Oud Beersel Oude Kriek

Brewed by Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Beersel, Belgium

i hadnt had a lambic for a while - maybe it’s 18 months or so - so it was pretty exciting getting that pungent leathery, barny smell up the nostrils again. of course in comparison to all the beers ive been drinking lately it’s full-on, but for a lambic i don’t think it’s over the top funky like i remember Hanssens. there’s homeless people and nappies in there but in small amounts. mostly it smells like tomato soup that’s been left out in the sun for a few days. not much cherry in the aroma. taste isnt overwhelming in any one direction - not inyerface sour and woody and not super fruity either - balanced. quite malty. the sourness is pretty restrained but it’s certainly enough to leave you in little doubt that you’re not drinking bellevue. as the sourness fades, finally the marzipanny cherry taste is sitting there on its own at the end waiting for you. a very cleverly structured beer, if a bit short on sheer explosiveness.

Dark pink with a towering head. Sour aroma. Good hits of sour wheat in the taste, but I found it severly lacking in the fruit department. If I hadn’t seen it, I’d have called it a gueuze. Still tasty, just not what I was hoping for.

WOW a world classic the brewers art is very easy to see in this almost perfect lambic. Very well balanced almost too well balanced, tart cherry elixir of the gods.

Very fresh aroma has plenty of cherries along with some brett and some fair phenols that offer an appealing spiciness and some mild plastic tones. Reddish brown body is topped by generous, fluffy, pink head that lasts for ages and laces beautifully! Musty and damp, sour cherries, oak, vanilla, mild brett tones and balsamic vinegar in the flavour. Oddly, the dry but fruity finish puts me in the mind of tropical fruits. Medium-light, refreshing body with moderate carbonation that engages the tongue and cheeks. Bottle (BB 12/2022 - trade Nov. 2004). Thanks, Silphium!

750mL bottled carried back from London by a friend. BB 25.11.2007 => bottled in 2002? Deep red colour with a pink head with pretty good retention. Smells very good - all the classic elements are there with none particularly dominating. Quite musty with a definite baked hop aroma in amongst sweet, eating cherries, dried fish, barnyard (which was very similar to Orval), mild nappies and the tiniest bit of ginger. In the mouth it’s a bit of a two-face - either it was an absolutely masterful balance of fruity sweetness, lactic sourness and bitterness with no element ever dominating or it’s an indecisive blend straddling the line between Cantillon’s authenticity and something like Timmermans’ approachability. I’m leaning towards the latter. The cherry character is excellent - really fleshy and fresh but it seems to lean a bit towards the sweeter eating type cherry as opposed to the sour varieties. There’s a nice, clean tartness which balances it all very well but never develops into the full-blown sourness which I like. Acetic aroma popped up once but vanished again. A toasty bitterness appears occasionally and I think it works really well, but if anything it could be more bitter. At points it’s brilliant, others it’s a touch on the bland and watery side. Quite fizzy too. It’s kind of how I imagine Frank Boon’s lambics are - kind of like a 50-50 mix of hard-core and commercial. In any case, this + extra hop Brewers Pils + homebrewed IPA = one kick-arse beer night. Thanks Chuk!

Pours deep ruby red with lots of actively fizzing pink foam. Cinnamon, lemon, musky leather, tobacco, and subtle yet profound cherries. Tastes is sour, dry, and a little oaky. Very funky. Leaves a lemony taste on the lips. Palate seems a little thin, but paradoxically, also very mouthfilling. A very interesting beer, though I am dissapointed how few of the amazing things in the aroma made it into the taste.

(Bottle) Pours a cloudy pinkish red body with a medium-sized pink head. Tart cherry aroma. Similar flavor. Dry, sweet finish. Quite enjoyable!

Dark ruby color with a huge head. Aroma of sour cherries. Very sour cherry flavor.