Flossmoor Station De Zuidentrein Kriek

Brewed by Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Fruit Beer
Flossmoor, Illinois USA

Great Taste 2008. How does this beer score only a 3.5 on our site? That’s insane! This has all the complexity and then some of New Glarus’ Belgian Red. Oh well. Onto the beer, notes of sour cherry and cherry pie filling lead into apple pie spices, plum, and Rainier cherry. Finish is fig and date with an oak and funkiness that reminded me of the best of the Jolly Pumpkin beers. Great stuff from Flossmoor once again.

New notes, June 4, ’08. Draft goblet at the bar. Either it’s because the beer has settled for another month, or my previous glass had passed through many hands, but this one has eased out of the big barnyard and cheese character I originally found. Now, we have a beer that’s still tart and tangy, with cherries and hints of cocoa. Goes down much more smoothly. Brown in color, very little head. Still very complex and eccentric and why are you still reading this; go have one.

Original rating, April 25th. Glass shared at FS’ pre-DLD party. Wow! This brew brings on the funk! I got a big cheesy hop smell right away, before it gives up it cherry tartness. Murky reddish brown in the glass, no head. But the taste is powerfully good. Tart, smoky dried cherry and barnyard funk, more of those cheesy aged hops; that sounds bad, but it’s really tasty, like the Belgian farmhouse lambic it aspires to be.

Tap at the pre-DLD party at Flossmoor, thanks Matt and Andrew for this:

Hazy red hue with a small head and spotty lace. The aroma has notes of tart cherry, slight lacto funk, oak, herbal hop, and dusty yeast esters. The taste has a nice balance of fruit and biscuity malt with a dry oak finish. A touch of wild yeast notes adds to the depth of palate. The mouth feel is slightly chewy, dry and a tad chalky. Overall it was a very drinkable brew, Mikey Likey!

I like the Frambozen version better (although I normally prefer Krieks), but this is yet another dandy from Matt & Andrew. It poured a hazy brownish-red with just small amounts of both head and lace. It had a fresh, tart dark cherry aroma, mildly funky, with a touch of oak and some earthy hops. A bit of cherry pit bitterness and a light fruity sourness are added to the flavor of this smooth & soothing ale. The finish is dry and fruity. Quite nice.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve Lord Gathering 2008 at Flossmoor Station, IL, 4/25/2008.<font size=-1>

on tap at GTMW ’08. pours a rusted amber with white head. nose is a bit chardonnay esque, tart white grapes, spritzy cherries, highly drinkable.

Great Taste of the Midwest 2008

Another highly anticipated release after hearing about it on the site this was circled the minute I walked in the gate. I waited patiently until 2:34 and then got my pour. It wasn’t the best beer of the day but it was a refreshing change from bourbon barrel aged high alcohol beers. Somehow it was smooth even at the purported 12%.

Aroma / Appearance - The reddish brown body let only a trickle of light through and slowed the rest to a crawl. A thick stark white head was the perfect contrast. Cherries and the sugar residue at the bottom of a bag of Sour Patch Kids formed the meat of the aroma which was tart without being overwhelming. Not very complex I enjoyed it anyways.

Flavor / Palate - Tart cherries washed over the tongue pulling along most of the moisture in the process. It reminded me of a more intense Belgian Red. Sweet yet sour it might be the beer equivalent of the contrast you find in sweet and sour Chinese. Very balanced and drinkable the only real flaw was the mildness of the intensity. Ratchet it up two more notches and you would strike a nice balance between Belgian Red and La Folie.

On tap at the Great Taste of the Midwest (8/9/08): Pours a hazy copper amber with a frothy light tan head. Aroma of lightly sweet dark caramel and cherry fruity nose with a touch of tartness. Body starts lightly sweet and tart fruity with a smooth balance of sweet and tart in the finish. A pretty nice kriek.

Pour lightly reddish amber with almost no head...smell is lightly tart with cherries and oak...taste was relatively sweet with cherry but not very tart...a good effort for sure!