 acrdz (4362), Boulder, Colorado, USA
May 4, 2007 Updated: Mar 29, 2008
March 2008 batch
Very dry, tart and puckery, the fruity is still quite pitty and stemy, there’s a ton of cherry skin tannins which give it a moderate to heavy astringency, not seen so much in last year’s batch, and the fruit is much less sweet, much more dry, more coarse, more pitty and woody, even a little ashy.
March 2007 batch
Incredible dark purple and dark pink murky appearance, speckled tan, almost red hued, thin filmy head, sustaining a film throughout the drink. I want to call the texture syrupy but that brings to mind the wrong ideas. Perhaps full and thick without being heavy is the best way to describe it... the sourness is mild but easily noticed, and well-appreciated, but there’s also this amazing oak dryness at times, mingling with the semi-tart black cherry ’pitty’ flavor. This beer mixes the natural sweetness of the fruit (which really isn’t sweet as in sugary, but sweet as in ’ripe’) with a light sourness as well, lightly lactic and creamy... a pure fruit beer if there ever were one. Really this is one of the best pure fruit beers I’ve had, not candy-like, not overly sweet, it lets the natural sourness of the cherries come through, from the juicy, green flavors of under-ripe bing cherries to the tart, plum-like flavors you find in over-ripe black cherries. Has a lingering, rich and creamy finish. Bit of a faint nose at first with a full glass, though when there’s some room in there, when it’s about 1/4 full, the rich, ripe black cherries and little notes of wood and vanilla and cream show up big time... overall this beer is just an incredible use of fruit, and deserves the praise it has received..
djcoolhark (21), South Bend, Indiana, USA
Aug 8, 2008 Had this beer in an ’08 batch both in Selinsgrove and in a growler. I was shocked to see this above Three Floyds Behemoth and Bell’s Kzoo Stout. Not too impressed. Derives from sour mash cherries. Good for a fruit beer I suppose, but I thought it had a bit of a cough syrup taste. Very little carbonation, overly sweet, somewhat bitter. if this is the best of fruit beers, I guess that I’m a firm believer that fruit doesn’t belong in beer.
DragonStout (1182), Orlando, Florida, USA
Jul 12, 2008 Poured from a growler shared by Cheeseman.This was an interesting color.It had the same color of a blood blister.Dark purple and red.Nose had some sour, vinous cherries.The flavor was closer to sour cherries in a pie.This finished off slightly tart, but overall was delicious.Thanx Dan.
General_Gao (2568), Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Jul 12, 2008 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.
beerbuzzmontreal (2740), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Jul 9, 2008 Pours a cloudy red color with a thin white head. The aroma has a ton of cherries that feel tart, very seductive. Amazing flavor of cherries, there’s tartness, sweetness and there’s also bitterness in the end, the tart, sweet and bitter flavors are well-balanced. The body is light with a liquorous texture and soft carbonation. This is an awesome fruit beer, it nears New Glarus Belgian Red in overall quality.
awaisanen (1157), Irvine, California, USA
Jun 23, 2008 From a 12oz Handbottle. Courtesy of Stine. Transparent, brilliant ruby red colored pour with a finger of fizzy pink head. Intense cherry aroma, saturated with fleshy cherry fruit, skins included, and a slight acetic note in the background. Amazing in both the level of intensity and the quality of the fruit aroma. Hints of herbal leafiness helps to balance the sweetness of the cherries nicely. Medium bodied, lightly carbonated mouthfeel with a touch of acidity. Sweet, but not sticky, and brimming with one of the most authentic cherry flavors I’ve tasted in a beer. Gobs of fruit, with some cherry-skin tannins coming through on the backend to round out the finish. The term, "Kriek" in the name is a little mis-leading, as implies "cherrry lambic", but this is just a really, really good fruit beer with a cherry flavor rivaled only by Scharbeekse Kriek or Lou Pepe Kriek. Thanks a ton, Eben!
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