Kriek lambic

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A glass of Belgian kriek beer

Kriek lambic is a style of

sour Morello cherries.[1][2] Traditionally "Schaarbeekse krieken" (a rare Belgian Morello variety) from the area around Brussels
are used. As the Schaarbeek type cherries have become more difficult to find, some brewers have replaced these (partly or completely) with other varieties of sour cherries, sometimes imported.

Etymology

The name is derived from the Dutch word for this type of cherry (kriek).

Brewing

Traditionally, kriek is made by breweries in and around Brussels using lambic beer to which sour cherries (with the pits) are added.[3] A lambic is a sour and dry Belgian beer, fermented spontaneously with airborne yeast said to be native to Brussels; the presence of cherries (or raspberries) predates the almost universal use of hops as a flavoring in beer.[4] A traditional kriek made from a lambic base beer is sour and dry as well. The cherries are left in for a period of several months, causing a

refermentation
of the additional sugar. Typically no sugar will be left so there will be a fruit flavour without sweetness. There will be a further maturation process after the cherries are removed.

More recently,[when?] some lambic brewers have added sugar to the final product of their fruit beers, in order to make them less intense and more approachable to a wider audience. They also use cherry juice rather than whole cherries and are matured for much shorter periods.[5]

Belgian beer, fermented with raspberries instead of sour cherries. Kriek is also related to gueuze, which is not a fruit beer but is also based on refermented lambic beer. Some breweries, like Liefmans, make "kriek" beers based on oud bruin
beer instead of lambic.

Commercial examples

Traditional krieks include:

Sweetened krieks include:

  • Belle-Vue Kriek Lambic
  • Chapeau Kriek Lambic
  • Lindemans Kriek Lambic
  • Boon
    Kriek Lambic
  • Mort Subite
    Kriek Lambic
  • Timmermans Kriek Lambic
  • Van Honsebrouck
    St. Louis Kriek Lambic
  • La Sultane Halal Kriek

Kriek based on Oud Bruin include:

  • De Ryck Kriek Fantastiek
  • Liefmans Kriek
  • Kasteel Kriek
  • Verhaeghe Echt Kriekenbier

References

  1. .
  2. ^ "What is a Kriek Beer?". Hop Culture. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  3. ^ Clerget, Michel (1999-11-06). "Bruxelles, baroque ou intimiste". L'Humanité (in French). Archived from the original on 2010-06-16. Retrieved 2010-01-06.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. .
  5. . Retrieved March 14, 2019.

External links