New Belgium Lips of Faith (Dark Kriek)

Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Fruit Beer
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Bottle shared by Hophead22. Pours a nice crystal reddish brown with a thin film. Aroma is tangy with berries. Flavor is fruity and tart but without a whole lot of sourness. Lots of cherries in there with a touch of oak and tannins. A little bit thick but finishes dry and has a good deal of carbonation. Tasty, but I want more funk!

Pours a clear, dark, cranberry juice color with a quick, foamy, light khaki head. A sudsy wash leaves some arch lacing on the glass that seems to want to recede, but manages not to. The nose gives lightly tart, acetic cherries up front, with a sweet dark fruit malt base that falls a little on the candyish, medicinal side of things. Woodsy oak comes through as well. The flavor is a little more tart than expected, but still seems a bit syrupy and sweet. There’s a light, dry, acetic funk that saves this one from itself, it’s tanginess kicking in towards the back of the throat. Substantially bodied, lightly syrupy up front, and semi-dry on the finish, this lively carbonated brew is drinkable and interesting, but a bit too sweet and medicinal overall.

22oz bottle. Dark red pour, very pretty. Somewhat tart cherry aroma. Dry, tart flavor. Some light sour cherry flavor. Pretty good stuff.

Bomber thanks to Austin. Pours a ruby red color with a small white head. The aroma is sour cherries. Some sourness with light yeast also. The flavor was moderately sour; cherries, yeast, some sweeter fruits. Light woody oak flavors also. Tart and fizzy in the finish.

Bottle... C&P’sLYFO Throwdown... Cloudy reddish ale with orange highlights and no head. The aroma is a marriage of funky notes like horseblanket, manure, straw, sharp, old cheese and black cherries. Medium to full-bodied and silky with almost no carbonation. Well-balanced by cherry sweetness and generous lactic acidity. Crisp, tart, dry finish. Thanks to SoLan for bringing this bottle to the Throwdown! Video = http://homepage.mac.com/maltajo/RATEBEER/iMovieThe

Sampled at Houston tasting thanks to kaggie97. Brown, filtered. Nose is like a brown ale and slightly "old". A bit unpleasant. Taste is tart, brown ale-ish, not like any kriek I’ve ever tasted. Alcohol is upfront on this one too. Overall not a kriek-more like a brown ale with some cherries added. Disappointing.

Name: LoF (Dark Kriek)
Date: March 28, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party
Appearance: clear dark red, wispy beige head, drippy lace
Aroma: dry and musty fruit aroma, touch of background cherry sweetness
Flavor: sweet cherry flavor, touch of balancing tartness, rich fruityness, musty character slowly buids
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4

March Houston Tasting. Thanks to Kaggie97. Pours a dark clear garnet with no head. Nose of dark malts, cherries and a bit Fat Tire-ish. Flavor is pretty much malts...or more like Fat Tire with cherries thrown in. Not impressed, with Aggies or this beer.