Felix Kriek

Brewed by Verhaeghe
Style: Sour Ale
Vichte, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium

1982 Oude Kriek bottling. Reddish brown pour topped by a surprising light off-white head. Of course, the beer is oxidized, but underneath the mushroomy, wet old cellar aromas, still a healthy dose of toasted malts can be felt and tasted. Yeastiness level is immense, but the cherry is there alright. I would even call the palate very fruity and in that regard, it held up very well. Still quite thick if a bit dead on the carbonation aspect. Earthy finish. Not without procuring some pleasure really. Imagine a very very yeasty, musty kriek and you’re not so far off.

Bottle. A red beer with a pink head. Cherrie marzipan and almonds aroma and taste, sweet. Medium body with a sweet finish.

Bottle. Clear red coloured with a light pink head. Sweet aroma of cherries and marzipan. Fruity flavour ofcherries, marzipan and berries with a light acidity.

Dark red coloured, dying head. Very strong aroma of artificial cherries. Very sweet flavour with again the arificial cherries, this tastes like liquid candy. I’m surprised this one is categorized as a flemish sour, it tastes more like a fruit beer to me.

37.5cl Clarysse from somewhere between ’88-’92, bottle isn’t clearly marked. Suprised this hasn’t been split from the Verhaeghe version? Some crustyness under the foil. Pours amber with a slight pinkish tint. Moroschino cherries and raspberries in the nose. Character and taste of black cherries - mild bitter bite with an underlying sweetness. Sort of like a thinner, lighter grenadine. Syrupy with heavy dark sediment in the last pour. Not outstanding, but a respectable drink

Bottled. Hazy brownrubyish colour with big white head. Aroma of cherries, rasberries and some strawberries. Flavour is very much cherries and raspberries mixed. A nicely balanced beer. Probably from 2000 (cork), even though the lables BBE markings were from early 90’s (with nothing marked/cut on the labels).

A Mes rate: 37.5cl Clarysse bottle from ’92-ish. Showing signs of age but looks great. Totally clear amber brown with a slight red hue. Nose is just starting to turn and have some oxidisation setting in. Flavour has held up much better. Definitely past its best but sipped at it gives up some nice sherry notes that were almost certainly not apparent originally followed by some thick thick fruit juice. Sour hit at the finish followed by an intense sugar hit. Still a jolly good beer and easily better than the new version.

Now the bottle ha vintages from the 80’s as the use by date on it. However the cork mentioned something about 2000, so pat and i asked an leen couldnt quite work out if it was a bottle from 1980 or 2000. Bottle at kulminator, shared with pat. My thinking is that this was a bottle from 2000 as there was no oxidisation but it still tasted olin the lambic way that it had mellowed out. Malty sweet, strawberry, oud brune aroma. Taste is similar mellowed, very drinkable.