Selins Grove The Phoenix Kriek

Brewed by Selins Grove Brewing Co.
Style: Fruit Beer
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania USA

Growler, courtesy thecheeseman. I just love the heck out of this! Deep reddish purple copper with a medium head. Aroma of funky sour cherries, spicy cherry pits, graham crackers and cherry soda. Flavor starts with a combo of sweet and sour cherries, the graham cracker provides the crust for this cherry pie. Palate is med full up front with the sweet, but then it lightens on the way back as the tartness tightens pulls and puckers at the sides of the tongue. The tartness begins to border on a cranberry sauce acidity. Finish is bone dry and refreshing. Just outstanding.

From growler@KSBF after fest tasting. Thanks again go out to kramer17801! Poured a small light tan head with fair retention, minimal lace. Lightly hazy amber/red hue. Fruity, cherry nose, light lumber, tart and spicey, a tad musty. Body is medium, full on the palate, lighly coating with a spicey bite, tangy. Medium sweet malt flavors, sweet and sour cherries, raspberry, light oak and some doughy yeast flavors. Nicely spicey. Finish is almost dry, surprisingly tart and fruity. Well done! Thanks Jason!

12/26/06. Poured out of 12 oz. bottle, obtained as a generous gift from kramer17801 on RateBeer 12/1/06. Hand-bottled. Deep burnt brown-red color with a gigantic, frothy and fluffy pink-tan head that lingers in a gentle pillow. Meringue-like lumpiness almost on the level of Chouffe Houblon and the best bottles of Orval. Lovely, slow and sticky, doily-like swaths of lacing glide down the edges of the glass. Aroma is vaguely wine-like and slightly acetic, propping up a cherry pie essence muted with some pale doughy "flabbiness" and a soft outline of oak-vanilla. Reminiscent of Flemish sours moreso than any kriek I’ve come across; not as acidic as either, and not nearly as funky as a traditional kriek. There’s a literally breathtaking tart-cherry-oak-wood combo that rears its head on deep whiffs. Flavor starts appropriately fairly mild with dark cherry-skin followed by an expansion of cherry-vanilla and drying woody, pitty earth flavors. The tartness at work here is really a fruity tartness, like from underripened cherries, rather than an acid formed as a fermentation byproduct; there’s a notable lack of much bretty funk or that REALLY stinging, dry acidity found in the beers of Cantillon and Drie Fonteinen (for instance) to pierce through the slick body. Still, that’s not a bad thing. It’s damn fine stuff, actually. Finish lasts quite a long time and really rounds out the full cherry experience-- pits, skins, juicy fleshy suggestions from across the entire over-/under-/perfectly-ripe spectrum. In the land of cherry beers, this is only slightly akin to the cherry candy and pie-filling sweetness of New Glarus Belgian Red, but with a tremendous amount more fruitiness than traditional krieks can ever proffer. At times it takes a little searching and thoughtful reflection to allow the various shades of fruit to reveal themselves, but I’ve never been above that. Some dark green leafy vegetal quality in the finish is the only thing that really detracts. When left alone after a good, big gulp, the lingering tartness seems to call up mouthwatering blips of new flavors in wonderful harmony. Medium body with that kind of fluffy carbonated texture that gently massages your tongue. A very unique, very ambitious product. Just don’t let the name fool you.

Bottle from Zathrus13 I believe. Pours a light cherry red but boy does this thing smell fine. There are beers that you open, pour into a glass and drink. This is a brew that can be enjoyed in many a way. looks very cool but gosh, the nose was very nice as the cherry was not sweet and sickly. Very tasty as well.

Bottle graciously shared by pepsican. Attractive aroma of cherry, apple, pear, and spice. There was also a whiff of Jersey girl hairspray, presumably attributable to the 8% alcohol. Poured a clear red-orange color with a white head. Sweet and tart, a real saliva stimulator, and almost bitter at the end. A real roller coaster ride for the tongue. I tasted lots of berries, including black cherry, strawberry, and blackberry. There was also some apple and glazed donut. Pretty good stuff.

Hazy rose color with tiny CO2 streams slowly rising to the top. A 1 finger, creamy head with pink tones fades into a mild cap. Scattered spots of lacing are left around the glass. Smell is of tart cherries, cranberries, citrusy, with notes of melons, cider, and spice. Taste is of the mentioned aromas with a tart cherry standing out among the mix. Mouthfeel is sticky, medium bodied, sweet tart, and apple cider sticking to the lips with a lingering on the middle of the tongue.

Slow recession of a creamy, light pink and light beige head reveals delicate and sparse lacing. The body is hazy and cherry-skin colored. Along with requisite cherry, the aroma has pleasant notes of orange peels, salted melons and heapings of mushy pie crust. Cinnamon, white chocolate and slight toasted grains and caramel malts are noted as well. Alcohol is unnoticed. The flavor is all cherry pie, with light to medium tartness and plenty of accompanying sweetness. All cherry notes are real and fresh, never medicinal. Acidity is mild, lemony. The mouthfeel is medium-full, sticky and lightly to moderately carbonated. Finishes sticky sweet, lengthy and full. A very rewarding taste.

Stopped by the brewpub and looked forward to getting this one. Luckliy, a new batch was tapped the prior day. This ale was fantastic. Very complex and full body and did someone say Cherry. Refreshing on a hot summer day, better than lemonade.