Arbor Brasserie Greff Kriek

Brewed by Arbor Brewing Company Pub & Eatery
Style: Fruit Beer
Ann Arbor, Michigan USA

Curious and sweet aroma is overwhelmed by tomatoes with some underlying notes of flowers, cherries, ginger, cinammon and pepper. Opaque amber-brown body is topped by a low white head that recedes to ring. Full-on cinammon candy flavour is lightly peppery. Very mild acidity. Medium body is very dry with initially strong carbonation that does not last leaving a watery texture. Bottle (Bottled May 2004) sampled with MartinT, Olivier_MTL and Rastacouere.

Explosive bottle presents a very cloudy ruby-pink beer with an initially very large head consisting of big collapsing bubbles, ultimately receding to a well proportioned cover without lacing. Musty mushroom, tomatoes and old cellar nose that doesn’t spell glory through its rather chaotic organization. Enormous cinnamon is in great part responsible for this wreck as it joins the cherry aspects to give it a candy feel despite the beer being generally dry. Full of contradictions, unfortunately, but it might be getting old, having been bought a year ago at the brewery.

Any first impressions?
-A veil of microbubbles stands over the opaque, dull pinkish red.
-Obvious tomatoes and miniature strawberries propose a disenchanting aroma.
-Old strawberries from the bottom of the bucket watered down by faint citrusy dryness.
-The active, expansive carbonation goes awry in the meek mouthfeel.

What if you dig deeper?
-The flavor profile is covered in dust.
-Cinnamon spiciness and young tomatoes just don’t fit imho.
-The finish is barely tart, mostly empty dryness.
-Either this hasn’t aged well at all, or it’s yet another bad plambic attempt.

Bottle; from May 2004.

Medium red and cloudy appearance with the thin head. Aroma of grass, berries and a hint of caramel. Flavor is fruity sweet, with some tartness throughout and a finish that is astringent and bitter. Cherries were evident, but a bit lost in the acidity and bittherness.

Bottle, Toronado, Dr. Bill tasting. Head is mostly diminishing. Body is hazy medium red. Aroma is lightly hoppy (herbs), with notes of cherry and raspberry. Flavor is moderately sweet, moderately acidic. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Light to medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Very little aroma (very odd that I could smell hops), and the mouth experience isn’t too much more interesting. Wasn’t convinced with this sample, may try it again someday.

750ml corked and caged. Hand marked bottling date: May 2004. Clear bright red body topped by a small light pink head. Looks very nice and refreshing. The aroma is lightly dusty, sour cherry, not much brettanomyces character in the aroma as you may expect. The flavor is nice but lacks the depth of the great Belgian Krieks. The flavor starts out sour cherry, then some nutty malt all followed by a bit too much strong cherry. The acidity picks up late keeping it from turning medicinal. The body is medium, lightly spritzy thus enhancing the acidity, and medium puckering sour on the palate with a tannin-esque finish, though your teeth stay clean. Overall it is a nice beer and kudos to the brewer for having a sense of adventure.

750ml bottle, May 2004: Pours a nice bright ruby hue with a small fizzy but lasting pink head in my NB flute glassware. The aroma has notes of tart cherry, musty and farmhouse yeast esters, and oak. The taste starts tart and sourwith a solid undertone of yeasty characteristics. Leads to bone dry woody finish. Could use a bit more cherry flavor however and as others have noted, the fruit flavor seems to peak and then disappear below the yeast. The feel is refreshing and clean for the style. Overall, a well done p-lambic that will not bowl you over but doesn’t offend the Kriek lover either.

Brick red. Fluffy pink-tinged ivory foam. Classy aroma of delicate cherry notes, cherry pits, and musty minerals. Hints of iron and melon. Slightly effervescent, but mostly feathery and weightless. Has just enough carbonic briskness to ignite a brief burst of iron and tart acidity. Modestly dry with peppery phenols. Muted brett flavor submits to a temporarily-jumbled mess of overripe cherries. Medicinal and crushed mineral astringency is perceptible, but not in the overpowering fashion which plagues some of their other 750’s. Remarkably clean, but mild-mannered and minimally funky, throughout, with finishing hints of melon and coconut scattered over a palpable base of toasty malt and underlying pale malt huskiness. Very impressive, although the flavor fails to mirror the refined cherry profile of the aroma. Really just suffers from being too delicate in the cherry and brett department and a tad too astringent, as well.