Rainier Kriek 2011 - Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom

tcampbel1

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

02-21-2012 17:17:16 | More by tcampbel1

strongaf

Washington

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%

05-17-2013 19:58:23 | More by strongaf

adkieffer

Washington

4.75/5  rDev +10.2%

12-17-2012 22:59:47 | More by adkieffer

popery

California

4.1/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes on growler with thanks to beerific. Very good sour. Unfortunately, it’s too big for its own good and, probably because of that, there’s a light buttery note. Good sour cherries with a distinctive taste from the Rainiers. Light gold with a little head. Lots of lemon flavor. Strong pucker. Medium body for a sour. A bit of funk complexity but it’s mostly just a lacto sour cherry. Good beer, but it suffers from its strength, a fairly common problem for American sours.

Serving type: growler

11-16-2012 07:30:54 | More by popery

Jak82

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

11-08-2012 04:53:07 | More by Jak82

jtosch

Oregon

4.75/5  rDev +10.2%

08-14-2012 20:30:43 | More by jtosch

Kopfschuss

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%

07-30-2012 19:39:57 | More by Kopfschuss

harrymel

Washington

3.95/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured on tap @ Uber in Seattle.

It's a turbid toasted grain color with some fine white foam atop. Looks thick. Nose is strait up rainier cherries, bubble gum, straw and a hint of lacto character. Expecting this one to be limited tart and a bit too sweet - although I love Rainier cherries so that wouldn't be an issue. I stand correct, the beer is nicely tart with a good pepper punch to it and slight heat from the alcohol. I like how the rainier remains distinguished in the flavors alongside a nice lactic sourness. The beer is full bodied for the style with a lower carbonation, off dry and refreshing. A really nice beer I'm glad I have had the chance to give it a go. Gotta be careful with a 9% ABV packed in there.

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2012 23:15:45 | More by harrymel

pixieskid

France

4/5  rDev -7.2%

07-12-2012 19:35:48 | More by pixieskid

Telestic

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%

05-18-2012 19:51:18 | More by Telestic

JohnGalt1

Idaho

4.03/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Paper notes... Inflateablechair hooked this one up... Pours a slightly hazed yellow.. spotty lacing with a short lived head.

Nose is real cherry aromas with a bit of pink bubblegum phenols... nice lactic sour profile melds great with the cherries... fantastic fresh yellow sweet cherry notes...

Is this one "barrel aged".. not sure.. but the fruits are up front clearing the way for plenty of sour bits... more "tart than sour" with warmth... bits of almond... maybe even vanilla.

Body is a touch thick... carbonation is a little too light.... but this is a fantastic brew for somebody who really likes Rainier cherries.. no real "funk" ever shows, instead it is a lactic master with bunches of fruit in every sip.

Thanks Sam!! Very cool... I want to try and make a Rainier Cherry kriek.

3.5/4/4/3.5/4.5

Serving type: growler

02-20-2012 03:32:56 | More by JohnGalt1

Elimination

Oregon

4.93/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is a sort of white whale to me. The thought of a Belgian golden base a bunch of rainier cherries and Bret makes me tingle

Look of a hazy pale yellow. Thin as hell lacing with a great gold hue

Smell of the strongest sour cherry you will ever smell. Strong tart pie like character. Amazing

Taste is the mouth puckering gOodness of cherry plum with a sweat Belgian funk

This beer is great and if you find it and love sours. Go for it

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2012 20:07:05 | More by Elimination

Mahlik

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -13%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at the Double Mountain taproom. Poured into a tulip glass. Reviewed from notes.

A - Pours a hazy pear color with a one-finger bubbly white head. Head dissipates almost immediately. No lacing whatsoever. This beer has a cider-like appearance.

S - A fruity tartness of pears and sour cherries. Funky Brett and faint oak notes. A slight grassy aroma floats in the background. Nothing really dominates.

T - The funky barnyard notes from the Brett come out more in the taste. The sour cherries come through in the middle. An lactic sourness finishes off the sip.

M - Light body with plenty of carbonation that creates a tingling sensation on the tongue. A slight sting from the alcohol could be felt but overall, the alcohol is well hidden. Finishes crisp and somewhat dry. A small amount of tartness sticks around in the aftertaste.

O - While I didn't think this beer was superior to many other krieks/sours, I had no problem enjoying a couple of them while at the taproom. A little unusual for a kriek but still very enjoyable. I am glad to see a smaller brewery such as Double Mountain being creative and brewing differnet styles other than the standard IPA, pale ale and stout.

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2012 03:21:06 | More by Mahlik

Diomede

California

5/5  rDev +16%

11-27-2011 21:56:03 | More by Diomede

illidurit

California

4.1/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler shared at the September iteration of the Santa Cruz tasting series. Pours a pure gold color, strange for a kriek until you remember it’s made with Rainier cherries. Small fizzy white head conveys a solid acidity. Aroma is floral/ perfumey in its cherry character with a solid lactic tartness. Flavor is a little more ambiguous. I don’t get a lot of cherry, maybe a little fruity sweetness but it’s not explicitly cherry-like. The sourness is similarly not related to the natural tartness of cherries, but rather a straight-up lemony sour note with a nice graininess. Big lactic character with an almost kefir-like finish. Very drinkable, no indication that this is 9%. A pleasant surprise from a brewery I had never heard of.

