Verhaeghe Echte Kriekenbier

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.

Thanks to lb4lb for sharing this 750ml bottle. Nice clear reddish mahogany color with smallish fizzy head. Smells sweet, brown candy sugar, vinegary, dusty fruit, hints at cherry. Smells like Duchesse d B. with a bit of cherry. Sweet, slightly tart, vinegary acid, dusty cherry. Pretty drinkable, but pretty sweet.

330ml bottle.
Clear red beer with a small pink head. Aroma is sour, woody, and vinous with a fair helping of cherry notes and some yeast. Tastes quite like cherries with a little sweet and a lot sour. Really interesting flavour. My first sour ale and I’m enjoying it. Light body, quick finish with no aftertaste. Not bad. Sip too big and it gets a little too sour for me. Good nonetheless. Cheers.

Pours a cranberry color with little head and a sour cherry funky, guaze smell as to be expected. Taste is sweeter than most sour ales, but still relatively mild in that department, and a moderately long lasting flavor in the finish. Still, did nothing for me with it’s vinegary qualities.