Cantillon Kriek

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Brussels, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

UPDATED: JAN 10, 2012 Re-rating 2012-01-10. Nowadays I like lambic. 75 cl bottle. Deep red/pink liquid with medium to big pink head. Aroma of cherries, funk, lacto, wheat, lemons, barnyard and leather. Taste is light to medium tart/sour, dry and has notes of cherries, other red fruit and wood. Medium bodied with good carbonation. Really nice kriek, super balanced and drinkable. Still funky and sour though. 8/5/8/4/17 - 4.2

37,5 cl bottle from Systembolaget. 2009 vintage. Red/pink colour with small pink head. Somewhat hazy. Aroma is sour, cherries, red onions, fruits and vinegar. Taste is sour (lemons!) with a somewhat sweet aftertaste. Mouthfeel is light bodied and somewhat sticky. Good, interesting beer but not really my cup of tea. 7/5/6/4/15 - 3.7

Pours a reddish-pink color with a pinkish white foam head. Has an aroma of funk, cherries, and vinegar. An excellent tart taste with hints of cherries. Nice dry clean finish. Nice carbonation level. Can’t go wrong with a cantillon.

Bottle. Pours a hazy brownish red colour with a small layer of dirty pinkish bubbles which quickly disappear. Nose is fairly tart with notes of cherries, apples, wood, lemon, vinegar and some dusty funkyness. Flavour is quite similar with the cherry and wood notes standing out, some balsamic vinegar and hints of earthiness. Mouthfeel is light and slick with low carbonation and a long tart, acidic finish. Pretty damn good; tasty, complex and quite easy drinking too.

UPDATED: APR 23, 2011 Draught, vintage 2007 (had 2010).
A nice, thick, red liquid with no head whatsoever, like a freshly squeezed fruit juice. Aroma has a high acidity and some berries. Ow, first sip only vinegar, second sip vinegar with some berries, but after that all the flavours start coming out. Sure, there is cherries, but I also get raspberries and other red berries, perhaps blackberries too. Very dry, very acidic, but also packed with flavours. 7-4-7-3-15=3.6
Bottle from August 2010, had April 2011.
Bright red, becoming hazy towards the end of the bottle, with a light pink head. Aroma: dry, tart but not sour, cherries. Taste: cherries, dry and tart, rosé or white wine, green apples, very refreshing. Medium-bodied, light but not thin, lively carbonation and a tongue-curling acidity. Very nice!

Bottle from 2007 shared with friends to finish off the evening. A: The pour is a dark reddish-pink color with a pink head that shortly dies down to a thin ring and spotty covering. S: Plenty of cherry fruit flesh and skins right off the bat. Lots and lots of lactic acidity to go along with the fruit. The barnyard funk is pronounced but the oak is more mellow. T: The tartness in this beer is unrelenting. For lesser mortals, it might be too much, but I find it to be very enjoyable. Lots of cherry skin and fruit flavor and a more moderate funk character. M: The body is medium with a soft carbonation that is oh so typical of lambics. Very dry, lots of saliva inducing tartness. D: While I do enjoy the sourness of this beer, it is not something I would tackle a whole 750 of by myself. That said, it’s a Cantillon beer, so I’ll still never turn it down.

Tasting glass at Cantillon brewery. Pours a hazy, dark pink color: simply wonderful appearance on this one. Nose is cherries, citric peels, wood, yeasty tones and barnyard funk. Taste is quite matching to the aromatic profile, with the exception of a smooth, sour tartiness not fully rendered in the nose. While I’m no authority on kriek, this is certainly a very nice beer. Of course, getting it served in the Cantillon bar kinda helps, too. ;-)

Pours bright red with a pink head. The aroma is bright, funky and fruity. The palate brings the funk. Cherries, vinegar, onion, basement, oak, lemon, and a piercing finish. Quite nice.

Tap at local option... Pours a strawberry red pour, mostly opaque, with a pinkish hue of a head... Aroma first hits with an amalgam of cherry skins and a modest hint of the classic cantillon barnyard funk. Def more cherry fruit centralized...flavors follow suit consistently with a focus on cherry, nice little sour component to it, mild funk. Perfect sournesss without being too acidic. Quite adequately carbonated with good body for the style.