Verhaeghe Echte Kriekenbier

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

Pours a beautiful red with a slowly diminishing pink head, no less! Aroma is a little weak but nice. Vinegar, cherries (of course), light wood-smoke and sweaty yeast. Taste is mild but nice. Slightly sour, somewhat sweet. Mouth puckering a little. Aftertaste fades quickly from lightly sour, tiny bit bitter. Overall it’s nice, but of Verhaeghe, I like Vichtenaar a little better.

25 cl bottle, bbe 15/05/08. Ruby red colour, very clear and transparent. Head disappears within seconds. Cherry aroma, sweetish, cherry liqueur. The taste is more ’oud bruin’, with a lot of lactic acidity and some wood. Yet there is some round, fruity sweetness, too. A hint of cherry candy in the aftertaste. Dry, metallic finish with carbonation teasing the tongue and alcohol gently heating the palate.

Typical intense sourness deftly balanced by sour cherries, but not overwhelmed by them. Beautiful scarlet pour with an abundance of beading. There’s a Christmas party going on in my glass. bright and lively spritziness on the tongue and throat going down...champagne-style. Very well done!

De Zolder, Brugge, New Year’s Eve. Sweetshop clarity and some sugar, but nibbles with genuine lambic/sour ale character. Lurking wood, acid, alcohol and even a hint of cheese. The natural sweetness of the fruit without it being overpowering. Definitely not a ’ladybeer’. A find.

Bottle from Utobeer. Reddish-brown in colour with a white, pink tinged head. Oaky aroma, with some berry fruit and a slight whiff of vinegar. Cherry flavour, with some yeastiness, almonds and a slightly sour finish. Very good.

33cl bottle from Hopduvel, good balance between fruitiness en sour ale good kriekenbier although its not a tipical woman beer.

(Draught at Hilpeä Hauki, Helsinki, on 2009-07-10) Deep red colour and clear. Small pink head. Berries, cherries and sourness in aroma. Quite light bodied and soft palate with little carbonation. Sourness, sweetness, cherries, malts, berries and light bitterness in taste. Berries and sourness in aftertaste.

rate #900, keg at Black Door, Helsinki. Dark ruby, tight light pink head. Almondy cherry nose, mild flemish sourness and leather. Flavor is sour cherries, little currants. Shows it’s Flemish sour base nicely, not that sweet or sugary. Strongly carbonated, maybe a tad light palate. Very natural and classy beer.