Name: Kriek

Brewer: Limdemans

Style: Lambic

Cellared On: July 3rd, 2007

Original Tasting: July 20th, 2007

Fruit beers seem to be a polarizing thing here in the US. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I personally love them. Fruit and beer seem to be a great match to me, espically when you take into account all of the fruity flavors that certain yeast strains can bring to the party. But then again, I have yet to find a beer style that I can’t appreciate in some way, so maybe my judgement is a little biased.

Anyway, Lindemans various lambic beers seem to be the most commonly found lambic-styled brews in upstate NY. I’ve been looking at this red-foiled bottle for years now, and couldn’t wait to open it up. It pours with a dark red body topped by a very bubbly pink head. Looks like a dark version of pink champagne.

The taste starts off very sweet and almost all cherry/berry flavor, with maybe a slight touch of maltiness. Very thin body, doesn’t have the normal mouthfeel that I associate a beer with. The sweet cherries turn pleasantly sour at the finish, which cherry flavors lingering in your mouth for some time afterward.

For me this will be a great drink every for every now and then, but it’s too sweet for me to be a regular thing. I’m looking forward to comparing this to other lambics.

Six Month Tasting: February 13th, 2008

Lambics have a reputation for being able to hold up for long periods of time in the cellar, and I’m certainly not doubting that now. The brew had pretty much the same exact sour cherry flavor profile as it did when I first tasted in back this summer.

Cellar Outlook: I’ve heard that lambics can fare well in the center, but I’m really uncertain how the flavors here will hold up over the long run. I love the cherry taste, and I don’t see how this beer can get any better as the fruit fades over the years.

Six Month Cellar Outlook: I don’t have any doubts about the staying power of this beer now. I suspect it’ll be still tasty when I get to my last one, albeit probably a little less sweet and fruity.

Next Tasting: August 2008