Verhaeghe Echt Kriekenbier
"Echt Kriekenbier (real cherry beer)" is, as the name suggests, a cherry beer that is manufactured with only the real fruit of cherries instead of with flavor enhancers or extracts of cherries. The fruit is sourced from the region around Sint-Truiden in Limburg (Belgium). Unlike the most famous fruit beers is the basic beer of the "real cherry beer" not a Lambic but a West-Flemish red-brown ale aged in oak wood. About mid-July at the picking, the Northern cherries are brought in at the brewery and laid in on the base beer. Because the taste of the cherry fruit varies from year to year and this according to the number of hours of sunshine or rain, the kriekenbier at its final composition is blended with cherry beer from the year before and two-year old cherry beer. This is intented to have a a more constant taste of the "real cherry beer" over the years.
3.5
802 reviews
Vichte, Belgium
Community reviews
Prima kriek met een zurige, niet te zoete smaak. Lijkt op spontane gisting, maar etiket vermeldt gemengde gisting. Aangenaam bier.
Kolor brunatnorubinowy. Piana słaba. W zapachu piwnica i nuty końskie. W smaku octowa kwaśność, bardzo wytrawne, pod koniec pojawia się wisniowa cierpkość.
Bottle into a teku showing moderately filtered cherry red with sparse white foam.
The nose shows pronounced notes of sweet forward cherries.
The palate is well carbonated and light bodied. Moderately sweet cherries throughout with a strong tartness with hints of cinnamon and baking spice.
Big cherry sour taste from Verhaeghe. Red beer with pink lacy head. Quite dry in the finish
Fles 25cl thuis. Bijsmaak, kersen, zoet, zuurtonen. Niet te zoet. (2-2017).
Good amount of tartnes. Not too tart. I would say that it has the same dryness an tartness as Oud Beersel, but maybe a bit more bitter. Looks good. Deep red with a pink foam tha dissapears quickly. Simple smell with some cherry, but for a kriek the cherries are too much in the background. It tastes boring.
Few things give me the same level of pure, geeky joy as Belgian beers. While Echt Kriekenbier hails from somewhere that produces a great number of gorgeous sour beers, this ale offers a lot of old-world character. Ruddy-brown color. Fizzy head. Acetic acid is fairly strong on the nose, but you can pick up some caramel and cherry under the funk. Mildly sour black cherry and spicy, earthy oak flavors reign supreme. Nothing by the way of unpleasant medicinal flavors. Very enjoyable.
(Thanks, Jim "Ozzy70")
Bottle.
A- Vinegar, cherry.
A- Dark red color, dark liquid, off white head.
T- Vinegar, cherry, funk, tart, sour, oak.
P- Medium body, average texture, medium carbonation, slightly astringent finish,
O- Alright, but doesn't quite meet the standards of other beers I've had from Verhaeghe. Aroma is full of basalmic vinegar and cherry juice but taste has a fair amount of funk, oak, and astringency to it.
Kicsi, villámgyorsan elillanó hab, rubinvörös szín. Meggyes, savanykás, vadélesztős illat. Fanyar, savanykás, meggyes ízek, vadélesztős, animális alapokon. Közepesen testes, enyhén szénsavas, alig kesernyés. Szuper meggyes sör, amiben határozottan jelen vannak a vadélesztős vonások.
Bottle, shared with friends at a party so I forgot to record the size. Poured clear light red, pink head. Aroma was sour, cherry, vinegar. Taste was sour, light tart, red wine.
25cl bottle. Clear deep dark red with a lasting pink head. Vinegar, cherry, berries, red wine. Like Duchesse, but seems a bit milder and slightly more watery. Also sweeter and less sour. ABV completely hidden. Very drinkable beer!
At 't Poatersgat, Bruges. Shared with Anke.
Pours clear dark red/brown with a thin, pinkish head. The aroma contains sweet cherry, marzipan, sugar, strawberry, red candy, hint of vinegar. It tastes medium fruity sweet and light to medium fruity/funky sour; bit tart, woody finish. Medium body, slick texture, fizzy carbonation. Lovely!
the aroma is fruity and spicy with hints of cherry, red wine, berries, candy and flowers... the taste is fruity and tart with notes of cherry, prunes, lollipop, red wine, berries and some spicy grasses... sour, sweet and tart aftertaste...
330mL bottle from International Beer Collector. BB 28-03-2021
Pours a rather attractive deep scarlet body with a creamy pink-tinged head.
Aroma is complex - cinnamon & nutmeg, marzipan, ripe & sour cherry, sweet pasty, old wood, brown sugar.
Fullish body, slight creamy carbonation & mouthfeel, nice tartness to it cuts through.
Flavours a excellent - persistent cherries - sweet, sour, stalk & pit - those lovely marizpan & savoury woody spices again, brown sugar, sort of doughy notes, hint of old wood & horsey funk, lingering tartness & vinous tannin.
Really enjoyed this - not as refined as other Flemish red/oud brune based Kriek beers, but the flavours work very well!
Draft at Craft Brewed. Pours a deep burgundy red with almost no head. Deep cherry aromas with musty basement and oak, slight horseblanket. Deep cherry flesh and skin, aged prosciutto, cherry stone. Uber complex with lots going on. Dry finish with musty cherry that lingers. Great stuff, probably unfairly tasted next to a Destihl sour.
Poured on Xmas day from 750ml bottle . Ruby brown I appearance. Cherry Kriek aroma . Mild tart sour , sharp
(rouge guignolet, nez infini kirsch, bouche kriek authentique & pure, vineuse, finale bois-acide, poivre doux, historique)
Pours clear mahogany with a thick, though not long-lasting, eggshell head. Sure is a noisy one, though. Aroma puts forth tart cherry, woody and sour fruit notes. Tart and slightly sweet cherry dominates the flavor, while making room for subtle woody and malty tones. Mouthfeel presents fair body and good fizz. Get real!
