New Belgium Lips of Faith (Dark Kriek)

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

Had from bottle on July 27, 2009 - bottle from Hi Time Wine

Pours a dark ruby brown with minimal head and almost no carbonation. Lacing is light and texture is watery. The bottle states it’s 65% ale brewed with cherry juice and 35% ale aged in wood barrels. And yeah, you can taste the cherries. A kriek? Perhaps, but not quite the sour/bite I was expecting there to be. I was hoping for something with a kick, but then subdued a bit by the aged ale. Unfortunately, I don’t really get much of the barrel aging here and just an overpowering of sweet cherries. Very sweet!

Overall, not quite what I expected, but still a valiant attempt. I think I might go back to the more tried and true La Folie - but I love this Lips of Faith series.

Bottle from SouthBay with some of the NC Crew. Yikes, what is going on here? This is a big disappointment. Very slight dark cherry taste. Barely any wood/oak. Not really funky. Nose is okay with the aforementioned hints but mostly malt. Tastes similar with added rust and butt. Dry palate. Assy.

22oz from SouthBay - thanks, Joey! Very odd and disappointing beer. The pour is okay, if uninspiring - kinda looks like an oud bruin with a reddish tint and more carbonation. Very indistinct aroma, with biscuity malts far too prominent for this kind of brew. Cherries are kind of mealy to taste, if that makes any sense, and the beer isn’t done any favors by the thin body. Bland and unmemorable.

Pours a dark copper ruby with a one finger frothy light tan head. The nose is cherry, dubbelish, same rusty malt character as Fat Tire, sweet, not too appetizing on the aroma. Flavor shows cherry, tastes like a dubbel, not too good, rusty malt.

Bottle. Pours a dark amber hue with thin off-white head, good clarity in the light. Nose is dominated by cherry syrup with hints of oak, vanilla, caramel, and dark fruits/raisins. Flavor is sweet cherries with light lactic tartness, tones of wood and vanilla along with brown sugar, and caramel; neither the sweet fruit nor sour tartness dominates and both fall short of being memorable. Medium-bodied, slick texture, high carbonation. A decent Kriek that loses a bit on the flavor edge to the light sour and woody flavors, tastes a bit off overall.

Bottle 1pt. 6fl.oz.
[ Trade by BDR ]. Clear medium red brown color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, wood - oak, light berry sour, light cherry, like a Rodenbach. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and acidic with a long to average duration, and a dry finish. Body is medium, texture is watery to oily, carbonation is soft. [20090710]

Dark brown color. Aroma of cherry and other spices. Almost wine-like. A little after-burn at tail end after the cherry juice fades. A sipper for sure.

Deep copper and brown coloured body with a thinnish fast-dying light brown head. Aroma of cherries, whiskey, vanilla, malt, raisins and figs. Medium-bodied; Strong sweet cherry flavours tucked in with some fake sugars. Aftertaste shows some malt, vanilla, oak and a bit of pungent raisins. Overall, nice to try, but wasn’t executed without major flaws - no sour flavours, not much sugars and a balance that’s way out of whack. I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased from Hi-Time Cellars in Costa Mesa, California on 18-May-2009, sampled at home on 01-July-2009 in Washington.