Lips Of Faith - Transatlantique Kriek - New Belgium Brewing

Displayed for educational use only; do not reuse.

BA SCORE
79
average
-
290 Ratings

rAvg: 3.44
pDev: 16.57%
Reviews: 167
Hads: 123

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
New Belgium Brewing

Colorado, United States

Style | ABV
Lambic - Fruit | 8.00% ABV

Availability: Rotating. bottle (153), on-tap (14).

Notes:
In a never-ending quest to create new beers and defy category, New Belgium Brewing and Brewerij Boon of Belgium have partnered together again to create Transatlantique Kriek - a spontaneously fermented lambic ale made with Polish cherries.

This authentic kriek beer began life in the oaken vessels at Frank Boon's brewery in the Lembeek region of Belgium. After more than two years aging, Boon's offering shipped across the Atlantic and found its way to the intuitive palate of New Belgium's Brewmaster Peter Bouckaert. After much sampling and internal consultation, Peter and his brew staff created a full-bodied golden lager to round out the light-bodied kriek.

The cherry nose gives way to a pleasingly sour flash across the palate that rolls gently into a slightly sweet finish. Crisp, effervescent carbonation keeps the mouthfeel bright and delightfully tingly.

View: Beers (77) | Reviews (5) | Events (0)

Reviews

Sort by: Latest | High | Low | Top Reviewers | Show Hads:

« first ‹ prev | 1-25 | 26-50 | 51-75 | next › last »

Reviews by BeerFMAndy:

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.25/5 rDev +23.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

22 oz bottle poured into a New Belgium globe.
8% ABV,

A - Transatlantique Kriek pours a stunning ruby red color with brilliant clarity! I mean, this beer is RED! A tall but fleeting cap of pastel pink foam rests on the beer, gently draping delicate lace on the signature glass.

S - Oddly, the aroma doesn't scream "kriek" with either fruit or funk; instead, Transatlantique Kriek has a subtle aroma of acidic tart cherry skins and crushed black cherry pulp. Trailing closely behind is a mild, approachable nose of wild yeast funk; just a hint of barnyard/horse blanket and a wonderful dry tartness.

T - At 8% ABV, this is a bit bigger than a standard kriek, and it shows through in the flavor and body with it's maltiness. Dry crystal sweetness peeks through with notes of toast before the shift changes to real cherry fruit and the same subtle funk the nose offers. This is no cough-syrup beer, the cherries taste fresh and real; tart and acidic, not sweet, and the mild yeast compliments the fruit well with a nod to the funkier Belgian beers.

M - A decent level of malt elevates the alcohol in this beer while keeping the body more medium but a higher level of carbonation also aids in the feel's "lightness". Very dry, there's just a touch of acidic tartness to the finish; pretty light for a kriek, though the ever-so-slight metallic hint at the end is more what bothers me.

O - New Belgium's Transatlantique Kriek is an excellent entry-level kriek that completely abandons the sugary "fruit beer" notion and focuses on engaging real cherry flavor and tartness with very subtle yeast funkiness. It's approachable and enjoyable. So when I say "entry-level", it means die-hard Belgian kriek fans may find themselves disappointed in the lack of yeast funkiness and sour bite to the finish, but by no means is this anything less than awesome.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 23:57:17 | More by BeerFMAndy

More User Reviews:

beergorrilla

Michigan

2.75/5 rDev -20.1%

05-22-2013 05:50:44 | More by beergorrilla

Zaphog

Michigan

2.75/5 rDev -20.1%

05-19-2013 18:35:20 | More by Zaphog

Photekut

Azerbaijan

3.25/5 rDev -5.5%

05-19-2013 16:44:45 | More by Photekut

freduardo

Alabama

3.5/5 rDev +1.7%

05-19-2013 01:52:30 | More by freduardo

ILikeGoodCider

California

3.5/5 rDev +1.7%

05-19-2013 01:19:59 | More by ILikeGoodCider

Dactrius

Wisconsin

2.5/5 rDev -27.3%

05-18-2013 02:52:22 | More by Dactrius

rheff

Arkansas

4/5 rDev +16.3%

05-17-2013 03:39:47 | More by rheff

BillyTWilliams

Georgia

3.5/5 rDev +1.7%

05-16-2013 00:08:22 | More by BillyTWilliams

srhoadsy

Florida

3.49/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Served chilled in a tulip.

Pours a rich, clear red with half an inch of airy white head that quickly recedes leaving light surface layer and lacing.

Aromas of cherries with a slight mustiness in the background.

Flavors follow through the aromas sweet and tart cherry with a slight musty, earthy background.

Light bodied with a sweet but crisp finish. Lighter carbonation than expected.

Overall a little too light in flavor for the style. If you were just introducing someone to the style this would be okay but falls a little flat compared to other offerings.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 23:38:06 | More by srhoadsy

Noyt

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5 rDev +1.7%

05-12-2013 14:24:56 | More by Noyt

schopenhauerale

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5 rDev +1.7%

05-12-2013 09:53:37 | More by schopenhauerale

Ivegotmule

North Carolina

4/5 rDev +16.3%

05-11-2013 23:02:59 | More by Ivegotmule

sharpski

Oregon

4/5 rDev +16.3%

05-11-2013 20:14:19 | More by sharpski

Kenzie

Utah

2.48/5 rDev -27.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25

I've come across quite a bit of beers brewed with cherries just in the past year, most of them highly enjoyable. I decided to give the Kriek a try, though I was worried it might be a little too cherry because the description on the bottle didn't give me much else to go by.

Upon opening and pouring the bottle, I realized the ale was just what I was afraid of. The appearance resembled more of a mead and seemed over fruity. In taste the beer was more tart then I expected, which was it's only attribute. There was not much body or other layers going on for the beer, just overly sweet cherry that resembled cough syrup. I almost felt like I was drinking cheap wine.

I have many great lambics but would not buy this beer again. I do not feel the same way about other beers on the Lips of Faith line, but this one was just not for me. I actually did not finish my beer which is rare. The only use I could make of it would be to cook with it.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 17:32:50 | More by Kenzie

Boilerfood

Indiana

3.5/5 rDev +1.7%

05-11-2013 17:25:52 | More by Boilerfood

jacewg

District of Columbia

3.75/5 rDev +9%

05-09-2013 21:12:43 | More by jacewg

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

3.5/5 rDev +1.7%

05-09-2013 15:13:29 | More by stereosforgeeks

sendbeer

Georgia

2.25/5 rDev -34.6%

05-09-2013 04:30:50 | More by sendbeer

Cramerican

North Dakota

4/5 rDev +16.3%

05-08-2013 17:08:03 | More by Cramerican

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.16/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Shared by someone at Francois cellar party.

No head, pink hazy color.

Nose has wafts of light cherry barely, little tart, sweet syrupy cough syrup.

taste is pretty bland, light sour cherries, very light overall cherry profile, light sourness, cough syrup, syrupy flavors.

Mouth is med to lighter bodied, feels a bit thin, lighter carb.

Overall meh, very light for a kriek, very light sour and little cherry, some cough syrup flavors too.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 02:14:24 | More by jlindros