Hanssens Oude Kriek

Brewed by Hanssens Artisanaal
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Dworp, Belgium

Bottle poures a very hazy dull redish brown. No head or lacing. The aroma is that combination of tart cherries and old musty notes. It’s a good thing that I know these are supposed to smell like this. Flavor is a very tart acidic cherry/apple flavor. So this is "horseblanket"...OK. Now I know. The strong acidic flavor takes some getting used to..the feel is like fruit juice witha very soft carbonation. After taste is an almost stinging bit form the very low PH. ( I wonder if anyone has tested it) and the sour musty lingering note. Apparently this is a "true" Lambic as opposed tothe much sweeter Lindemans, which I like better. Live and learn...on my journey to beer geekdom

My first true Belgian Kriek. Pours a thick amber with a pinkish tint around the sides, a nice pinkish white head with tiny bubbles. It’s picturesque. A brief aroma of sweet fruit followed by a horrible barnyard aroma. Sweaty horse blanket, yes indeed. I don’t care for it at all, but this is what I was told to expect for the style. The flavor is different starting with a sweet ketchup (yes I said ketchup), followed by a strong tart cherry/crab apple flavor. It finishes slighty sweaty with tiny champagne like fizz. This is definitely not my type of beer, but I believe it to be good for what it is. Realistically one and out.

Caged and corked green 750 - Upon opening the first wiff of barnyard must, acidic tannin, and tart citrus pulp float through the air giving a familiar raw presense of a true lambic. At which I’m still trying to appreciate and not having much luck at. Looks like a rosy orange kool-aid with a slight pinkish/white bubbly egding around the top that sits very briefly. Aroma is as mentioned above with the added sweet and tart cherry soda mixed in - now that its breathing some in the glass. But the barnyard and must thing is hangin’ strong with a measureable medicinal edge in its corners. Earthly dirty and smokey even. A keeper for sure in the nose. Taste is more so metallic and medicinal then I was hoping. Mostly a mellow front with a light fruitish cherry and tart start, middle gains some acidic citrus and metals with touches of the earth and musty barnyard, cherry finishes it off in the end with a grab of added cherry flavor and acid washed rocks. Not overly complex nor is it overly tasty, just alot of acidity and tart. Would like to see a bit more cherry make its way through all that. But thats just me. Glad to have tried it, but not something I’d be willing to go after again.

nice, sour cherry tasting lambic. this would be great with cheesecake. I enjoyed this one.

Rosy, raspberry jam color, bold, dark, and murky, with the beginnings of a head, that fizzles to a mere whitish ring. Aroma: utterly unique, in the way all real lambics, are, dank, gunky, funky, yeasty and wild, smelling of a thousand rustic things at once, and in this case, containing a faint echo of cherries. Taste: brisk tartness greets the palate, mellows eventually, but returns with every sip. Fruitiness is significant in the flavor, but the sour clearly dominates and easily quells any sweetness insurgency. A delightful buzz on the tongue happens every time, at once fruity, sweet, and sour, and I want to credit it to hops, but I don’t ever know what to make of lambics, some times. I liked it, I enjoyed it, but never the sort of thing I’ll turn to too often. A truly intriquing representative of the style, as I must admit I’ve only encountered sweeter versions before. Now I know what those lambic-lovers are talking about!

Rich cherry red, no head. Aroma like a fruity gueuze, full of tartness and - in this case - cherries. Tart with a quick blast of flavour which slowly mellows away. Nice.

Reddish brown/amber with champagne head. The nose was foul. Like cherries mixed into a hamper of dirty underwear. The flavor was better than the aroma but not by much. Very disappointing. Had the usual lambic feel in the mouth but I’ve tasted better cherry lambics. Did not impress me at all.

Poured a gloomy light reddish/orange with no head at all. Where was the pink head in krieks that I have grown accustomed to and always get excited about? This did nothing but confuse me. This smelled sour..just like I like them, almost like vinegar. Not much cherry in the aroma but some stale musty fruit notes. This was a very unusual but awesome tasting beer. The cherries seem to leave but not fully and are almost taken over by grapes. The cherry and grapes tasted very well together but were overtaken by the sourness. Very sour, very tart and very very dry. This is not a sweet kriek at all. The sour flavor forced me to close my eyes and just let my facial muscles cringe together in total joy. Very tasty.