St. Louis Premium Kriek - Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

2.78/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle acquired from the MLCC and poured ~6C into a stemmed flute.

Pours a rich deep clear red with a pink head that laces nicely. Nose is dominated by cherries, in fact there is nothing else. Now for the rest of the review...

So yeah, this is a "lambic"? Where is the sourness or the tartness? Tastes of cherries, cherries and more cherries with a sweetness that just isn't normal for a real lambic. This is a cherry also-cooler. Passed off to my wife. She enjoyed it.

Tasted a bit of it 45 minutes later (she's a real slow drinker) and some of the background lambic notes were coming out from the woodwork, but were still quite muted. A light tartness was evident too, which had me slightly increase the T,M &O scores...

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 23:42:18 | More by kjyost

Douberd

Netherlands

3.33/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle of 250 ml. One finger head, pink-ish in colour, red body.
Aroma is obviously of cherries, not so artificial as with other cherry beers.
Taste is sweet and fruity with an even sweeter aftertaste.
Light bdy and average carbonation. A bit dry on the palate.
Overall a nice fruity beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 10:48:18 | More by Douberd

Everydayoff

Thailand

3.5/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

250ml bottle poured into a pils glass by freshness date.

A:
Elegant dark ruby red color with rather thin pink head, it recedes into a small bubble layer which is well stickiness on the top, fine lacing patches, high carbonation.

S:
The sweet mellow smell of cherries dominates all around.

T:
Again cherries sweet, fruity, juicy, sugary, tart all blend well together with some medicinal hint.

M:
Rich body, a bit syrupy, fizzy and sharp carbonated, smooth, finish is dry.

O:
True to its style, quite enjoy and easy drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 18:39:06 | More by Everydayoff

Beer4Baltimore

Maryland

2.6/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

375 ml bottle shared with my wife
A - bright read clear and bubbly with a one finger fizzy head and no lacing.
S - straight up cherry cough syrup.
t - just like the nose but with a drying lingering finish. There actually is a hint of lambic beneath all that sweet medicine.
M - lighter than syrup and moderately carbonated.
D - ranks low on the fruit lambic scale and thus low for drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 02:27:43 | More by Beer4Baltimore

ktrillionaire

Florida

2.15/5  rDev -31.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

I would just say this tastes like liquified Luden's cough drops - and leave it at that - but the minimum word count won't let me. It looks grenadine-red with a pink head. I've already covered the smell/taste aspect. It has a syrupy feel, yet it is still evervescent. I would not like to have this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 01:53:49 | More by ktrillionaire

51mmz0rz

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +26.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12.7 oz bottle into a Westmalle chalice. Bottle date 090709.

A: Thin head with a pinkish brown body. Head fades quickly.

S: Very fruity aroma, almost artificially so. Smells like candy, slightly sour, and even slightly medicinal. I think it's great.

T: Wow, this is borderline soda. Cherry juice flavor up front. Nice mild lingering sourness, but not really enough to balance.

M: Nicely carbonated, good mouthfeel, though a little slick sometimes from the amount of sugar still in this.

O: Almost hard to classify this. It obviously lacks the complexity of many other krieks, but it tastes good nonetheless. It's almost liquid candy, but I think it has it's place.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 04:18:08 | More by 51mmz0rz

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

2.98/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured a 2" light pink head. Held to the light it's a clear medium cherry red color. Smells like an open jar of cocktail cherries. Taste again is the cocktail cherries with only a little hint of sour from the lambic style of the beer. Really this is just fruit juice. Tasty? Sure. But I suspect if you had a blind taste testing of this against a brachetto wine and an actual juice sample they'd be all messed up in the impossibility of which was a wine sample, a beer sample, a juice sample, etc.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 12:02:59 | More by MoreThanWine

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.05/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Found this guy on a dusty shelf at an out of the way liquor store. Figured it was worth a shot. 2007 bottle, cork date 2005. Poured from a bottle into a tulip.

A: Deep and dark red hue. Small amount of pink head fades quick and leaves a tiny soapy lace ring.

S: Sweet and tart cherries blast out of the gate. Tons of water soaked oak wood. A definite new pool toys aroma wafts up letting me know it's a lambic. A tiny amount of barn yard funk.

T: Sweet cherry syrup is the most dominant. Which bums me out a bit. No real cherry flavor to speak of. Just a slight tartness comes through but it's very mild. It actually finishes sweet which takes away any attempt at being sour.

