De Ranke Kriek

Brewed by Brouwerij De Ranke
Style: Sour Ale
Dottignies/Dottenijs, Belgium

ZBF 2008. Deep red-amber colour, with pale-pink head. Sweetish cherry stone aroma with woody notes and very gentle. Light sourish in flavour with cherries, and nicely tart. I did not find it very complex though. Still, very tasty!

Bottle, bought @ Wohlenbergs, Sønderborg.
Pours deep amber red with a large, fizzy pink-white head. Aroma has lots of sour berries, red currants and cherries, some wood and pine. Lowish carbonation, rather creamy. Flavour is wonderfully fruity tart. There is no difference in style between this, and a cherry lamic. Wonderful funkiness with barnyard, super dryness. The ABV is not felt - except afterwards :o). As others has pointed out, it may lack the complexity of a ’real’ kriek, but this is exceptionally drinkable nonetheless.

Bottle. Hazy deep red coloured with a big lively pink foam. This beer has a great sound! The foam disappears quickly and leaves almost no lacings. Aromas of sour berries, cherry and some wood. Flavour is sour and rich of tannins. This on is missing a little complexity I guess, but a fair kriek though.

75cl bottle. Opaque red currant color, small pink head. Red currants and cherry on the nose. Natural berry sourness. Flavor is tart red currants, little cherry and grainy malts. Very quick finish, some wheaty malts and berry seeds. Medium bodied, quite smooth and a little tannic palate. Unsweetened berry juice, without the complexity of lambics. (7 4 7 3 14)
Re-rate: Very refreshing, authentic brew with loads of cherry fruitiness and good acidic kick. Not the most complex one, but definitely enjoyable.

smaakvol kriekenbier met een zeer fruitige azijnzuresmaak en een lichte toets van het Gerardinlambic en de noorderkrieken uit Polen.

A-Pours a deep reddish plum color adorned with an ample 1 finger red tinted head which fades to lacing. Lots of carbonation present. S- Smell is extremely sour, predominantly raspberries along with other mixed citrusey fruits. T- Taste was fruity at first followed by what can only be explained as a tsunami of sourness that harasses the palate. Inexplicably tart and wonderful at the same time however perhaps a tad unbalanced. M- Thick and very bubbly, champagnesque in its carbonation. D- This is not a very drinkable beer in my book. I have had sour beers that I enjoyed much more than this. While I didn’t hate it, it just didn’t come together for me. I think it takes something special to make a drinkable sour beer and this one just fell short.

Brilliant red with a beautiful thick pink vanishing head. Strong bloody aroma, cherries, cellar notes, little barnyardy, woody. Lovely sour, woody, metallic/bloody, with an unusual lovely bitterness which gives it a different taste and mouthfeel respect any other usual spontaneous kriek.

As a fan of lambics, I was slightly disappointed by this beer. While it hit the mark for aroma, appearance, and palate, I found the flavor to be somewhat lacking.