Serving type: growler

09-07-2011 07:09:05 | More by illidurit

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.38/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a nice straw yellow color with light carbonation and a nice white little cap

S: Like a lemon head candy. Sour, lemon, a little booze

T: Huge sour lemon presnce, with hay, grass and just the right amount of sourness. Excellent!

M: Nice, medium light to medium body, sour for sure

O: Excellent and among the best and a gret rep of the style

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2011 03:50:24 | More by barleywinefiend

grittybrews

Washington

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a hazy pale gold into a pint glass with a thin film of white head. Tart aroma of cherries with a hint of sweet caramel.

Slightly below average carbonation and a relatively light mouthfeel. Huge flavors of tart rainier cherry, lemon, and a nice mix of honey sweetness and slight funk.

Really well-balanced sour. I love the use of the Rainier cherries rather than the Bing. Very tart but finishes quite dry and light, making it easy to come back for more (the alcohol is extremely well-hidden).

Serving type: on-tap

08-13-2011 02:14:52 | More by grittybrews

dgilks

Australia

3.73/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazy straw colour with no head. A little disappointing.

Mildly fruity with a touch of funk. Moderately tart aroma. Not that amazing and it feels like the Rainier cherries are a little lost.

Great sharp tartness without being vinegary. Decent fruit flavour also comes through with a bit of funk. No hint of the 10% alcohol. Really nice but not as well crafted as the Devil’s Kriek.

Medium body with moderately-low carbonation. Just a little puckering.

A solid sour ale with good flavour. I feel like the aroma could have been bigger and the fruit flavour more pronounced but on the whole I enjoyed it.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2011 10:43:54 | More by dgilks

PDXHops

South Carolina

4.22/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewery in a tulip. Hazy light gold body with a head that's little more than a white wisp, but it's continually fed by a whirlwind of bubbling carbonation from below. The visual affect is quite striking, and makes up for the absence of lacing.

Quite a nose on this, a blast of tart, sweet and funky aromas backed up with with lighter grain and floral notes. Very tasty, very tart, stopping just shy of puckering. Light honeyish provides a bit of relief from the steady dose of sour cherry. No one-trick pony here, though; impressively multilayered flavors. Cherry pit, barrel, musty, grainy and earthy flavors weave in and out. The balance of flavors seems to shift if you chew on a sip for a moment; it's tasty, yet I find myself never being able to quite identify every flavor. Just the right amount of funk. Fans of sour beers would be well advised to seek this one out.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2011 12:17:32 | More by PDXHops

BeerOnTheWall

California

4.38/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on a recent visit to Portland (took a road trip up the Columbia River Gorge to Hood River one of the days I was there). This is apparently based off of their award winning Devil's Kreik recipe. On tap it was outstanding...so I picked up a growler to bring home.

Poured from 2 day old growler into a Chimay chalice.

Hazy light golden color with a very slight head that dissipates quickly. Really? This is a Kreik? No ruby red tinges...no dark colors to speak of. I'm interested at this point...the simple fact that this pours and looks like a Belgian blonde while calling itself a Kreik has me curious.

WOW! Sweet Tarts, white wine, lemon zest, toasted marshmallow, and a little barnyard funk. The 10% ABV is there, but does not burn the nose like you would expect. I love the way this smells and am getting a little excited now.

Above average tartness (even for a sour) right up front. Think sharp citrus mixed with sugar. Not the subtle cherry tart that you would expect from most Kreiks. The white Ranier cherries used in this seem to have set it apart from other beers in this style. There is a nice, subtle, mushroom earthieness + caramelized sugar that helps balance the beer on the mid-palate. The finish is tartley clean with some dusty funk as you breathe out. 10% abv is no where to be found...no solvent-like heat to turn you off. Impressive!

Low carbonation with a medium-light body. Everything that is expected for the style is there.

Overall I am really impressed with this beer. It's not a typical Kreik, but it is a wild fermented beer w/cherries added to secondary...so a Kreik it is. As with most sours, you must like the style if you are to enjoy it. But...if you like sours, this is on my top 5 of MUST TRY! There is a clear skill at work in the crafting of this beer. From the interesting use of white cherries to the perfect balance to the hidden abv...this is truly a beer to be appreciated. Once more the Pacific Northwest has impressed me!

Serving type: growler

08-03-2011 03:15:14 | More by BeerOnTheWall

jdense

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Portland International Beer Festival, PDX, tapped Saturday, 7.16.11, multiple 4 oz. samples.

Pale yellow pinkish a bit opaque body, the lightest Kriek I've ever seen, minimal head with a wee bit of lacing retained, not much in the way of carbonation. Dope funky nose, barnyard esters, some hay notes, a bit of light cherry for balance, little in the way of hoppiness, a bit floral if anything. Taste is really unusual attributable to the unusual cherry variety, light cherry notes but good dose of funk, significant barrel notes, a sipper to be sure but excellent depth of flavor, a beer to be contemplated over. Mouthfeel is pretty light, about right for the style, little if any effervescence, some stickiness but not much. Fairly drinkable for the ABV which I was surprised by, I believe that's the primary difference between this 2011 version and the archived style.

Not sure about the style, Fruit beer is what they listed on PIB website, I think it runs closer to American Wild Ale as per the archived version. This will be on tap later this week at Puckerfest, and if you are in town between festivals and/or your liver isn't too pickled, this is certainly a beer worth seeking out. IMHO the star of PIB. Excellent

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2011 01:05:30 | More by jdense