M: Medium to light body. Modest amount of carbonation.

O: Well it's better than the peach but not as good as the framboise. I'd probably pass on this one next time.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 16:58:20 | More by beerwolf77

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.2/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750 ml cork and caged bottle split and poured into a Central Waters tulip.
08-2007, 5°C, Wine glass pictured, 08-2005 on the cork.

Thanks to the illustrious Beerwolf77 for sharing, once again!

A - Bright blood red and very clear, the color is nice and is topped by an uncharacteristically long-lingering off-white head. Good retention with nice lace.

S - Slight lactic sourness and wet wood is marred by a sweet, syrup-like cherry aroma. Just a bit too much. Pinches of yeast keep it real and mildly entertaining.

T - Massively sweet and syrup-sugary, the cherry flavor blurs that real/fake line. Notes of wet wood barrel and wild yeast. Decent but a little too sweet.

M - Medium-bodied, borderline full-bodied from the cloying sweetness. The tart acidic finish won't scratch the sour itch I've got going on but it's decent.

O - Overshadowed in the world of sours, this kriek falls outside of the radar. Decent in a pinch but it certainly isn't one to search out.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 18:07:17 | More by BeerFMAndy

larsenju

Wisconsin

2.63/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Deep red, almost purple body with a thin pinkish head that drops quickly leaving medium lacing.

S-Lots of cherry, but I also got some other fruits, almost tropical. I got a little bit of lactic sour, and possibly just a touch of funk back there, but really not much at all. The cherries take over in a big way.

T-Very juicy cherries, maybe a little bit of something richer. I would say that there is some tart, but it comes exclusively from the cherries, I would have a very hard time calling this lambic.

M-Sugary slick with low carbonation.

D-Its like lightly carbonated cherry juice. I wouldn't say it tastes bad, but do not go into this looking for a lambic, in fact if someone poured it for me without indicating what it was I wouldn't even call it beer. All that aside, it doesn't have that fake cough syrup taste that you get from Lindemans, so at the price (I think I paid $5.99) its a pretty good deal.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 21:10:42 | More by larsenju

pinkano

Czech Republic

3.55/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - dark amber, red with pretty much good head
S - very cherry, cherry juice
T - cherry, cherry juice, very refreshing and easy
M - low to medium body with medium carbonation
D - nice and drinkable

I do not have much experiences with lambic and gueuze, so I can't judge, but I like it somehow. I will maybe reconsider once I will know more lambic and gueuze beers.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2011 16:34:30 | More by pinkano

harryhood1

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a goblet from the bottle.

A- Ruby red color and very clear. Nice looking beer in the glass. Decent head with moderate lacing.

S- Smelled of cherries (obviously) but also quite medicinal to me. Wasn't thrilled with the aroma.

T- Tasted too sweet to me. I wanted more sourness. Again, medicinal at the end with decent cherry flavors mixed in.

M- Good mouthfeel. didn't come off too thin like some of this style.

D- Certainly easy to drink if you like sweet beers. My wife enjoyed it quite a bit. I could drink one but that would be it for me. I wanted a really sour lambic so I was a bit disappointed in this one.

Overall, not a bad beer, just didn't appeal to me. I think it's a beer for the ladies though.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 20:12:52 | More by harryhood1

BucBasil

South Carolina

3.05/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Bought at the Carrefour in Varna, Bulgaria. Another surprising find in the land of Euro Pales. I think is a testament to Bulgaria's rise in development.

Poured from the tiny 250mL can into a pint glass.

A: The beer is a solid ruby color that is clear when held to light. Head is slightly pink with somewhat poor retention.

S: It's all cherry candy. This smells like a bag of sour cherries, or maybe like a big glass of cherry Jolly Ranchers. Very tart smelling, like cherry preserves, rather than fresh cherries.

T: Tart, with sour cherries dominating. This tastes like a cherry soda more than anything. Later I detected some sort of cranberry flavor. Very acidic as well. I am reminded of sour cherry candy from my childhood, almost like the center of a cherry flavored Warhead. This isn't altogether bad really, just kind of surprising in the lack of balance.

M: Acidic and juicy. This feels more like a juice or soda than a beer. this was especially evident further down the glass when my throat started getting sticky.

D: This one is tricky. It's very drinkable, but very much like a bottle of cherry juice.

