Tag Archives: kriek lambic

CASCADE KRIEK ALE

One of brewers’ most popular and well-integrated sour ales, remarkable Belgian-styled Flanders red ale retains soft-flowing tannic grape bitterness as well as sweet fruited tartness and fermented lactic acidity. Oak barrel-aged cherry sourness retrieves musty Sauvignon-Cabernet warmth and vanilla-spiced cranberry-raspberry wisp crowding loud carbolic fizz. Sweet cider and rhubarb cherry pie illusions fill the middle as grassy horse-blanket earthiness parches vinegary white grape pucker at the backend. Wispy nutmeg-clove spicing adds depth and overall acidity never overwhelms.

Kriek - Cascade Brewing

LINDEMAN’S KRIEK LAMBIC

Fine reddish-hazed pink-headed Lambic with cap-cork setup, overpowering cherry aroma, and eye-squinting stone-fruited tartness best served with sherbet. Sour black cherries ripen dry oak undercurrent to tertiary barley-wheat spine. An obvious fruity crossover with its distinctive cherry soda spritz, ancillary citric brightness and sparkling champagne fizz.

RODENBACH RED BACH

Fantastic Kriek-like red ale retains perfect sweet ‘n’ sour cherry pie essence. Exquisite red-black cherry juiciness informs secondary sharp-tongued green apple tartness and strawberry-papaya-kiwi-melon tropicalia topping syrupy candi-sugared malting usurped by soda-like hop spritz. Though peculiar to behold translucent garnet-hued pink-headed ale pouring from green bottle, stylistically it’s second only to New Glarus Raspberry Tart and Lindeman’s Framboise.

STERKENS KRIEK ALE

Strong medicinal cherry tartness will get eyes squinting in no time flat. Carbolic soda flow and baked apple souring stimulate the senses as well. Musty stone-fruited backdrop receives tinny oxidation. Novices may be wiser to try cheaper Sam Adams Cherry Wheat instead. But true Belgian ale lovers will enjoy its dessert beer styling.