3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek

Brewed by 3 Fonteinen
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Beersel, Belgium

Opulent safire in color with a rosy grey head and doily edges. Lovely raspberry kernels and balsamic oak liven the nose. Hardened pomegranate innards are revealed. Freesia cotton sheets cling to dew filled morning glories while caramelized beets meet buttery kernels. Lovely palate cleansing properties strike with pomme juice infused with tart lime sap. Waxy prominence is cleared by the clean sweeping power. Supple background carbonation hides in the soured plum crème brulee and cranberries stamped on by misty atmospheric presences. The balsam is a blessing. Puckering occurs where the wisdom teeth once resided. Raspberry and pommes creap tartly through to the clean finish with tart lavender lather in the end. Thanks for sharing, Sombeast!

12.7oz bottle from Dec 2005. Mine says 6% ABV by the way, unlike the 5% listed on the site. Pours a bright ruby red/pink with a fizzy pink head. Aroma is sweet, yeasty cow dung on a pile of hay next to a horse in a barn. Sounds appetizing but is actually quite unpleasant. Interesting - yes, good - no. The taste is tart, sour cherries. Tastes better than the smell. Looks pretty, tastes nice, smells of dung. A combination that doesn’t work for me.

Deep red body with a little orange ray, big pink head; The finest, most elegant aroma that can be found in a kriek: very fine pit-like marzipan, clear and deep notes of sour cherry; The body has a perfect a little sharp carbonation, a very fine a little soft texture, lots of fruit acids, backed by a little both lactic and acetic acid; It finishes long, again with lots of elegance and a very balanced fruity acidity, again lots of fruity aromas, but also a very little hay and cowshed. Incredibly fine beer! Sometimes I wonder; why go true the hassle and cost of getting all the "crazy" Geuze/Lambic/Krieks when you can drink something as fine as this, that is so easily obtainable and cheap.

Tasting at Sombeast’s house

We kicked off the afternoon with an interesting choice - a 2005 vintage Oude Kriek. Normally I prefer to do lambics towards the end of the night but this turned out to be a good selection. Thanks to whomever provided it - I may have to seek out a few similar beers now.

Aroma / Appearance - The nose is very unusual for most beers but spot on for a fruit lambic. Sour cherries, funk and tanned leather complement the horseblanket aroma that pours forth from the glass. If you were not paying attention to that, you may mistake it for a dark colored fruit juice. It lacks any sort of head or carbonation within the cranberry colored body.

Flavor / Palate - A very sour sensation takes over the palate from the first sip. Raspberries and black cherries begin the drying sensation but it soon transforms into a taste that reminds one of a $15 bottle of red wine. This is a sipping beer that one should take their time with both to savor it and save the throat. I’m glad to have tried it - lambics as a style are slowly growing on me despite my aversion to brett.

Consumed at the Pewaukee tasting. Aroma a bit funky, barnyardy, definitely sour, light raspberry aroma. Beautiful clear ruby color, little head. Flavor very tart, dry. Finish is dry, tart, a tad astringent.

tart cherry and sour barnyard on the nose of this cherry soda red pour. Minimal white head. Very smooth sour taste with subtle cherry in the tail.

(03/2007. Draft at 3F resto in Beersel). Wow. Aromas of cherries and summertime. A deep ruby with no head to speak of. Only slightly spritzy, nearly flat with a flavor that transports one to the top of the tree where that one slightly underripe and sour cherry blends with the deep, red flavors warmed by countless hours in the sun. A relatively soft palate that is, well near perfect for what this is supposed to be. Someone told me they "missed" this batch ... too many cherries ... I refuse to believe it ... this was a beer that takes you somewhere (from a cold, dark, rainy evening to the top of the cherry tree in summer as a kid with the whole world spread out in front of you). Cheers.

Bright red/pink pour, fully diminishing fizzy pink/beige head. Aroma is sour cherry, oak, barnyard funk, dusty earthiness, peppered with lightly toasty malts. Flavor is more of the same, citric centered throughout, uncompromising in its sour attributes and funky layers. Palate is ever so slightly oversweetened, mouthfeel is medium and syrupy, stinging with intense sour notes. A sharp acidity encompasses all these flavors and leaves a dry finish, prolonged by sweet and tart cherry residues. This is an excellent traditional kriek that would benefit from a thicker mouthfeel and more subtle complexities. Otherwise it’s very good, a beer to quiet the naysayers.