Bios Kriek

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Ertvelde, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

Bought at Ledger’s Liquors, in Berkeley, CA. Pours EXTREMELY tall soup-bubbly pink head. Very pretty and lasts for quite some time.Perfumy aroma, but not an overly sweet aroma. Definately has the scent of a kriek. Definately a sour-tasting Kriek. Cherries are certainly present, but not nearly as sweet as some of the krieks I’ve had before. However, it also doesn’t explode in my mouth like some Kreiks I’ve had either. Very slight sourness that lingers on the pallete long after you’ve taken a sip.

Pours a very dark red with darker mahogany and mud-brown hues. Very little evident carbonation, what is visible is suspended amongst the thick and apparently syrupy webs of the body. No head whatsoever. The aroma is a powerful smack of cherries, very sweet and very nice(whether this is juice or whole fruit, the result indicates a very high-quality product was employed). An undercurrent of quality, aged balsamic vinegar flows vigorously along, a river that unleashes soft notes of sugar, Chambord liqueur and light vanilla. The flavor is very pleasant; the cherries are definitely added in whole form, likely of the Maraschino variety. Sweetness is very high but this only nears cloying if sipped quickly or an entire bottle is sampled. A light tartness is underlying and everpresent, jusdt enough to be a nod to its origins/inspirations. Acidity is very low; were it higher this would be more quaffable. No barnyard funkiness or other openfermentation nuances are noted. The finish is solely cherry, rich and satisfying. No medicinal notes whatsoever throughout the entire experience, a relief. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, softly carbonated and very smooth. A fun beer to relax with.

This one is tough to rate. I’m torn between what seems like a silly cherry beer thast turned out very delicious and the knowledge that this is verging on gimmick status, a beer brewed to sell and nothing more. I rate based solely on my enjoyment though, as this is my experiential journal. That said, I really enjoy drinking this beer. The result of this recipe in it’s bottled form is a wonderfully seductive blend of candy-sweet cherry soda and a mild form of the tartness, along with just a glimpse of the funk, that keeps traditional lambic near and dear to my heart. I will continue to enjoy this - not with a dessert, but as one.

8oz bottle fizzy, quickly dissipating head with a raspberry tint; the ale itself has a rather deep ruby to glowing mahogany hue. score would be higher if head had any staying power to it. to its credit, when swirled in the glass, it does reappear. best out of trappist or a burgundy glass imo. aroma? 1 thing; black cherry jolly rancher. aside from that? chocolate covered cherry filling, and candy. it’s very one-dimensional, but seems as though it would make a great dessert companion to a cheesecake. appetizing, but lacking in depth. taste? very very sweet with a hint of tart on the finish. screaming cherry and raspberry. and while it isn’t thick, it has enough sugar to be close to a flavoring syrup. palate? hints of cranberry on the finish. fizzy carbonation, and the sugar hits everywhere. scored as is, and not compared to other styles. overall? good price point, though it is a smaller, what, 8oz bottle? i could go for a bomber of this, but only to be shared over dessert. compared to other belgians, this lambic stacks up fairly well and in my opinion, can hold its own when called upon. not my favorite style though, as the sweetness i’m afraid, especially enjoying a few of these, would catch up to me in the morning. that and the lower gravity isn’t really going to do it for me.

Cherish Lambic - Bottle. The thing I liked about it, was that it had a lot more beer flavor than your average lambic. That said it wasn’t enough fruit flavor in my opinion.

Bottle, 25 cl. Clear cherry red color, big pink head. Aroma = cherries, yeast, sweet. Thin to medium body. Taste is very sweet, juice of cherries, little sourness.

Thanks to Skyview for sharing. Hazy brown color with a red tinge to it. Overly sweet cherry nose with a faint earthiness to it. Sweet brown sugar body with an intense cherry candy flavor. Faint sour finihs.

Picked up small 8.4 oz bottle of "Cherish Kriek" at Murray’s in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. Pours a hazy/burnt reddish amber brew with a very thin fizzy off-white head that quickly disappears to a few bubbles. Aroma of sour cherries and a touch of yeast. Taste is lightly carbonated, and not so sour cherries as its aroma. Flavor is more like a sweet sugared cherry Tootsie-roll without the dark chocolate caramel in the center. Finish is slightly metalic, thin bodied and slightly watered down. An in-between sweet and tart cherry aftertaste.

This would be the version available to the US and outside Europe. Everything about this reminds me of going to some touristy Christmas Store in Door County and being battered by the overpowering smell of holiday potpourri. Acrid and syrup-like cherry character with a little cocoa powder tossed in for good measure. The lambic nature of this is simply beaten up and cast aside by that damn cherry flavouring. No thought to balance in here, just a heady amount of cherry.