3 Fonteinen Schaarbeekse Kriek

Brewed by 3 Fonteinen
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Beersel, Belgium

Bottle 2005 Vintage. Reddish/burgundy beer with a slight pinkish head. Musty aroma with sweet cherries. Tart flavor bordering on sour with some fruitiness and plenty of mustiness. Cleansing while leaving a slight puckering. Subtle beer - not overpowering - but mustiness is the major component and I expected more.

Large, frothy, bright pink head has moderate retention. Thick bulbous lacing sticks like glue. The body is deep cherry red, creamy looking. Aroma brings dark cherries that are both overripe and sensuously tart. Also noted are heapings of barnyard funk, horse blanket, milder vanilla and wet oak, milder still nuances of astringent lemon oils and musty moss. Flavor is actually dialed down a notch, so relaxing and ultimately stunning in its complexities. Cherries are both sweet and tart, boldly presented as a centerpiece enveloped in funk. Moderate acidity is cloaked by outright sourness with toasty grains and brettanomyces. This is the pinnacle of kriek. Sweet, high-end Kirschwasser and tart oakiness linger in a finish that’s much milder than the taste. Palate is silky smooth with boisterous carbonation that fits well. Medium bodied mouthfeel is presented so elegantly it becomes hard not to take large gulps. My rating for this has near the same score as the oude kriek, but for entirely different reasons. This kriek defines the style. The way it exudes elegance is comforting and fulfilling. A knockout.

750ml, dated 3/1/05, aged 2 years. pours a beautiful hazy reddish pink with small pink head. nose has a nice balance of funkiness, oak, tart cherries, and vanilla. flavor has lots of brett, oak, with earthy-fresh-tart cherries, and a pleasant sourness. the sourness and acidity isn’t too much and makes this a lambic I could drink lots of.4.2.

6/5/08, 750ml bottle. thanks to holdenn for bringing over this gem during a horse shoe session right on Logan Boulevard during some of the first hot days of the year. this one paired perfectly with horse shoes even though we had to fill up our discret plastic cups. yep a big ol’ mug of lambic! anyways this beer smelled and tasted even better. the fruit flavor is boss. yeah this is easily the best kriek found in the us and probably ever. the sour cherry flavor is lush, dense, and full of the cherry skins. i get some raspberry in there a bit too and it starts reminded me of Hommage a tad, at least in fruit flavors. wow this is awsome stuff.4.3.

Slightly cloudy red/pink with a very small pink head. Aroma of raspberries, old wet sleepers and cherries, very dry and tart with that hard to describe clenliness that sets 3fs well apart from Cantillon for me. Great balanced mouthful, perfect amounts of tartness, fruit and dryness. Flavours follow the aroma, a bit of horseblanket, cherrypit and raspberry. The finish is quicker and not as tart as expected, but still shows some tannic qualities. Its pretty hard for words to describe the enjoyment of drinking this one, cheers to 3fs for another great brew. 6euro from the brewery.

Bottled (2002 vintage according to list, bottle mentioned bottling 2003...). Dark murky brownish red colour with rmall pinkish head. Aroma is earthy, cherries and sourness. Flavour is earthy, cherries and sourness. Aftertaste is sour cherries.

$21 USD at Premiere Gourmet. Pinkish like a rose wine, with a small crown. Cherry aroma. Dry taste, fairly medium mouthfeel. Only the real thing, with a bit of wild yeast in there. Very good example of style, drying mouthfeel. Definately replaces wine at the meal.

Bottled. Burnt red with a smallish pink head. Tart cherry aroma with a good bit of brett and must. Very tart with big cherry notes. Strawberries, lemongrass and Kool-Aid notes. Much different than what I expected. Somewhat subdued and thin. Great flavor. It’s not overly tart or sour but definitely not sweet. Dry cherry finish.

750 ml. bottle. Purchased at the Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA. Not cheap at $21 this is a pricy bottle of lambic. Pours deep red, ruby red, a much deeper red than other cherry beers lambic or otherwise. The head is thin and pink. Aroma is reminiscent of the proper aroma for a lambic with a woody cherry direction. The taste is certainly full of cherries and is sweet with some tartness at the end of the sip. I agree with ross where is the sour. This is damn good beer, and I’m not sure if I need the sour, but I may want it. This is a solid traditional lambic, now to wait for my chance to get that Framboise.