Liefmans Gluhkriek

Brewed by Liefmans (Moortgat)
Style: Fruit Beer
Oudenaarde, Belgium

Served warm at the Hamburg Int’l beer fest May 25, 2006. A Belgian specialty beer served warm with real cherries - all natural. Some cinamon and perhaps anise notes. Very tasty and smooth, flavorful and full bodied.

Thanks to Walt for this treat. Not sure of the vintage but it was damn tasty. Monster aroma of spiced cherry. Poured deep reddish amber with a butt-load of fine bubbles. Sweet and syrupy,this was a rich spicey cherry brew that I took an hour to savor. Quite nice.

1998 on cork.The real deal. Dark berry red with hues. Medium plus mouthfeel. Deep complex taste of choice fermented cherry. Not very tart, even my son liked this. The sugar is natural from the fruit.

Bottle. Pours reddish\brown with a pink head. Aroma of apples, spices, cherries, and sweetness. Flavor is smooth, fermented cherries, spices, sweet up-front, yeasty, with a sour finish. Good body, good brew.

(Tap) Had at the International Beer Fest in Hamburg, Germany. Maybe the fact that this beer tasted so good was the weather at the outside fest (55F, 40mph wind, and drizzle). Served at 70 degrees Celsius (according to the bartender). Pours deep red with a very small pink head. Aromas included sweet cherry and honey. Tasted more sugary, but but no means was it too sweet. Smooth, mellow and balanced aftertaste. I really enjoyed this beer.

For whatever reason, I really couldn’t wait to try this beer. Is it because I like cherries? Or possibly the novel idea of a beer served warm? I had it served more than warm (piping hot) in a ceramic mug. Very soothing cherry and cinnamon fragrance. Served with a sugar packet. Once I was halfway through, I sprinkled a touch of sugar into the mug. It added another layer of sweetness. I’d take this over mulled wine anyday as a winter warmer.

I wanted to like this one, but I do not think I was in the mood to drink these kind of beers. Perhaps something I would try again, but I was not very impressed regardless. Pours out brown with no head, I figured it was dead, but there was a very faint, almost unnoticable presence of carbonation in it. Smells like apple juice with cherries in it. Taste is very similar, with the sourness from the cherries blending well with the sweet apples. Not bad, but I do prefer to have a little bit of carbonation in my beer, otherwise it reminds me too much of wine. If I want wine, Ill drink wine. High marks on taste and smell, bad on palate and appearance.

Bottle (’97). Pours cloudy dark amber. The aroma is brown sugar, cherries, dark honey, and maybe some wildflowers. The flavor is tart cherries and apples, but not harsh at all. A honeylike sweetness drifts all the way through. There’s a sour kick in the finish (almost like a fresh lime), but mellows quickly. The aftertaste is wood, sugar, and mild cheese. Very drinkable, especially for a style of which I am not very fond.