De Cam Oude Kriek

Brewed by Geuzestekerij De Cam
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Gooik, Belgium

Bottle Shared with Mr. Facto. 09/2004 vintage. The beer pours to a deep strawberry red body with a tall pink head that’s frothy. The aroma is strawberries and sour cherries with funky barnyards. The flavors are balanced funky tart barnyard and wild cherries. Sweet, nice malts, sour, and delicious. The palate is sour, funky, tart, and not overly done. Refreshing and sweet. Very nice. I would love to see this in the U.S.

375ml January 2006 Bottle Date; Sampled January 2008
Very minimal carbonation, though more than the Gueuze I just had, the head barely forms a few, extremely small groupings of bubbles after a careful pour. When roused it forms a pinkish tinged tan colored thin layer of froth that quickly becomes a few lonely islands and a ring of foam. The beer pours with hazy, cranberry red color that shows a pinkish hue to the red when held up to the light. The aroma is quite tart as that is what I notice as I am inspecting the beer visually. A deeper smell of the aroma yields an up front, sharp, tartness (predominantly lactic), followed by a fruity, bright cherry skin aroma. Sour lemon notes intermingle with cherry aromatics, lightly funky barnyard notes and a touch of urea. The more time one spends smelling the aroma the more a sour cherry note comes to the fore. The aroma is not all that aggressively funky for a Lambic, though it does have a substantial acid quality to it.

The beer has a light fizziness to it, though it is not quite as low as a real ale. Tart, yet somewhat clean up front; flavors of lemons, definite lactic and very dry, the cherry notes are certainly not omnipresent and in fact are almost more aromatic in character. The beer finishes with a tannic structure and a slight astringency that is most likely from the cherries (pits & definite skin flavors), but also is likely contributed a bit by the barrels. there is a certain flavor combination here that makes me think of cherry flavored children’s aspirin; it definitely has a certain medicinal / aspirin quality to it, especially up front. Predominantly lactic in acid character, but it does have a touch of uriatic notes and hints of funky butyric acid. While this is light and easy drinking, the tannins do add a certain fullness to the body that provide a nice texture.

A thoroughly enjoyable Kriek. It could certainly have more carbonation, but I like the substantial, sourness as that is what I was looking forward too. A touch more, well integrated funkiness would push this over that top.

Huge thanks to beastiefan2k for sharing this - cloudy dark pink/purple beer - salty, briny aroma, with undercurrents of cherry skins, like smokiness, acidic notes, and blue cheese funk - very sour and acidic up front (like a Cantillon sourness, but with more balance and drinkability) - strong tannic character - tangy - acidity subsides, as the beer gets briny and salty, and intense, aged cheese funk grabs a hold of the tongue - so very tasty.

Bottle Shared with Mr. Facto: Color is hazy pinkish-red, head is of average size, frothy and pink. Aroma is moderately yeasty and tart cherries. Flavor is very tart and acidic. Finish is long, very tart, moderately acidic, although more sweet than initially. Medium body, velvety texture, big carbonation.

750 ml bottle shared by Beastiefan2k. Thanks Eugene! Pours an almost murky bright reddish pink whith violet/purple highlights- almost looks like blood! Aroma is sharp sour cherries, fleshy and pulpy, with some astringent pits and almond aromas. As it warms more plasticy sharp phenols and weird esters come through with tons of funk- butyric and lactic acid- very horsey and almost wet dirty goat-like. Insanely sharp acidic cherry skin flavors- sour all around- cherry pie and pedio character with more phenolic and solventy paint (reminded me somewhat of 3 fonteinenen oude kriek in that aspect). Harsh lactic sourness bordering on bile-like with a very tart and acidic finish. Very complex and very sour. I loved this beer!

750mL bottle from miketd, wow and thank you. Its a very dark Kriek with dark pink and purple hues and a nice strong head. No clarity whatsoever. The special thing about this Kriek is its very earthy and pity. Seems like the pits take a lot here. Makes it nicely nutty and musky. The sourness is there obviously and the acidity is pretty subdued for an authentic kriek. 8/4/8/4/17

03/2004 bottle pours with a pink quickly fading head and leaves no trace of a lacing. Color is a dark cherry red with some translucent edges. Aroma is very tart dark cherries with very acidic tartness on the nose. Taste is extremely dry and a lot of the cherry taste has faded. Acidity and lemon is rampant. Some tart cherry can be picked up in the aftertaste. 9/4/8/3/16.
375mL bottle @ ’t Brugs Beertje poured into a De Cam tumbler on 5/20/08.

Hazy red with small short lasting head. Sour aroma with narual cherries and barnyardy notes. Sour fruity flavor with typical brett notes, cherries and loads of tart character. Very nice and refreshing.

Generously shared by miketd. Extreme sour aroma foreshadows what’s coming soon. Dark, hazy red with a light head. Medium palate with good carbonation. Tons of sourness in this--no cherry flavor at all--just nothing but straight out pucker. Possibly the most sour beer I’ve ever had along with Fou Foune.