By Greg B.  Sometimes, there are beers that let you have a little fun with people.  This is one of those beers.  Sure, it’s a lambic style beer and sure it’s a cherry lambic (hence, kriek), but that’s about where what you might expect this beer to be stops, and what the beer actually is begins.  You might expect this beer to be something like a lindeman’s framboise or kriek you had once; very sweet, fruity, berryish.  But you’d be wrong.  This beer is a beast unto itself!  Allow me to explain.

So, when this beer is fermented, a ton of sour cherries are mashed and wild bacteria are allowed to live, grow and thrive in the mash.  These yeast and bacteria digest just about everything, the skins, pulp etc.  They even chow down on some of the pits, extracting a nutty flavor that is evident in the beer.  But this beer is not sweet.  At all.  I believe it was Gabi, who exclaimed after I gave her a glass ‘this is the manliest beer ever that sounds like the womanliest beer’.  Cherry lambic, sounds girly right?  nope.

This beer pours a reddish color with a minimal head.  It smells bright and fruity, obviously with a lot of cherry aromas those mostly take the cake, but it also has this really interesting dark cherry, barynardy style aroma, and it has an earthy aroma to it that is very reminiscent of some of the French pinot noirs Mike has given me to try.   To taste, you should brace yourself, this beer has a few razors of acidity to share with you.  It is tart.  And I mean it.  But with a very creamy finish.  However the beer actually finishes dry.  Bone dry.  Every sip begins with a mouth puckering sourness that gives way to a creamy mouthfeel and finally a dry crisp finish, with the sour cherry flavors present the whole way.  A fantastic beer, you gotta try one!  3.9/5, 6.0% abv.

Try this beer with: This is a tough one, but I’ll suggest venison or wild game with berry sauces as well as salads.