Ommegang Kriek

Draught samples at BCTC VIP dinner on 7/20/07
Every body was in a flurry to get some of this before it was all gone and then we all started tasting it and were like, hmmm, ok, nevermind.
They definitely went the Lindemans/Boon route, not the Cantillon/3F route. Which is too bad, though not surprising, since A) it’s made by Boon and B) 3 Philosophers isnt tart/sour at all.
Big pinkish-amber head atop a blood cherry body that is minimally hazy. Retention is moderate, as is the lacing.
Hugely artificial sweeteners in the nose, underattenuated, no real relation to lambic. Just another fruit beer concoction. To its credit, it’s not nearly as syrupy/sugary/fake as Lindemans Kriek, but it almost dosent matter. If you’ve had one of these "lambics" you’ve had em all. Vanilla, heavily sweet cherry soda and some cherry peel-like tanginess (but it’s fleeting).
Sweet, cherry soda and cherry pie in the flavor, with a highly carbonated, fluffy body that belies, to some extent, the amount of syrupy sugars in this. Bits of tartness (nothing bordering sourness) are noted on the finish, as in the aroma, but there’s nothing here resembling a lambic, for the most part. I actually remember Boon Kriek being more authentic than this. Go figure.

Draft BCTC 2007. This beer was so nice. Fruity cherry aroma. Cherry malty flavor. Tart tasting. Finish is fruity and tart. Smooth palate. Easily drinkable. Medium bodied. Very nice beer. Would definitely drink again.

Easily the best beer Ommegang has brewed so far. The cherries are fantastic, the palate is smooth and the tartness was right on the money. If they don’t bottle this, something is seriously wrong.

Via pitcher, at BCTC VIP dinner 2007. Red, with a thin pink head. Cherry aroma, but unfortunately more sweet than tart. Flavor was a bit more tart than the aroma, but the sweetness still dominated. A fairly simple beer that did not live up the expectations I set when I saw it listed on the menu.

Pitcher, BCTC 2007. Pours a clear, dark maroon color; lightest pink head with decent retention at the perimeter. Dense, cherry tart and sweet red fruit (strawberry) aroma. Very sweet, cherry and strawberry sugar goodness, but not much else; sugar and red fruits. Medium, red fruit finish. Paired well with the ice-cream / cherry pastry desert at BCTC.

sampled at BCTC at the vip dinner. I initially didnt even get a glass of this and had to frantically run around and look for some. Thus was the vip dinner. Oh well. I found some and was abruptly dissappointed. Pours a medium pinkish red with a little head that fades fast. Nose is sweet cherries, but nothing funky or tart. Flavor is sweet and a bit cloying at times. Not quite as over the top sweet as Lindemanns, but bordering on that. Heard a rumour (and saw a bunch of kegs) indicating that this may just been Boon Kriek. Hmmmm....

[BCTC ’07] - served at the VIP dinner - clear pinkish beer with a fast-fading white head - very sweet, nearly artificial cherry aroma, with notes of vanilla, and not much else (as aeneas notes, it almost smells like cherry soda) - sweet, sugary flavor, with dominant cherry (although quite natural, not artificial like the aroma seems to suggest) - no funkiness or earthy complexity (tastes filtered, even) - a tiny bit of nearly acidic tartness and fruit skins come into play, but never really step up and balance the sweetness - one-dimensional, and, yes, quite like lindemans.

Aroma reminded me of cherry-cream soda... very forward cherry character, kinda sweet. No real funk or spontaneous ferm character. Poured a nice cherry red color with a thin white head. Again, more reminescent of soda. Flavor was very cherry forward with a solid sweetness in the finish, some acidity cleaned the palate at the finish, but was too low to really follow the sweet cherry flavor. Mouthfeel was full despite the low-moderate carbonation, texture again reminded me of soda. Overall, meh, tried it at BCTC, am glad I did, it went well with the desert of puff pastries, ice cream and strawberries, but simplistic and uninspired as a stand-alone beer.