfeel is slightly carbonated but watery. This actually doesn't taste like much and I don't find any hint of fruit. The overall impression is sour, woody, and bitter. I like Rodenbach very much, but this seems like the ghost of a kriek and I'm sorry to see so much work go into something undrinkable.

So well balanced a drinker, with aroma, and not too tart, whether below or at room temperature. A replacement for a good wine. Very good food accompanyment.

 

 

Bottle: Poured a cloudy/hazy reddish color ale with a medium size foamy head with light retention and a light amount of lacing. Aroma of tart cherry notes with nice fruity undertones is quite nice. Taste is a good mix of tart cherry notes with some fruity undertones and light oak and funky ester notes also perceptible. Body is full with good carbonation. Solid oud bruin with a ton of cherries.