Boon Kriek Mariage Parfait

Brewed by Brouwerij F. Boon
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Lembeek, Belgium

Enjoyed a 1986 brewing at the Toronado. During the last 17 years the flavor has sweetened and softened. The brett and cherries are fully integrated and the profile is very smooth. My best beer experience to date.

In short: My favourite Fruit Lambic ever. The driest and most intense I’ve had. Funky as hell too. A vintage masterpiece.
How: Generous sample from a nearly 20 year old bottle. Eternal thanks to Brian (BrianK) for sharing to gem. The highlight of Dark-Lord-Day 2008
The look: Redish amber body with a medium beige head.
In long: Ho man is this ever aromatic and tasty. I could smell that extra-funky sour aroma for hours. Taste is dry oak, dry cherries and dry everything. This is dusty, extra-sour, extra-tart and especially extra-dry. Never though I’d find a beer drier than 3 Fonteinen Framboos but here we are. This is “making faces” intense yet I couldn’t keep my lips off my glass and I really had to pace myself. Statistics say that those who claim to be enjoying a 20 years old fantastic Perfect Marriage are probably referring to this beer and not their spouse.

15+ year old bottle (as dated by Boon) Holy shit, this beer is dry. Nice and funky just the way i like it. I don’t know if it’s the age of this beer (I’m assuming so looking at previous reviews) that makes it amazing, but who cares this beer if insane. Definately going to put another 7 years on my last bottle and drink it at 20 years old, i can’t friggen wait. UPDATE: I can still remember almost exactly how this beer tastes 2 months after tasting it and it’s without a doubt the the best lambic i’ve ever had. That being said I’m bumping up my rating. The bottle we drank deserves it. My first 5.

UPDATE: Just a big wow that a bottle got opened on DLD 2008. Not sure of the exact age of the bottle but was told it was from the early 90’s. Man did this rock, the cherry flavor is still there but the acidity now leads to complete dry and woody finish. Insanely refreshing and very very balanced. If it was a touch more funky it would be perfect. Simply the finest Lambic I have ever had, period!

Original rating 5/11/03 (4.7) Lucky enough to find a bottle of 1997 that had aged well. Ruby red color is very intense. The aroma matches the flavor, Cherries and Oak to the forefront, with a red apple and flowery rose hint. The aftertaste was just as nice, lingering well after the last sip was gone. This is Kriek for which others should strive.

1995 vintage.I just couldn't wait any longer for the wife,i just had to try it.I managed to net 2 of these bad boys in a trade,what a deal it was.Nice red color ,small to no head on this one,the carbonation was very faint and nearly none at all for the most part.Nice aroma with the flavor being a semi strong cherry with a slight acidic attitude to it,mildly sweet but mostly tart with an oaky maybe slightly earthy taste but to this untrained palate that could be wrong,but i do know one thing and that is that this is a fantastic brew a little different from other lambic's i've had but it is well worth pursueing this brew if you have the means.Oh and by all means share very little of it you'll definately want this bad boy for yourself.This is a great brew for my #500 and i have to thank Jskendzel and Captaincougar for getting me a bottle.

1995 Bottle: Hazy dark cherry hue. Whitish pink head. Horseblanket nose. A very "active" beer. Cherries are obviously evident. Vinegar and light, dry, vinous notes. Very nimble on the palate, tart, sour, cheddar, horseblanket, band-aid, woody, oak. Acidic and dry, yet fruity, sour and refreshing. What an incredibly balanced lambic. Im terribly impressed. By far one of the best beers I've ever had the pleasure of tasting...Thankfully, the whole 0,75L bottle is mine alone! Thanks CaptainCouger!

Label on bottle reads 1995. There is a massive amount of sediment that has permanently attached itself to the side of the bottle, which is proof that it has been resting on it’s side for quite some time. Pours a clear reddish amber, though much sediment seems to be lurking all over. Antiseptic woody nose that you just can’t help going back to again and again. It’s so thick and unique. Flavor is a mind blower. Slight sour tones. Kriek character is still going fairly strong. Cherry characteristics seem to be mixed in with a wood tone. Feel is silly smooth. Unbelievably drinkable. It’s almost sherry or port like. But an aged version. This was my first seriously aged beer, so I am sure my naiveté is making a difference here. It is just in a different class at this point from the age. I think this was an outstanding beer and a real treat to have.

Deep red ’cherry’ colour, with bubbly head, nose is extremely tart and sour, but also has a sweet cherry aspect. Nice cherry start, but not really sweet, way more tart and sour, very complex, and quite full bodied i thought. Awesome little brew.