I'm not going to say I'm surprised, since it's made with cherry syrup or something like that, but I think I was looking for something less sweet. This reminds me of the high school days when we would try to drown out the taste of alcohol with juice. It's OK overall, but not something that I would seek out again probably.

Serving type: can

06-13-2010 14:30:42 | More by BucBasil

Andrewtherooster

Michigan

3.78/5  rDev +20%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Damn, I must say I'm real glad I didn't read these other reviews before tasting this beer, because honestly, I quite enjoyed it. Sure, it's a lambic with cherry juice added, but it tastes great and is super refreshing. It's a simple beer, but I must say that on a hot summer day, I could easily suck a few of these down. Unfortunately, they're about $5 a bottle here, which I think will be the main barrier between me and drinking this again.

The beer pours a dark ruby red with a cloudy head. Great lacing. The beer looks delicious.

Its nose is sour and sweet with cherries. Smells also of the typical barnyard characteristic.

Taste is very refreshing, powerful in cherries, sweet, juicy and tart. The taste is fairly one-dimensional, but it does the job of being tasty. Other reviewers stated this beer was too-sweet, but I enjoyed the sweetness and thought it balanced well with its acidity.

Mouthfeel is light and super bubbly, cleansing the palate of all but just a lingering cherry flavor.

This beer is very drinkable, and this may be considered sacrilege by some, but it reminded me of a lighter, cherry take on something like a Duchesse de Bourgogne (which I believe is made with High Fructose Corn Syrup, and most people don't seem to mind).

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2010 16:40:56 | More by Andrewtherooster

drpimento

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +27%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Liquid cherry pie. Pours with a large pinkish red foamy frothy head and lots of lace. Color is a clear medium amber with red highlights. Aroma is HUGE cherry and some malt and yeast. Flavor is a malty yeasty cherry pie. Good body and carbonation. Finish is like flavor. Kind of sweet at first but then fades to a light tartness. Not quite as good as the peche.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2010 01:38:03 | More by drpimento

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.3/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this on tap at an Affligem cafe in the Grote Markt in Brussels. Along with a Belgian waffle with vanilla ice cream, this made for an ideal dessert.

The beer was dark red color, clear, with a thin pink head and a little wet lacing. The aroma is sweet cherry soda, not very funky or sour smelling, more just sweet. Same with the taste, this was a perfect dessert beer. Not the funkiest thing from the lambic box, this was more an approachable cherry beer that just tastes good. No sourness at all, barely any tartness either.

I can understand the poor ratings on this beer as people expect less of a beer-soda than a sour lambic, but I honestly thought this hit the spot.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2010 22:18:53 | More by TurdFurgison

ThaCreep

Belgium

1.83/5  rDev -41.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

The nose is extremely fruity, very close to saturation, which puts the chip in his ear about adding any syrup of cherries. The body is also composed largely of the syrup and it has the inclination. The flavor of beer and more particularly the lambic is obviously nonexistent. Very sweet, very artificial and very disgusting, we will prefer a real fruit juice.

Be careful to don't confuse St Louis Kriek and St Louis Kriek Premium. It's 2 different beers...

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2010 10:58:00 | More by ThaCreep

Gmann

New York

3.88/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Out of a 750ml corked, caged, and foiled bottle. Pours an equal mix of honey and ruby with an average pale pink head. The aroma is lightly tart with cherry flavor. The taste is sweet and tart; sweet cherry juice flavor, enough of a sour aspect to balance out the brew. Its tasty, very much a beer soda. Moderate body with fizzy carbonation; sweet overall but not cloying (though I would stick to just one glass). I like it, its sweet but not cloying, drinkable due to the active carbonation. Again, beer soda. Not nearly sour or tart enough for true lambic lovers.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 04:21:52 | More by Gmann

Sechavar

California

3.85/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Jewel tone in its ruby color, I was lucky enough to have this after Big Sky's Smoove Cherry Ale, and it is SO MUCH BETTER. Light pink head, rich cherry smell, and a wonderful sweet flavor, with a bit more tartness than Lindeman's, so I think I like it better. Almost a soft mouth feel and great drinkability. Have it with chocolate. It will make awesomesaur in you rmouth.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2009 05:31:55 | More by Sechavar

cvstrickland

North Carolina

3.03/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The chilled 12.7-ounce bottle dressed up in black foil yields its crown with a nearly silent hiss. Poured into my gold-rimmed Maredsous goblet, St. Louis Premium Kriek is crystal-clear and strawberry Kool-Aid pink-tinted amber in color. A thin cap of extremely fine-bubbled pale ecru foam languishes on the surface and leaves a silky screening of lacing upon the interior of my glass.

