Belle-Vue Kriek

Brewed by Belle-Vue (InBev)
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium

Of the 3 Bellevue’s I’ve tried I liked this one the best, a bit to sweet, but decent, still can’t say Lambic’s would ever move into my top 25 beers overall, but do hit the spot on occasion. There is a essence or tone that I do like, but not enough to become a favorite.

37.5cl bottle: This one pours a clear ruby color. Pouring it fast does give it a bit of a red-tinged head. The head dies down quickly, even there was a bit of carbonation. Some lacing down the glass. The aroma has both sweet and sour notes of cherries. The taste is a bit tart, but a hair lighter: the cherries don’t overpower the taste. A nice Kriek.
Earlier Rating: 6/2/2002 Total Score: 3.9
A very unique style. Lambics are definitely an acquired taste. Very cherry, but not overpowering. Quite good.

Ruby tinged brown. Pink hued creamy white head. Black cherries soaked in oak aroma. Full, sourish and loaded with dark cherry flavor. Less sweet than expected and actually more beer tasting than most fruit Lambics I’ve had, but I’m far from an expert or lover or casual drinker or (you get the point). Finishes watery, less fruity, but still tart and woody. I actually liked this more than my wife did. Too close to beer for her.

Bottle. A very nice kriek! Ruby colour with a fine pinkish head. Sour/acidic plus cherries. Does not have the artificial bubble-gum qualities of other macro-krieks.

Bottled. Burgundy red color. Rose-coulored, fizzy head. Cherry nose. Tastes of hay and cherry juice, a bit sour. Sour finish. Quite nice.

Bottled (BB 01/2005)
Dark ruby red color, almost no head. Sour kriek nose. Sour, sweet, mould and earthy flavor. Short kriek/cherry aftertaste, sour. (8/3/6/3/13 3.3)
Re-rate, bottled (BB 03/2005)
Cheery red with good creamy reddish head, lace. Earthy, mould aroma but same time fresh. Taste is extremely freshing with some earthy and mould tones. Cherry is underlying somewhere in a palate. Quite thin, quickly finish with some sourness. (6/4/7/4/14 3.5)
Corked bottle (BB 01/2007). Deep red, clear. Small red head. Nose is very metallic, mixed with cherry. Drier than I remembered, even sour, slightly metallic. Better than its fame. (6/4/7/4/14 3.5)

Not quite the sugary alco pops that seem to all the rage in Belgium at the moment and not any near the greatness of the Authentic Lambic Breweries. This does have some sourness to it and I vividly remember my first one. At Ming on tap. Page 47 of MJ’s GBG and 474 Classic Brews to go

On draught in Antwerp. Pours a clear dark red color, slight white head and lace. Big cherry aroma and flavor, mostly sweet cherry flavor balance, slight late sourness.