3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek

750mL corked and caged, Bottling date March 22 2006. Thanks to pepsican for another lopsided trade--you buttface, I owe you again Pours a hazy reddish brown with a one finger pastel pink head, fading to a thick ring and tattered film for the duration. Sour and acidic lemons, cherry pits, old dry wood, and some musty leather. Lots of funky sourness and acidity from both lemons, cherries, and berries peaking around a 6 to 7 (the sourness). Tannic with some oak in the dry finish, bitterness around a 2-3. Not much sweetness to be had at all. Light to moderate carbonation with a medium body. Damn good, and the girlfriend agrees--nice and sour

750 ml bottle dated 22 March 2006. Lambic is probably the style I have the most problem with in terms of understanding and appreciating the beer. Some are just way too sour and acidic for me and I don’t understand the attraction. I’ve recently read more about the process of making lambics to try a gain a better understanding of this style and appreciate the subtleties. In short, this beer was an utter gem. Pours an absolutely gorgeous rose/plum color with a moderate, fizzy pink head that disappeared after a few sips. The body starts out cloudy but is fairly clear towards the end of the glass. The aroma is mostly sour with some cherry notes picked up as well. No oak detected. The flavor of this beer simply amazed me. Sour up front, but not mouth puckering, followed by tart cherries, some light oak, and yeast. No single component overwhelms any of the other characteristics. Very effervescent and lively on the tongue. I shared this bottle with my wife, and she is not into sour flavors at all, and she was equally effusive about this beer. Really, really good.

Glass: flute Purchased at: Circle Liquors Super Saver, Pennington, NJ Price: $15.99 Size: 25.4 fl oz ABV: 6% IBU:n/a Estimated Calories: 310C RateBeer Rating: 99 Aural: interesting cork opening, high carbonation, simple pour Aroma 10 out of 10 Intensity: strong Balance: very sharp (incredibly sour) Impression: nice Malt Aroma: roast Hops Aroma: marigolds peppers orange Other Aroma: cherry Notes: what an amazing aroma. overpowering with sour cherry content and context. Appearance 5 out of 5 Color: brown Clarity: deeply cloudy, Head Retention: poor Lace: poor Notes: An absolutely stunning color, depth and presence. No head at all. Flavor 10 out of 10 Intensity: strong Balance: bitter Impression: nice Malt Flavor: roast Hops Flavor: grapefruit Other: cherry Notes: What an amazing, surprising and wholly sour flavor. Knocks you down with intent and determination. A beautiful flavor with dark intent. This beer wants to take a bough of arrows and send each of them deep into your heart, and you still love it so! It is a fruit based flavor that wants to convince you of IPAs. it’s phenomenal. Palate 5 out of 5 Mouthfeel Sensation: drying Body: full Carbonation: medium Finish Length: long Intensity: strong Balance: bitter Notes: what an amazing palate and finish - great depth to the bitterness and sourness of the palate. General Impression: 18 out of 20 Craftmanship: excellent Freshness: quite fresh Personal Taste: loved Notes: It is dominated by sourness and acidity, but it is interesting to no end as a result. It is not sweet or cloying, but you are overwhelmed by the things we associate with sweetness — cherries, grapes, and melons (rinds). So nice. Address : <http://beercritic.wordpress.com/>

750 ml bottle consumed on 6/5/08. I’ve been holding onto this one for quite awhile. A warm spring evening playing horseshoes seemed like the perfect opportunity to open this kriek. Pours reddish pink with a pink soapy head that lingers. The nose is phenomenal. Sour fruit everywhere. Lots of tart cherries and raspberries. Acidic fruit that’s almost gueze like. Acidic and vinegary cherry flavors with cherry skins. There is a slight barnyard character with earthy herbal notes that come out more as it warms up. The slightly sweet cherries, lactic tartness, and earthiness all balance out each other really well. Excellent lambic I could drink more of.

Bottle enjoyed with dessert at Heeren van Liedekerke, Belgium (3/2008); unsure of the vintage. Smells of vinegar and cherry skins, showing the acidity and the fleshiness of the cherries. Immediately after the first sip, there’s a charge of bretty, guezue-like sourness that cuts through the foamy carbonation. The charge subsides just as quickly, to be replaced by a full cherry flavor that is wonderful and puts many other krieks to shame. The cherry lingers into the finish and provides the baseline with which the other flavors interact: a dry yeasty bitter on top of the tongue and on the sides in the beginning, followed by soft lactic sweetness. Dark yeasty things play around throughout, and are a wonderful complement to the main event: the perfect balance between ripe cherry fruitiness and the guezue-sour juiciness. Clear ruby red in the glass, pink fizzy head medium to small, but lasting. Wonderful beer.