Liefmans Cuvée Brut (was: Kriekbier)

Brewed by Liefmans (Moortgat)
Style: Sour Ale
Oudenaarde, Belgium

Cherry aroma. Taste is fresh acidic with added sweetness from cherry juice (?). Easily drunk, but there is something artificial about it (a hint of chlorine?). (Sampled @ Bulldog in Ginza, Tokyo, February 2009.)

Brownish ruby color. A rather big head with a kind of strange looking brownish pink color. The head dissipates rather quickly and leaves some lacings. The smell is a great mix of oud bruin and cherries. The smell of cherries is mostly genuine and rustic, but accentuated with more candy-like cherry aromas. Some cherry pits, earth, vinegar, phenols, grass and wood. The cherries are more pronounced in the taste than in the smell. They are rather sweet with a distinct candy-like character. Sweetness really abounds in this one, but it never gets cloying, perhaps because of a decent amount of tartness that balances the sweetness. All in all, a very good taste and quite refreshing despite the sweetness. The taste is layered with cherry pits, fruit juice, lemon peel, lemon juice, apple rind, some vinegar, wood, earth and a mild taste of yeast. Notes of brown sugar as well. A restrained funkiness (hay, barn). The finish is tart with notes of minerals and pleasant cherry pits. Medium body, quite a lot of carbonation. Chewy mouthfeel with a dry finish. A very tasty beer. Easy to drink despite the sweetness and the overall character of a digestif or dessert. Complex and well balanced. Serving type: bottle (Copy of old Beer Advocate review)

Bottle at redlight thanks to Troy from microman. Serious cherry nose. Sweet flavor of cherries. 2005 vintage. Nice when warmer.

Bottle from Tanakaya. Pours amber red color. Fairly sweet. Easy to drink with food, but by itself, it takes a while, because of the sweetness. Nice cherry fruity aroma. Sourness is there, but hidden under the sugar. Needs to be drier. OK. A hint better than Lindemans.

375 ml bottle from College Liquors, 2007 edition corked and caged with a nice decorative wrapping. Pours a very dark red color with a large white head. The aroma is great; sweet cherries, light sourness. The flavor was initially tart, much sweeter cherries follow, very natural tasting. I like this a lot, easygoing but very nice.

After the beer was served in the glass there was found a lasting quantity not wall adhesive light red foam collar which was fine and evenly of structure. The beer also contained no carbonic acid in the glass. The beer has a clear dark red color and a sweet taste. The after tast of the beer is cherry with a lacticly touch. This beer smells cherry-like.

Wrapped bottle. (Kirekbier). Pours a deep reddish brown. Nice inch high head with a slight pinkish tinge. Head disappears pretty quickly leaving heaps of lacing. Aromas of sour cherries and just a little sweetness. Flavours of sour cherry, sweet malt and plenty of acidity. Nice mouthfeel with slightly mettalic finish. Good beer

375 ml wrapped Bottle. Hazy burgundy red color with pinkish head. Aroma of tart cherries and cider vinegar. Flavor of acetic dark cherries with some oak and some hidden caramel malty character. Light to medium body with fizzy, but soft carbonation. Moderate tart finish. Extremely refreshing.