Great balance. The dryness of the hops compliments the bare sweetness of the beer. The sour components are not out of place. The cherry tone is faint while drinking, but it lingers on the breath long after the primary components are gone. A keeper.
If there was a rating for balance (the most important component to a beer), it would be 8-9 out of 10.
Pours a wonderful dark magenta from a bottle, somewhat thick light purple head. Nice sweet-tart cherry aroma, almost a hint of concord grape as well. Similar flavor, nice balance between sweet and tart. Interesting non-lambic beer. Very good.
Bottle from my dear old students - thank you T17! Pours clear lightish ruby with stable pinkish head. Clear aroma of fruit, with vinous notes and malty and estery hints. Vinous flavour with notes of cherries and touches of yeast. Dusty hints, especially in the lingering, dry aftertaste. Decent for the style.
Beautiful color, initially bitter and tart, soft sweet, goes mildly into a vanilla finish, very pleased, worth drinking for the finish.
25cl bottle at the Elm Tree from Belgian National Day Festival. Reddish brown, very thin-looking, with a tiny ring of white head. Cherry, oak, some red wine vinegar on the nose: simple yet attractive. The taste is a step up: oaky sourness hits you but it’s balanced by a heavy cherry sweetness. More sour than sweet in the long finish. Hints of Merlot and soy sauce in the aftertaste. Carbonation is heavy but not aggressive. A beer which I’m unsure if at first but I grow to enjoy.
750 ml bottle into tulip glass, best before 9/2019. Pours crystal clear deep ruby red color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy light pink/cream colored head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of big lightly tart/tangy cherries, raspberry, strawberry, lemon, plum, green apple, red grape, oak, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of vanilla, hay, straw, leather, grass, funk, pepper, almond, slight red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/light funky yeast, cherries, oak barrel, and moderate dark/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big lightly tart/tangy cherries, raspberry, strawberry, lemon, plum, green apple, red grape, oak, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of vanilla, hay, straw, leather, grass, funk, pepper, almond, slight red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light fruity/lactic tartness, yeast/tannic oak spiciness, and fruit tang on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy cherries, raspberry, strawberry, lemon, plum, green apple, red grape, oak, caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, hay, straw, leather, grass, funk, pepper, almond, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/light funky yeast, cherries, oak barrel, and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; with a nice malt/tart/tangy/spiciness balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Light dryness from carbonation and tart/tangy/spicy notes, increasing through the glass. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly tangy/acidic/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 6.8%. Overall this is a great fruited Flanders red ale! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/light funky yeast, cherries, oak barrel, and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; very smooth and refreshing to drink with the mildly tart/tangy/drying finish. Extremely well balanced for the style. Plenty of authentic cherry flavors, with solidly funky yeast complexity. Nice oak and malt presence. Never overly sweet or sour either way, with no slick/syrupy character from fruit or malts. A very enjoyable offering.
Red clear with small pink head. Slight cherry aroma. Sweet-sour cherry taste. Just nicely fruity.
Bottlw. This looks like cherry juice. Cherry aroma qith a little balsamic. Lightly tart and lots of cherry flavor with cinnamon and cjerry pot. A good amount of sugar. Good fruit beer.
250 ml bottle bought at IC Beer in Kwun Tong.
Looks: Translucent cherry wine redOne-quarter finger head with soapy light pink foam which fades in 20 seconds; Fair sticky lacing with near zero carbonation.
Aroma: Very fragrant malt, with strong Port wine, strong red wine, strong wood barrel, dark cherries, yoghurt tartness, malt vinegar, grape skins, dry wheatyness and strong tannin.
Taste: Strong sour malt, with dark cherries, strong yoghurt, strong malt vinegar, red wine, alcohol, wood barrel, tannic, light sugar, biscuits, lemon and light grass.
Body: Close to light body; Thin palate.
Mouth Feel: Good maltyness in a slightly watery background. Dark and sour cherries in abundance, with tasty malt vinegar, yoghurt and red wine, with light sweetness for balance. Carbo-ish and dry with notable tannin and lemon to round. Very nice!
Hoppiness: Not nose, lemon and light grass in taste; Bitterness is mostly tannin with slight lemony hops for an abrupt, low to fair astringent sour malty finish.
After Taste: Quite dry; Tart, fruity and quite easy to mouth.
Comments: So this is sour cherries on top of a Sour Red Ale, and it taste very cherry soda-ish in a nice way. Its winey and vinegar characters were intact, with fruity cherries gave some refreshing sparks. If only most fruit beers can be as decent as this. A tasty Summer treat!
F: thin, off-pink, quick gone.
C: dark red, hazy, almost opaque.
A: red berries, cherries, light red wine, oak wood, fruity sourness, syrupy, hint of brett.
T: cherries, woody, red fruits, hint of vinous, a bit of funky, not sweet, not very complex but still quite good and enjoyed, medium to full body, low to medium carbonation, 0,75l bottle from Shopping Peltri in Overpelt.
Bottle. Amber-red color, noisy pinkish foam. Aroma: vinegar sourness, fermented cherries, a little red wine and strawberries. Taste: sour cherry, sparkling rose wine, fruit vinegar, cherry stone, sour-sweetness, good balanced.
Bottled. Best by 06/30/20. Pours ruby red cherry, ruby-tinged white head. Aroma is tart cherry, sour vinegar, red-wine notes, sweet and sour. Very nice. Flavor is sweet dark tart cherries, vinegar, little oaky, medium acidity, pretty effervescent. Almost impossible to take one sip, the tart effervescent sweet cherry natures of it immediately begs another. Quaffable. Refreshing. Like drinking pleasant sour cherry soda. Love it.