Dekoninck Kriek

Had at Den Bengal in Antwerp on 6/19, The DeKoninck I had was a Flemish Red, so I’m not sure if this is the right place to rate this. Pours ruby, caramel with medium head. Strong nose of cherries, dark fruits, and yeast. taste has same noted, but more subdued. Clean finish. Nice beer.

A Mes rate: 1993 bottle at DHVL.
A very good looking kriek, you know what to expect. This is a proper girlie drink but I do have a tendency to like such things on occasion. The Boon influence is obvious in the aroma. Full on rich cherry that is sweet as hell but then a delicate sourness coupled with a lovely dryness looms from the glass. Slightly oxidised but there is no sign of it being over the hill. There is something gorgeous in the background that I can’t put my finger on. Sadly the flavour is not in the same league. Very similar to the nose and still tasty bu there is a definite blood note that I don’t really care for and the sweetness takes over the faint acidity too much. I still enjoyed having it however.

Bottle… Clear and extremely dark (deep ruby when held up to the sun) with a huge, pink cotton candy head. Good retention. The nose is of sweet black cherries with only a fraction of the cool funkiness found in their gueuze. Light to medium-bodied with spritzy carbonation. Cloyingly sweet and fruity with mild acidity and almost no bitterness. Cherries and candy sugar. Cherry Swee Tart® finish. Bottle provided by ygtbsm94!

37.5 cl bottle, via jbrus. Pours an attractive pinkish red body that’s absolutely glowing under a one finger foamy fizzy pink tinged head. A slow recession to a thin covering left some light lacing. The nose is sweet cherry pie filling with a light tartness. Some light notes of chocolate, nougat, and lots of cherry juice. This is no Cantillon, but it’s got a more authentic nose than say the Lindeman’s line. The flavor is moderately sweet cherry juice with a little bit of a funky tinge on the finish. It’s just straight up Mom’s cherry pie. The mouthfeel is where it overtakes the average sweetened Fruit Lambic, It’s not overly sticky or cloying at all. They did a nice job of sweetening with not leaving tons of stickiness. Overall, just rating this as what it is, and not putting it in the same league as the Cantillons of the world, this was actually pretty enjoyable.

Bottle in namesake goblet: Deep red colour with pink head. Aromas of cherry and marzipan. Tastes earthy with lots of cherries and syrup. Deliciously sweet. Medium-bodied, a little unbalanced.