Cantillon Kriek

Brewed by Cantillon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Brussels, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

Serving: 750 ml. bottle from Vintage House.
Aroma: The nose has notes of dark cherries, a nice dose of oak, cherry skins, some wet hay, and a bit of funk. Quite nice.
Appearance: It pours a clear red color with a slight foamy, light pink head. The head fades fairly quickly.
Flavor: The taste mirrors the nose, but earthier and funkier. Lots of sour cherry up front with the wild beasties taking over in the back. A nice dose of sourness, but not overpowering. The oak really comes through as well. Extremely well balanced.
Palate: Light in body with high carbonation and a short, dry finish.
Overall: An outstanding lambic that is definitely worth trying. Highly recommended.

(Tap @ Gastropub Tuulensuu. Rated @ xx.4.2010)
Pours a red colour with a off-pink head. Nice lacing. Loads of cherry on the nose with a sharp oakness. Cherry-sour taste with the classic Cantillon acidity with a hint of lemon. Dry finish. Really good.

Draught. Red with white head. Sour as other lambics and with some good cherries. Green apples and some citrus? Not bad if you like the style and I do. Medium body. Long after taste.

I love sour, yes I do. I love sour how about you? No? Well, then, I’ll take that glass off your hands. More for me is what I say.

Deep ruby red of the finest pedigree rests luxuriously under a paper thin head. I’m not surprised though; traditional lambics enjoy very little artificial carbonation and not that much natural carbonation either. That’s not to say they are flat in the bad sense of the word, but much like a fine wine or fine cider, they are silky smooth and not bothered by annoying bubblies getting in the way of their exquisitely complex and delicate flavors. All Cantillon beers that I have seen are corked under their cap, and when I popped that cap, I could hear the hiss of natural carbonation fizzling its way up and out of the virtually nonexistent space between cork and bottle. She was as ready for me as I was ready for her. Tart, vinous, and musty are my first impressions of her nose. Cherries are everywhere, and I’m not talking the canned variety drowning in sugar-syrup. No, these are the real deal, pits and all, which add to her nutty musty, earthy quality while the freshness of her cherries are evident in the sweet meatiness of her nose. The bitterness of the skins adds to the bitter sour snap of her nose which tickles my senses with vanilla root and a soft pervasive sour lactose/lactic quality. Lemon zest zips to and fro while raw cranberries with their massively tasty puckerability join their cherry brethren. Such a playfully bright nose, I can smell her from my chair without glass in hand, but then I can’t partake of her divine liquid bounty. My first quaff is WOW! Tastebuds shiver and quake in tart sour ecstasy as my tastebuds immediately water for more. Sour first, then sweet, then dry, leathery, and musty with a hint of wood. The leather is of the softest supplest quality while her middle is sweet with kiwi, cherries with stones, and apricots. White grapefruit adds zest to her tart side with 100% of her all natural juice freshly squeezed from her fruit. For the uninitiated or virgin adventurer into the world of true Lambics, it can be hard to get past the initial shock of sourness. But if you can and you do, a magnificent world of delicately complex flavors await to dazzle and delight your entire being. I know; I’ve been a willing patron many times over. Medium to light weight with the lactose I found in her nose transferring over to her mouthfeel for a smooth, almost cherries&cream consistency. Not heavy cream mind you, but enough to smooth out the edges of her tart sour nibbles. Nuttiness from the cherry pits compliments the earthy side of this fabulous 100% Pure Kriek Lambic from Cantillon. As she warms, her leather, must, and nuts show more dominant colors, but never enough to take away from her tart cherry beauty which now also includes granny smith apple skins along with unripe apricots. Beautifully invigorating, I say fond farewell to the pen and paper, choosing now to simply sit back, lounge, sip, and savor.

I was seriously somber when reminiscing about this fantastic beer because I didn’t think I had any more bottles to enjoy. But then I remembered a bottle set silently aside with the rest of my to-buy-soon stash, and all was well in my world again. I don’t know when I’ll be able to get more Cantillon into my life, but when I do, the sun will shine just a little bit brighter.

Bottle. Ruby red with pink white head. Funky aroma of cherry with spring grass, clover. Bubbly on the tongue, medium bodied. Flavour begins with a quick and very strong hit of sour. My wife made an animated sour gumball face. I could taste a bit of the cork in there, along with sour cherry, sweet sugar, leafy green hops. Long fruity finish. Thank you to my friend Peter for sharing this!

The amazing familiar aroma of tart and funky yeast that Cantillon provides. The color rose with a murky amber body. The flavor is pure tart and funk tha the spontaneous fermentation from Cantillon provides. Truly funky and delicious Kriek.

Bottle from Theatre of Wine bought back in 2008. Clear reddish-orange pour with no head. Sour cherry nose with the merest suggestion of green apples, wet grass, bitter lemon. Sharp sour flavours with a delicate sweetness which balances it out very nicely. This would’ve been bloody marvellous if my impatience didn’t get the better of me and I let it breathe for a few years longer. Ho-hum.

Bottle, shared with my in-laws. Pours a bright hazy red-pink with a finely bubbled pink head. Aroma is funky, corky, yoghurty, and sour. The palate is very sour and dry, and quite acidic. My cork is dated 2010, so I think this could do with some cellar time to let the cherry fruit contribute a little more to the body of this beer. Otherwise another fine lambic from Cantillon.