Kasteel Kriek

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

A wonderful beer, the fruit is sweet but not sticky. It reminds me of a Lindmans Kriek lambic though a bit less sour and cleaner The ruby color the fresh scent, amazing all the way around.

#1000 here at Ratebeer... wow, this is wonderful stuff... delightfully fruity and clean, with loads of cherries!! .. light purple-red colour .. good lacing .. one of the nicest most enjoyable beers in existence!! ..

Deeeeelicious!! The flavor was so smooth, excellent scent of sweet cherries, not too sweet on the palate tho. Nice smooth finish, not bitter, no after-taste. High alcohol, but you cannot taste it at all. Dangerous :-)

Kasteel Rouge is red with a thin, lacy head. It is quite fizzy and has a delicious cherry flavor. It also smells strongly of cherries. I’ve had the draft and bottles. It is probably my favorite drink, although much sweeter than other beers.

Color is almost black, like a stout; head is pink and in bright light the body shines like a ruby. Perfectly blended sour and sweet cherry flavors with soft hints of chocolate, and very faint hints of wood and red wine and cola (also black currant, as another user stated) and possibly pomegranate and ambrosia as well. Almost mythical in flavor. Fizzy, round, and rich, a symphony of taste floating across your tongue and making sweet love to your tastebuds. Despite the rich flavor, it is just slightly less heavy than the blond and bruin Kasteel, and perhaps more charming for that reason. Beats every sweet and sour kriek I have had in Belgium. Even people I know who do not go for kriek or Kasteel had to admit this one was pretty damned good. I can’t imagine it tasting better than this--if it did, my tongue might have spasms. The head does indeed die fast, not that it mattered to me. One note--make sure you do not have a sweet dessert before you drink this or it might taste too sour; this beer itself can serve as a fantastic dessert. In my experience women are more inclined to enjoy kriek, but that is not always the case. If you like a truly sublime oak-barrel-aged dessert sherry, this will be right up your alley, and you might even like it better. Kriek of the GODS.

From draft at Ubber’s in Seattle, great place, ruby red coloring with hardly any head and an abundance aroma of sweet cherries, and the taste was of cherries and caramel. wonderful wonderful beer. very yummy!

Wow! another Absolutely great Kasteel beer! I first tasted this one in some bar in Amsterdam a few months ago and I was absolutely impressed. I found a place to buy a bottle and have it home. Served in a Kasteel glass. Very beautiful cherry red colour, with wonderful ruby reflections when hold it to the light. Pinky creamy foam, like a cherrie ice cream, that last just for a second. Smells of cherries, marzipan, apple pie, bitter almonds or Amaretto. A like brandy flavor, tastes of cherries, vanilla, apricot, acid notes from the cherries, but is also sweet, nice balanced, and I find even some pepper.

I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing this lambic on tap at the local Hard Times Cafe and it definitely beats BelleVue. Sour but not too tart and a hint of sweet make this lambic a real treat.