De Troch Kriek

Formerly brewed at Brouwerij De Troch
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Ternat-Wambeek, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

33cL bottle from Joris’ cellar dated 1986. The cork came out in a few pieces but it was in large enough pieces to easily pull out of the glass. It was brownish-red with very little head and it was quite clear. The aroma was absolutely incredible with sour cherries coming through with some sweetness, also. It just took over your senses like some of the great lambics in the world. The taste was almost a letdown after the aroma (haha!). It had medium to strong tartness with delicious cherry, earthy, and leathery notes. It was delicious. Thank you Joris!

75cl Bottle Vintage 1981 (29 years old) served at home. Well what a treat this was! The bottle was very dusty and covered in cobwebs and certainly had the apperance of something that should not be opened. The cork came out in one piece coupled with a slight hiss that suggested the bottle sitll had some remaining carbonation. The aroma was of cherrys, funk and that lovely woody/smoked smell that I associate with top quality Krieks. There was a musty smell initally due to the age but that soon dissapeared once the bottle had been left to air. Upon pouring there was an inital one finger head of loose bubbles which again suggested carbonation. The liquid was light ruby and had some sediment that slowly made its way down to the bottom ot the glass. Taste; well this is definately a traditional Lambic. With this ammount of age the cherry is still there but it is so mellow its more of a complementing background flavour. There is funk, oak, acidity and just a little hint of remaining must. The palate was thin which is what you should expect with a beer of this age. The light palate was not a downside, infact it added to the overall character of the beer. There was still carbonation there but it would be maybe 1/10th of what this Kriek origionally had. Overall I thought this beer was excellent and had held up much better than I expected. Just wonderful!

Bottle 1981 shared to celebrate the birth of my first daughter Aia with Andreassen11 and Rødgaard, kindly traded by traPISSED - Thanks, your the man!! :) Removing the cork was quite a challenge as it was very brittle and crumpled when pulling the cork. Eventually the sealing was broken with a nice fizz and a nice very oaky and sour cherry aroma appeared. When pouring it gently a small white head appeared on top of a hazy to murky ruby-reddish body. Putting the nose into the glass also revealed some caramel sweetness along with notes of dry grape, dirt and a faint hint of must. The flavour is very dry simi-sour cherries and grape that intensifies and gets more sour closer to the bottom of the bottle. Some must, apples, oak and dirt notes is also present. Lovely complexity and balance, leaving a long sour after taste, unfortunately a bit to musty, but it not overwhelming. No traces of caramel sweetness or oxidation as expected. Thanks again Alan!

Just like the real gueuze Josh and myself seemed to have shared intercontinentally, De Troch used to make real kriek. AFAIK it is not made anymore. However - beerbars as Kulminator will still have it in stock. Similar label to the gueuze, red lettering. Mind you - only commercialism prevents Jos Raes to start tomorrow with this thing again. Brown-red-orange, clear beer (yeast all sticking to the bottle). Pink-brownish head, fast gone. Outspoken acidy nose. Fruity, but not outspoken cherries. Wood and woodstripper, esters too. Slight (decaying)cork smell. Restrained, but honest fruittaste, more openly cherry, but also strawberry, green apples, lemon, even pink grapefruit. Very woody, tannine-rich base. Strangely enough, the sourness is subdued and very agreable, like redcurrant lagered on oak. Slight smokey flavour retronasal - I suspect saccharine. Mouthfeel reasonably (fruit)chewy. Extremely refreshing. The first times I went around the brewery, I had to beg for this thing, kept in the most remote cellar, sold only locally and to some beerpubs. Only after long negations, they got convinced I really wanted the stuff. Madness! it is a GREAT kriek, immensely complex.

33 cl. bottle from Joris’ celler dated 1986. It took a while to dig the demolished cork out of the bottle. It poured a pretty clear ruby red with no corbonation. My wife noticed the nose was similar to a brew store. A lot of everything: malt, hops, dirt with funky cherry notes. The flavor was a little more focused: Cherry, leather and earthy. Very nice beer. Thanks to the Dewberrys for sharing this rare treasure

After the Gueuze, myself and Sebastian (DerDoppelbock) gave De Troch’s Kriek a try. Again the bottle was from Joris’ cellar, around 20 years of age, unlabeled and sealed with a crumbling cork that had seemingly begun rotting from the inside. Though not a single bubble formed, the aspect of the liquid itself glinted of a beautiful clear copper red shade. An herbal fragrance reminiscent of cherry tea subtly filled the nose, accompanied by thyme, rosemary and a sweet pipe tobacco blend. Luscious Charentais melon dominates followed by attenuated vanilla and brown sugar scents. The herbal tea and tobacco duo proceeds onto the palate with a medicinal but not unpleasant tonality. Sweet cherry and strawberry flavors are paired with lavender, rosemary, straw and a light coffee finish. Sourness is noticeable but far from emphasized, especially as the nearly uncarbonated texture favors a candy-like wet cherry slickness. Once more, an impressive beer that has aged with grace, though I must admit I wouldn’t hang on to these gems much longer as my example seemed noticeably downhill from its peak.

UPDATED: JUN 19, 2009 Bottle at WSF. Clear orange-amber. Honeyed aroma is unique, the cherries are buried and emerge only at the end of the inhale. Has wood, resin, and some cherry. Flat, nice palate and dry flavors. Good balance of yogurt, acid, and fruit. Some lactic acid in the finish follows an acidic but smooth and mellow beer. More gueze-like in character than kriek-like, more so given the color, but nice. Not bad at all.

1987 bottle, courtesy of Joris Pattyn. Thanks, friend! Red brownish brick colour with no head. Lightly acid with flower perfume in nose. Smooth acid, with almost herbal qualities and light resinous illicit qualities, fungal. Smooth and blended, with perfect marriage of flavours. Wow!