Verhaeghe Echte Kriekenbier

On draught at The White Horse, Parson’s Green. Red-brown colour with a small, but quite creamy off-white head. Sour fruit and yoghurt aroma. Nice and sharp sour flavours, fruit is very prominent, soothing sweetness underneath. Medium-bodied and quite fizzy. A wonderful beer for a hot summer’s day.

Deep rich ruby red with an effervescent fast-fading pink head. Aromas of fresh mashed chokecherries (I’m serious-- this reminded me immediately of the smell in the kitchen when my dad made chokecherry jam when I was a kid) and something musty/earthy. Fresh sweet & sour cherry juice flavour with a definite sour finish that squeezes the saliva from your mouth in the first few sips. There is more here though, something woody and earthy and faintly yeasty too. Beguiling and different and quite good.

11.2oz bottle - best before 4/14/06. Pours a reddish/brown color with a slightly pink bubbly head. Good amount of cherries in the aroma. Somewhat sour smelling as well. And maybe a little mustiness. The cherries also come through quite prevalently in the taste, but not over-powering and not too sweet. Good amount of malt flavors as well as the oak. Somewhat sour. Fairly well balanced.

Lovely sour cherry flavour. finishes same, with a lingering palate which, if it were a gutter lager, would offend. here, however, it merely tastes like another.

Aroma is both sour balsamic and sweet and sour cherries. Body is a red-tinted brown and holds a diminishing thumb thick pinkt-tinted white head. For is syrupy sweet cherries and a dash of funky fruit mash and sourness. Far less sour than other Flemish Sours, but pretty damn funky tasting like MSG laden baby corn. Has a bit of a metallic twang int he finish that doesn’t belong, but not a bad beer really.

I did enjoy this, but it was a bit of a let down. Since this is the same brewer who creates the Duchesse I was expecting something great. When first poured, the nose was straight-up soy sauce. As it warmed up, it went from soy sauce to cherry cordials then to some black cherry aroma. The apperance was nice with a clear color, nice carbonation, deep ruby red and little head. Mouthfeel was sort of spritzy, with no harshness. It did have a lingering effect like drinking vinegar. Flavors were fairly balanced with a cherries but very, very low-key. Tart and sour levels were also present but in check. Medium bodied beer, slightly dry aftertaste. Overall an above average beer.

Bottle. Deep red color with good lacing. Strong cherry aroma along with leather, lactic acid, acetic acid, distant alcohol and chocolate. Powerful sweetish flavor well balaced by acidity. Clear cherry and leather flavor with hints of cinnamon and ginger. Sweet and sour finish with cherry and wood. Delicious and balanced.

Pours with a fizzy head like soda, dies. Color is clear pinkish brown. Nice light oaken aroma mixed with mild cherries. First taste is quite sweet. Luckily sourness barges in and dominates the palate. I still think it’s too sweet. Mineral/metallic feel around this one, detracts. Light yeast, lots of sweet cherries, tart with solid acidity. Body was a little sticky. Ho-hum.