Verhaeghe Echte Kriekenbier

Brewed by Verhaeghe
Style: Sour Ale
Vichte, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium

(2/27/08) Bottle at Zolder in Bruges. Best before 6/2009. Hazy red with a small pinkish head. Lovely aroma of cherries, oak, some brett and a bit of malt. Flavor has lots of cherries, wood, some malt and some sugary sweetness. Flavor is a bit too sweet but still has a nice dose of sourness. Medium-bodied. A well-made cherry sour ale - very pleasant.

Nice funky smell that pours a nice deep red. Nice and sticky mouthfeel with what I thought was wild lambicy yeast. Reminded me of Redbach, but this one felt it had more natural flavors.

11.2oz bottle, purchased at Pizzeria Paradiso - Georgetown. Pours a dark ruby color; very thin, off-white head with patchy lacing. Funky overripe cherries and strawberries and musty fruits in the aroma; slight tartness and funk. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: red fruits (strawberries, cherries), sticky earthy malts, overripe fruits and a touch of caramel and lingering sugar. Slightly sweetened sticky kriek. Lengthy finish, showing bitter cherries and bready malts; sweetness is reasonably well-contained.

330ml bottle picked up at the foreign beer section av London Drinker 08. Beige head resting on a hazy orange-brown body. Fresh smell of cherries. More acidulous cherries in the taste with oaky and yeasty notes. Sweet ending. One small bottle is enough (Arriva hotel, 13.03.2008).

Bottle shared with Carlus 12 at Hoopers, Camberwell, London. A nice way to see in number 500 with a sour ale. Nose is sour, lambic, cream and yeast. The aroma is so deep that it seems to suck you in. Pours a deep mahogany coour beer with a fluffy white head. Cherry, oak, bitter, malt, sweet, vinegar and sharp to boot. Brilliant.

Bottle from Sergio’s - Pours ruby with a maintained wispy off-white head. Aroma of cherry and oak. Taste is tart, cherry, oak, dark fruits with only light acidity. Medium bodied, with soft/lush carbonation and a tart finish. Good, but I prefer the Vichtenaar and Duchesse.

2-24-08 bottle shared at tasting.
Clear amber red with no head. Smell is tart vinegar and maple syrup. Flavor is sweet and way too subtle and weak. Not very sour in the flavor. Just seems off in this style like it doesn’t belong. Watery and thin. Drinkable, I suppose, but just not something I will reach for in the furture.

Clear ruby in colour with spritzy carbonation. Aromas of mild wood and vinegar, before a canned sweet cherry note takes over. Some sourness in the mouth, along with a bit more cherry, some light malt, lemon, and a hint of wood. A strange mix of tart and sweet. If the sweetness didn’t taste so much like overly processed (or artificial) cherry, it would be much better off. Overall it kind of bridges the sour gap between Liefmans and Rodenbach Grand Cru. Not bad.