Kasteel Kriek

Brewed by Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck
Style: Fruit Beer
Ingelmunster, Belgium

Bottle, 8%. Very sweet cherry aroma. Very deep, dark red colour. Almost no head. Fat cherry flavour, very sweet, with a little berry bitterness. Not exactly revolting, but it seems a bit like other commercial krieks. It does not taste its ABV.

I am admittedly not an expert on Belgium beers, but I know what I like, and this one has an intensity of flavor I have never experienced before. Although the alcohol content is high, it isn’t evident. The taste is intense and sweet, but not overpowering; and there is no aftertaste. I found it delightful! BTW, it was available on tap at the Downers Grove, Illinois Bavarian Inn

On tap at Sharp Edge. Nice sweet dark cherry aroma. Flavor is a little bit one dimensional, but pretty tasty cherry flavor that is sweet with a light tartness.

Ever-so-slightly pink head, on top of a dark maroon colored body. Decent, but somewhat artificially-flavored aroma - cherry, of course, and not a whole lot more. The sweet aroma leads me to expect a sweet flavor, which is true. The sweetness is coupled with a tartness that’s overall interesting and pleasant. My biggest complaint is the finish - it is quite bitter, almost as though it were sweetened with sweet-n-low.

Thanks to beastiefan2k for unloading this beer on me - dark purple beer with large off-white bubbles around the edges of the glass - grape juice and black cherry kool-aid kind of aroma, with a sort of artificial fruit-flavored soda character to it, some light vanilla - the flavor is a bit like cherry soda that has been stored in an oak barrel for a few months - the only true difference is that the beer is more on the tart and acidic side than it is the sweet side - I’m torn, because it really does taste good, it just tastes so much like SODA.

Tap @ Acadia Cafe, Minneapolis: Dark ebony ruby color, light head and lacing. Nose of bright fresh cherries, a bit of lip gloss and vanilla, some toast and cherry. The flavor is tart yet semisweet with the cherry flavor. Nice and assertive but sublimely balanced. Finishes soda like with a super intense face-sweating fruit tart note.

Draught. Listed as "Kasteel Rouge" on the menu. Dark red-brown with a very small beige head. Aroma is dominated by cherries, with a bit of malt and a bit of acidity. Sweet cherry flavor, with some caramel, notes of wood and malt and some acidity that’s becoming more dominant in the finish. Medium to full body with a sticky mouthfeel. The alcohol is very well-hidden. Not very complex but quite nice.

Draught as Kasteel Rouge @ 9th Belgian Beer Weekend, Brussels. Unclear medium to dark red color with a average to large, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, pink head. Aroma is cherry, marzipan, sweet and light berry acidic. Flavor is moderate sweet with a long duration. Nice and fresh. Body is medium, texture is watery, carbonation is soft. ;o)) (020907)