De Ranke Kriek

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

5th April 2008 Sour dry cherry beer. A little bit sucking lemon, a little bit dry and a little hard work.

Light pop, rich red body with a bubbly pink head that goes quickly. The nose is definitely more of a fruity lambic with the dominant tart citrus and hay, only cherry and wood emerging from beneath. Flavor is sweeter than anticipated, more cherry and malt than the nose, hints of tart lemon and more evident brett than in most lambics, also vinegar and light cork. Woody yet juicy finish with malt growing as it warms. Nothing screams exceptional here, but all around goodness.

Bottle at Falling Rock.
Pours a deep, mysterious, and cloudy candy read with an aroma of sour cherry Luden’s and raspberry tart soaked in leathery cedar. Flavor is an invigorating sour bomb of cherry, raspberry, leather, and cedar. This beer simply refuses to leave the tongue. Woah. So good I need a cigarette.

Sampled at a craft beer tasting at Curly’s Bar and Grill in Glen Ellyn, IL.. Cellared for two years. Poured a brownish red with no head and no lacing. The aroma was sweet, spice, barnyard funk and wood. The flavor had a vinous quality with very tart, almost sour cherry. The carbonation was low and the finish was dry. Almost close to vinaigrette material but interesting and flavorful.

Green bottle, 75 cl, bottled in 12 2005, best before 12 2010, via Importations Privées Bièropholie (merci Hughes!), savoured on September 25 2009; eye: brown with a pinkish hue, hazy, champagne-style light pinkish head that turns into a minimal ring, no lacing, good effervescence; nose: cherry, Brettanomyces yeast, horse, light acidity, candied fruits; mouth: cherry, Brettanomyces yeast, horse, light acidity, candied fruits, mildly sour, short finale in cherry, good carbonation, fizzy, a bit thin; overall: correct FRANÇAIS Bouteille verte, 75 cl, embouteillé le 12 2005, meilleure avant 12 2010, via Importations Privées Bièropholie (merci Hughes!), savourée le 25 septembre 2009; œil : brune avec une teinte rosâtre, trouble, mousse légèrement rosâtre style champagne qui se transforme en un minime anneau, pas de dentelle, bonne effervescence; nez : cerise, levure Brettanomyces, cheval, légère acidité, fruits confits; bouche : cerise, levure Brettanomyces, cheval, légère acidité, fruits confits, moyennement aigre, finale courte en cerise, corps léger, bonne carbonatation, pétillante, un peu mince; en résumé : correct

(bottle) pours a slightly murky ruby colour with a frothy pink head. aroma of fresh cherries, perfume, with medium funk, citrus and barnyard, nostalgic cobwebby attics and a hint of grain. flavour is the same, nice and complex, but also well-balanced, with a funky dry citric-sour finish. light to medium body with lively carbonation. this really opened my eyes to the style.

Pours a murky blood red. Nose is bretty, slight horse, strong of cat piss. Taste is tart cherries with a nice funkiness.

Bottle. Pours a dark clear burgundy red with a wispy foamy off-white head. Aroma is tart, slightly sour, cherry overtones. Quite tart, biting tart sour finish. Not overly complex with the dominating sourness. Medium bodied with a tart lingering sourness, light carbonation.