The smell is musky and melonlike with a sharp vinegary acidic twang. A bit of mellow caramel sweetness lurks deep underneath, revealing itself only as the drink warms a bit.

The taste is ungodly sweet with an artificial berry fruitiness once again reminiscent of strawberry Kool-Aid, plus a dash of crushed Jolly Ranchers. Tart, juicy cherries contribute earthy freshness to the flavor profile late in the game, but the acid presiding over the aroma never really reveals itself in the sipping. A bit of nail polish remover languishes in the aftertaste.

The drink is light-bodied, lightly-carbonated, and a pretty easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2009 11:56:29 | More by cvstrickland

EatsTacos

Yukon (Canada)

2.75/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured a very cherry red with a thick pink head. Looked something similar to a cream soda

The aroma was very sweet and mostly dominated by cherries

Taste is quite one-dimensional: cherries. I can't say that a whole lot else comes through. The cherry flavour doesn't seem overly artifical or sweet though. Finishes slightly tart.

Mouthfeel: Thin bodied with a soft carbonation

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2009 19:46:04 | More by EatsTacos

7ways

Georgia

2.83/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Had to try this out of my mad compulsion to experience every lambic available. 750ml.

I heard this beer was very similar the the flavored Lindemans line, and it sort of was, except that to me those taste like chemicals and this one more like real fruit. It pours a purplish burgundy, decent head and nice lace.

The first sip was the best unfortunately (but I think this was a temperature issue): Sweet, sweet cherry, strawberry, cranberry, some damn kind of red berry. But it was nicely balanced by a distinct tartness. But within 5 minutes, whatever held it together was gone, leaving me with a diabetic coma in a glass. This was a 750ml, so with a lot left in a relatively cold container, I took a swig from the bottle. Yup, there it is. Tart, and much better than the soda beer in my glass. How do you rate something you change your mind on twice in one sitting?

Bottom line:
Syrupy but not sickening, too sweet and unbalanced, but not as bad as that cough medicine thing you sometimes encounter. Good for desert, sub-par for a true kriek lambic.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2009 02:37:26 | More by 7ways

Rayek

Colorado

3.08/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Ruby red, with amber highlights and a slight haze. Pink tinged cream head starts out small. It recedes quickly, but never disappears. Leaves occasional wisps of lace.

S: Cherries, cherries and more cherries. That is the aroma of this beer. It's quite sweet and very one dimensional.

T: There's no mistaking this for a Kriek. The beer starts out with a sharp tartness that's bolstered by a fair amount of carbonation. Sweetness comes in quickly with a cherry flavor that borders on medicinal, but thankfully doesn't quite get there. Tartness returns for the finish, this time accompanied by a hint of sourness.

M: Syrupy and thick body has a touch too much carbonation.

D: The sweetness of this was almost too much for me. Tastes mostly like thick sparkling cherry juice with a sour kick. This is very much a one trick beer that could really benefit from more complexity.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2009 03:36:39 | More by Rayek

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.28/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

750 ml bottle, caged and corked. Got this sucker for 6 bucks, which I felt was a good deal. Bottle date says 08/2007, cork says 2005. I guess this is past its recommended date.

Red colored body with a pinkish head. pretty good retention with a little bit of lacing.

Smells a little bit tart with lots of sweet cherry in there too.

Tons of sugary sweetness and cherry flavors in here. A bit cloying, but nothing too terrible. A nice bit of tartness buried underneath. A thin, puckering mouthfeel.

A little sweet to be extremely drinkable, but not bad.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2008 22:29:00 | More by Hojaminbag

oelergud

Virginia

4.13/5  rDev +31.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Heavy green 12.7oz glass bottle. Pry-off cap and red neck foil. Black and yellow label with cherries on it.
The body is a deep almost opaque red with low carbonation. The head is pink and consists of medium bubbles, very airy. Great retention and clumpy lace.
Sweet cherry scent from the moment the cap is lifted. Some mild honey and faint hops.
Sweet and tart cherry flavor with semi harsh hops and honey malty notes. Very tasty and fruity. Cherry aftertaste with stronger hops than in the initial taste but still mild.
Medium body and slightly puckeringly dry.
Good thirst quencher and great for warm weather.

-Oelergud

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2008 20:23:12 | More by oelergud