Oud Beersel Oude Kriek

Brewed by Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Beersel, Belgium

750mL bottled carried back from London by a friend. BB 25.11.2007 => bottled in 2002? Deep red colour with a pink head with pretty good retention. Smells very good - all the classic elements are there with none particularly dominating. Quite musty with a definite baked hop aroma in amongst sweet, eating cherries, dried fish, barnyard (which was very similar to Orval), mild nappies and the tiniest bit of ginger. In the mouth it’s a bit of a two-face - either it was an absolutely masterful balance of fruity sweetness, lactic sourness and bitterness with no element ever dominating or it’s an indecisive blend straddling the line between Cantillon’s authenticity and something like Timmermans’ approachability. I’m leaning towards the latter. The cherry character is excellent - really fleshy and fresh but it seems to lean a bit towards the sweeter eating type cherry as opposed to the sour varieties. There’s a nice, clean tartness which balances it all very well but never develops into the full-blown sourness which I like. Acetic aroma popped up once but vanished again. A toasty bitterness appears occasionally and I think it works really well, but if anything it could be more bitter. At points it’s brilliant, others it’s a touch on the bland and watery side. Quite fizzy too. It’s kind of how I imagine Frank Boon’s lambics are - kind of like a 50-50 mix of hard-core and commercial. In any case, this + extra hop Brewers Pils + homebrewed IPA = one kick-arse beer night. Thanks Chuk!

Pours deep ruby red with lots of actively fizzing pink foam. Cinnamon, lemon, musky leather, tobacco, and subtle yet profound cherries. Tastes is sour, dry, and a little oaky. Very funky. Leaves a lemony taste on the lips. Palate seems a little thin, but paradoxically, also very mouthfilling. A very interesting beer, though I am dissapointed how few of the amazing things in the aroma made it into the taste.

(Bottle) Pours a cloudy pinkish red body with a medium-sized pink head. Tart cherry aroma. Similar flavor. Dry, sweet finish. Quite enjoyable!

Dark ruby color with a huge head. Aroma of sour cherries. Very sour cherry flavor.

This was an abolute smashing hit from a recent tasting. Gorgeous ruby color with a delictable rose colored head. Aroma of sourness, wet wood, and light cherries. Serious sour flavor, but not overwhelming a one of the most subtle, wonderful cherry flavors ever. Not overly dry and my stomach didn’t hurt after drinking this. A masterpiece.

This ain’t Sam Adams cherry wheat - there are lots of real cherries in this one, and you can taste them! The taste is tart like cherries should be, and the appearance is gorgeous. All in all one of the best beers I know of, and it’s a real tragedy that the brewery has gone out of business. Laseter’s Tavern in Atlanta has had this in the past, but if you take the last one be prepared for a fight ;)

Bright pale cherry red hue. Pours with almost no head, tart, vinous, acidic cherry aromas, follow through a sharpness, tartness palate with a dry bone flavors a very long winey finish. A very good traditional pure kriek lambic the way i like it.

#800 for me. Bottled in 2003. I can’t believe the best before date is 2023... there’s no way I could wait that long. Gorgeous deep red beer with a thick sticky pink lace sitting on top. Aroma of fresh cherries, a touch of funkiness, and a light tartness. As the beer warms the fruit becomes more intense with obvious black cherry notes. Flavour however was a bit less than expected. Faint cherry fruit, light sourness, and a subtle dustiness. The palate was fairly watery and the flavours that the aroma promised just weren’t delivered. Improved as it warmed, but still not spectacular. Thanks cheesecloth.