CooperSmiths Belgian Style Kriek Ale

Brewed by CooperSmiths Pub & Brewing
Style: Sour Ale
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Date: 10/14/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

clear blood red, scant head, nice tart cherry aroma, rich cherry flavor, big tartness, nice woody character adds balance, a touch of sweetness

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

(Draught) Pours a clear amber body with a small off-white head. Aroma of vinegar, sour cherry, caramel, and lacto. Flavor of tart cherries, vinegar, earth, and light vanilla with a dry oak finish.

On tap at the brewpub on 10/14/07: Clear bright ruby red pour has a thin ring of pinkish head. Aroma of sweet and tart cherries with a slightly medicinal character and faint woody oak. Starts with a mild cherry fructose sweetness giving way to bigger, tarter, mildly earthy notes and a puckering dry and tart finish. Fairly complex and authentic, a nice kriek.

Draft @ the brewery. Crushed with TARbra and Kevinbra. Deep purple brown colored body. Lacto, oak and black cherries in the nose, some pit, some skin and some strong vinegar-like acetic acid. Body is medium to light for the style, texture is prickly/fizzy/peppery, moderately acidic balsamic vinegar/black cherry flavor across the middle. Sharp and stinging in the finish. Comfortable and delicious, though perhaps a bit too much acidity for such a small body.

Head is mostly diminishing. Body is hazy medium to dark reddish-amber (tiny bits of cherry residue evident). Aroma is lightly malty (caramel, toasted grain), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), with notes of cherry syrup, cask wood, celery/vegetation, hint of balsamic vinegar. Flavor is moderately sweet, moderately to heavily acidic. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Not quite as complex and enticing as the Oud Bruin, but you can tell they went through all the trouble to make this as authentic as possible. In the same vicinity as Rodenbach Alexander, just not as sexy.

Tap @ CooperSmiths: Poured a cleer deep cherry red color with an off-white head. Tart leathery funk aroma. Strong but not crazy (cause I like the stank). Nice sour cherries. The flavor was yeasty and woody with cherry flesh and stones. Fairly acidic in the thorat. Light to medium bodied. Smooth mouthfeel. This was the best they had to offer on this visit.

On tap at Coopersmiths(drank not crushed) poured a clear dark reddish brown with a small lingering amber head. Aromas of sour cherry, oak, light horseblanket and a hint of vinegar. Palate was light bodied and crisp with a dry tart finish. Flavors of sour cherry, oak, earthiness, light horseblanket and a hint of vinegar with a crisp dry lingering tart cherry finish.

Bright ruby-red hue. Sweet (caramel-covered cherries) up front; refreshingly tart toward the finish. Bright and fresh flavors of cherries and apples. Sweet vanilla aroma in the background. Mild spices, earthy yeast, faint wood and a slight saltiness followed. Tasty and quenchy. One of the better Belgian-styled beers I’ve had in Colorado.