New Belgium Transatlantique Kriek

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

Again, on tap at the Dog and Pony Alehouse here in Renton, Washington. Nice light pink head. I have only seen the rich pink head a few times in my life, and this is one of them. Pink/red body to compliment the head. Head fades away fairly quickly. This beer is rather transparent. The appearance screams cherries. Funky and yet slightly sour cherry aroma. Fairly pungent, but yet a bit strange of an aroma. I am pretty sure that that is funk I am smelling. Slight tart/funky cherry flavored beer. You really don’t get MUCH of anything here, everything is very mild. I do get more funk than anything else. The cherries come in the aftertaste along with the sour. I wish the sour and cherries played more of a role here. Ultimately, I appreciate the flavors and the beer itself, but I just feel that everything is a bit too mild for me. Wish there was more of a funk/sour/cherry flavor. Very glad to have tried this though.

22oz bomber. Pours hazy magenta with a thin, light pink head and specks of lace. Smells of straw and a little vinegar with a hint of cherry. Tastes of cherries and hay, mellow overall, with a lingering sourness and cherry sweetness. Ok, not great, pretty good. Medium/light body, good carbonation.

Bright cherry red with a dissipating white head. Aroma is tart cherry and pits with some bread, caramel malt. Very drinkable - starts a little sweet, then ends a little bitter, sour and ends quite dry and tannic.

pours a clear pinkish red. no head. aroma was mostly red wine vinegar, with slight cherry undertones. taste is tart and sweet cherries ,but mostly vinegar and wood. thin bodied. overall pretty one- dimensional

Thanks to durhambeer for schlepping this one back to me from Bruisin’ Ales. A fairly lively pour, cough-syrup red with a medium layer of foam and fairly notable carbonation for the style. A slight confection trait in the cherry nose, a hint of medicine and wood lending it a slightly disjointed character. Nice full mouthfeel for sure. But the taste, too, has something missing to me. Attenuated a bit, almost as if it’d been aged a year or two too long, with a residual cherry pit quality and a slightly dank finish. About on par with the Dark Kriek, alas.

Pretty steep price that has scared me off several times. Their whole Lips of Faith line is really intriguing for is it $15.00 intriguing? Well, at least for Thanksgiving it was. The beer pours out a beautfiul blood red body with a tight pink head. Reminded me in many ways of their Frambozen in terms of the color. Aroma has a sweet-tart like candy cherry aroma, ascorbic acid meets black cherry ice cream. Flavor has a nice blend of sweet and tart, again list a candy but the tartness level is ratched up a bit. Finishes a bit sweet but with a nice twang to it. A nice kriek to introduce someone to the style. Not overly acidic or tart, but not cloyingly sweet either.

Bottle or should I say bottles a 2004 vintage 12oz and a new 22oz lips of faith. I am don’t know how to rate this so I will just do a over view. new one first. Pours out red with a pink head. Aroma of light funk, cherries, and some tartness. Taste much the same. 2004 pours out more clear with a small head. Aroma was of sweet cherries and light tartness. Taste more of the sweetness and some wood. Thanks Toby and ditmier for the side by side.

Lips of Faith Transatlantique @Tampa Wkly Gathering-22oz bottle–Thanks seabass-pours an off white ring for a head and red color. Aroma is dry, yeasty, medium malt, cherry. Taste is tart cherry, medium malt, vinegar.