Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Drinks Around the World: Kriek - Sour Cherry Beer (Belgium)


Some years ago, I received a strong recommendation to try a kriek - "it is unlike any beer you will have ever tasted". And boy, were they correct.

Kriek is a sour-cherry flavoured beer, brewed in a special manner called lambic. A typical mix of wheat, hops, water and malt is exposed to wild yeasts and bacteria (sounds almost medicinal), fermented rapidly, with sour cherries added after the fermentation.

Opening the bottle results in a truly pungent wet earth odour (more odour than aroma!), pouring as a deep red drink where the head disappears almost immediately (more like champagne than beer). The taste is not beer-like at all - a tart, dry flavour with a slight touch of bubbles and a biting sourness somewhere between cranberry and lemon juice, but closer to lemon. The mouth tends to shrivel at the reminder of the taste and even has a similarity to cider.

For me, I could never manage more than one but it was a surprisingly enjoyable and palate cleansing. It is an appreciated taste among proud Belgian beer drinkers. The brewing technique is treasured and limited to a tiny pocket of Belgium. My description is probably unjust but it is a unique taste experience and worth seeking out as a drink around the world should you wander through .
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At the start of every month, Travel Wonders highlights a characteristic drink experienced on his travel. Only two previous beers have featured in this series: the Belgian classic monastery beer, Chimay and the most northern beer in the world (Mack Pilsner).

Photo Credit: kriek

10 comments:

Sherry Ott said...

Oh my - you are killing me...I just arrived back in the US after a month in Belgium and I was addicted to Kriek!! The lambic beers were by far my favorite - really sour...but really good!

Marina K Villatoro said...

A cherry flavored beer? Hmm… sounds interesting, I’d love to try it some time.

Heather Dugan (Footsteps) said...

Now that actually sounds pretty good to me! I like tart/sour flavors and cranberry is a favorite. Not sure where I'll find any Kriek around here in the US, but I'll be looking...

Kaziranga National Park said...

Interesting thing. If beer is enough for me other than rum, whiskey, etc are not good for health. I don't like to drink any kind of wine. I really doesn't understand why the people used to drink. ok that's apart. Thanks for sharing this post with us.............

Mark H said...

@sherry: I'm impressed that you really loved them. I enjoyed the sourness but one was enough for me.

@marina: Very different...

@heather: I love cranberry too. I drink the juice in the US as it is quite expensive and not as easy to find in Australia.

@kaziranga NP: Everyone should make their own choices. Thank youf or your comment.

Barbara Weibel said...

Hmmm...well, I don't drink, but I love cherries and sour/tart things, so if I ever fell off the wagon, this sounds like the first thing I'd want to try!

Sarah V. said...

Interesting! I like fruit beers, but I'm sure they haven't been as tart as the one you're describing. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to try it myself someday.

Mark H said...

@barbara: It is a very different taste.

@sarah: You might find it in the US somewhere. Worth a try though very different to typical fruit beers that are much sweeter.

Heather on her travels said...

I did try sour cherry soup in Hungary which turned out to be more like a fruit yoghurt, this beer sounds a very unusual taste

Mark H said...

@heather: Sour cherry soup sounds rather bizarre too. The lambic beers are very unusual and worth a try.

 
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