De Cam Oude Kriek

Brewed by Geuzestekerij De Cam
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Gooik, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

Bottle from a trade with Miketd. Shared with Ethan and Aubrey. This really hit the spot. I think I say this every time I have a funky, sour, mouthpuckering beer, but damnit, it does (hit spots). Nose and flavor are very sour, lots of barnyard, some oak, and a minimal cherry notes. Sourness is lacking in complexity and malt development a little bit, but I can’t complain too much ’cause I love it. Could use a bit more acidity in the mouthfeel, but overall very nice. Thanks again, Mike!

6.5%, ’botteldatum 03/2004’. Claret beer with a hissing pink head collapsing in seconds. A tickle of carbonation. Aroma sherbety Brie rind, stemmy wood, green olive, vinegar dankness and creaking old barrel. Sweetish but tangily balsamic. Whole fruit, blueberry, olives, maybe even cherry. A strange undercurrent of smokiness hinting at antiseptic (TCP?) in the aftertaste and the aroma. Weird, but..harmonious. Prickling with lambic character, but not too punishing on the PH front. Pretty ravishing Kriek

At Akkurat: clear red, little short lasting head, notes off berries and leather (lambik). sour flavour and little watery. An unpleasant metaalic finnish

Bottle Shared with Mr. Facto. 09/2004 vintage. The beer pours to a deep strawberry red body with a tall pink head that’s frothy. The aroma is strawberries and sour cherries with funky barnyards. The flavors are balanced funky tart barnyard and wild cherries. Sweet, nice malts, sour, and delicious. The palate is sour, funky, tart, and not overly done. Refreshing and sweet. Very nice. I would love to see this in the U.S.

375ml January 2006 Bottle Date; Sampled January 2008
Very minimal carbonation, though more than the Gueuze I just had, the head barely forms a few, extremely small groupings of bubbles after a careful pour. When roused it forms a pinkish tinged tan colored thin layer of froth that quickly becomes a few lonely islands and a ring of foam. The beer pours with hazy, cranberry red color that shows a pinkish hue to the red when held up to the light. The aroma is quite tart as that is what I notice as I am inspecting the beer visually. A deeper smell of the aroma yields an up front, sharp, tartness (predominantly lactic), followed by a fruity, bright cherry skin aroma. Sour lemon notes intermingle with cherry aromatics, lightly funky barnyard notes and a touch of urea. The more time one spends smelling the aroma the more a sour cherry note comes to the fore. The aroma is not all that aggressively funky for a Lambic, though it does have a substantial acid quality to it.

The beer has a light fizziness to it, though it is not quite as low as a real ale. Tart, yet somewhat clean up front; flavors of lemons, definite lactic and very dry, the cherry notes are certainly not omnipresent and in fact are almost more aromatic in character. The beer finishes with a tannic structure and a slight astringency that is most likely from the cherries (pits & definite skin flavors), but also is likely contributed a bit by the barrels. there is a certain flavor combination here that makes me think of cherry flavored children’s aspirin; it definitely has a certain medicinal / aspirin quality to it, especially up front. Predominantly lactic in acid character, but it does have a touch of uriatic notes and hints of funky butyric acid. While this is light and easy drinking, the tannins do add a certain fullness to the body that provide a nice texture.

A thoroughly enjoyable Kriek. It could certainly have more carbonation, but I like the substantial, sourness as that is what I was looking forward too. A touch more, well integrated funkiness would push this over that top.

Huge thanks to beastiefan2k for sharing this - cloudy dark pink/purple beer - salty, briny aroma, with undercurrents of cherry skins, like smokiness, acidic notes, and blue cheese funk - very sour and acidic up front (like a Cantillon sourness, but with more balance and drinkability) - strong tannic character - tangy - acidity subsides, as the beer gets briny and salty, and intense, aged cheese funk grabs a hold of the tongue - so very tasty.

UPDATED: JAN 8, 2008 Bottle Shared with Mr. Facto: Color is hazy pinkish-red, head is of average size, frothy and pink. Aroma is moderately yeasty and tart cherries. Flavor is very tart and acidic. Finish is long, very tart, moderately acidic, although more sweet than initially. Medium body, velvety texture, big carbonation.

UPDATED: FEB 6, 2009 750 ml bottle shared by Beastiefan2k. Thanks Eugene! Pours an almost murky bright reddish pink whith violet/purple highlights- almost looks like blood! Aroma is sharp sour cherries, fleshy and pulpy, with some astringent pits and almond aromas. As it warms more plasticy sharp phenols and weird esters come through with tons of funk- butyric and lactic acid- very horsey and almost wet dirty goat-like. Insanely sharp acidic cherry skin flavors- sour all around- cherry pie and pedio character with more phenolic and solventy paint (reminded me somewhat of 3 fonteinenen oude kriek in that aspect). Harsh lactic sourness bordering on bile-like with a very tart and acidic finish. Very complex and very sour. I loved this beer!