Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek - Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen

gyllstromk

Belgium

5/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours deep, beet red with a light head and mild carbonation. Aromas of cherry and root beer. Flavors of strawberry and vanilla cherry soda, with a very nice tart finish. Overall the flavor is very dominated by the fruit.

As it warms, we observe tropical, citrus, and floral aromas, with darker fruit flavors arising, as well as a bit of a jolly rancher pop.

A perfect kriek.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2011 17:51:29 | More by gyllstromk

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.93/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Consumed on a car ride (not driving) in a paper cup.

A - Red with a pink head, semi-persistent foam. Quintessential Kriek Lambic.

S - Great tart cherry; pungent. Also a slight woody and pickle-olive aroma.

T - Same as the nose, but more intensely cherry, and the most sublimely perfect balance, and basically perfectly tuned-up.

M - Very nice carbonation; not too big and not too little.

D - This is one of the greatest pleasure to drink. I could drink this by the firkin.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2010 23:00:45 | More by ktrillionaire

caddyshack199

Maryland

4.83/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Dre Fonteinen kriek
H-pink fleating head
N-sour cherry, lambic base comes through well
T-sour up front becomes soft quickly. Good balance of sweetness and sourness. Truely a great lambic. Perfect example of kriek done right. Sad the brewery is closing it's doors. 
$23.99 bottle 750ml
Staples Corner Liquors, Crofton Md

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2010 02:43:29 | More by caddyshack199

apowar

California

4.83/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottled: Mar 31 2009

12.7oz bottle courtesy of Tim van Dragt

Poured into my Russian River tulip

Appearance: What every kriek should look like. Gorgeously rich red color--like cranberry juice but a little more rust-ey. Head dissipates rapidly but leaves a smattering of bubblegum-pink foam around the edge of the glass.

Aroma: Sour cherries (obviously), smells strongly of old leather, wet wood, and faintly of dark chocolate. Brettanomyces rears it's head in the form of a horsey, earthy minerality. Such a struggle to figure this one out without being inclined to take a sip.

Taste: So dynamic! Opens with sweet/tart cherries and vanilla. The acidity is extremely well balanced with the natural sweetness of the cherries. Finishes with some cherry juice pit, as well as some pretty unique flavors that I want to attribute to the Brett (horse and barnyard meet cat urine?). As it opens up a little bit I'm getting more of a cherry soda thing along with some tannin/astringency (almost like I'm knawing on the stems/pits).

Mouthfeel: Full in body, moderate (albeit very fine) carbonation.

Drinkability: So much. (So subjective: see below)

Overall: It's labor day and one of the hottest days we've experience in SF in some time. For me--now--this kriek really hits the spot. Big on flavor, but the acid keeps it feeling light making it seem all the more drinkable in this climate.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2010 01:40:53 | More by apowar

TriGuy20

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 330ml bottle into tulip style wine glass.

A: Dark crimson red with beautiful cherry tinged white head with a lace that clings nicely to the glass.

S: Tart Cherry/ Cinnamon/ Oak-wood notes/ Slight barnyard notes with corky accent/ Cherry cola/ Sherry/ Saddle/ Violet

T: The cherry comes out tart at first on the initial attack and then transforms into a sweet cherry on the mid palate that turns into cinnamon toast. On the finish this beer displays a nice funky tart cherry flavor.

MF: Great mouth feel that fills the palate with flavor and ends with hints of creaminess. The finish on the beer is quite good.

D: This beer is very drinkable! Your mouth waters for more with each sip. The sourness of this beer is in perfect balance.

Overall:
Wow this is a great beer! Everything is in perfect harmony. A real pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2011 02:57:56 | More by TriGuy20

mrkrispy

California

4.8/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Bottle Dated 16Jan2003. Opened 2008.

Pours a vibrant crimson with tan tones. Looks beautiful.
Mild carbonation.
Aroma of cherries, cherry juice, strawberries, fruit punch. Some funk for sure.
Tastes amazing, lots of fruits similar to the aroma, not real sweet. Twinge of vinegar. Quite tart! The depth is impressive, especially at this age. I could drink this every day. That I can't is saddening.

Also had bottle from 2005, 1Feb2005 I think is the date.
Aroma is an amazing tart cherry, red fruits.
Darker color than the 2003, almost blood red. Cloudy.
Lots of tartness, lots of fruits just like the 2003. A bit sweeter but not much. Hint of vinegar again. An amazing beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2010 22:03:11 | More by mrkrispy

UCLABrewN84

California

4.75/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled on 3/31/09.

Pours a semi-opaque crimson red with a small light red head that fades to a film on the top of the beer. All lacing drips back down into the beer on the drink down. Smells fantastic with sour cherries, red wine vinegar, and funk/must. A very mouthwatering sour smell. Taste is fantastic with the sour cherry taste up front and a vinegar and funky must flavor taking over on the finish. There is an acidic twang to this beer in the mouth after each sip. There is a medium to high level of carbonation that is very bubbly and prickly in the mouth. Overall, this is a very good sour cherry lambic that is still super tasty more than 2 years after the bottling date.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 03:59:57 | More by UCLABrewN84

xenjoiii

New York

4.73/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

375ml bottled poured into my Southampton snifter. Bottled on March 31st, 2009.

Poured a deep violet color with about a half finger of white head. As soon as I opened this, my father, sitting across the room, said "I can smell that from here - what are you drinking vinegar?" The smell was full of funk, sweet cherries, oak, and lactic acid. Big tartness and sourness up front, and the cherries reveal themselves towards the back. A nice balance between funk, fruit, and sour. I was thoroughly impressed with this lambic.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 15:36:10 | More by xenjoiii

LE_FEESH

North Carolina

4.73/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First ever fruit lambic poured into a wine glass. It a deep hazy pinkish red and contained minimal carbonation.

It smelled much like tart cherry cobbler/pie filling. There was also a vinous red-wine like quality.

Taste was much much more sour than the smell, but the pie cherries were still in abundance and there was a little bit of barrel character that backed the tart and sweet cherry flavors.

Overall- I absolutely loved this as my first experience with a fruit lambic. I cannot wait to explore this style further!

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 19:08:30 | More by LE_FEESH

muttyd

Massachusetts

4.72/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep, deep ruby with a massive fluffy pink head. Aroma is filled with tons of sour cherries, barnyard funk, and vanilla. Some slight vinegar characters in the nose, but not overwhelming or offputting. The flavor hits you with a huge sour/sweet cherry, oak, and earthy funk. Very sour beer, but not overly acidic. Finishes dry and musty. Effervescent and prickly on the tongue. Absolutely love this beer, every vintage I have tried has been phenomenal.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 02:38:40 | More by muttyd

doughanson78

Washington

4.72/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

375ml bottle poured into a snifter.

A: A beautiful dark blood red. Almost a two finger pink head with great retention and ok lacing.

S: Not really sour or tart. It's a nice funky barnyard cherry aroma. Definitely get lots of oak in the nose. Great smelling beer.

T: Wow. Sweetness upfront. Then tartness that transitions nicely to funkiness then finishes sour. None are dominant since the oak comes through solidly and tames them. Cherries are not huge in the flavor. Definitely there but definitely taking a back seat.

M: Light body. High carbonation, very fizzy, but good. Super crisp.

O: Love it. The best Lambic I've had so far. One I could see drinking all the time.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 03:08:13 | More by doughanson78

champ103

Texas

4.7/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a 2007 bottle.

A: Pours a very attractive and beautifully bright garnet red color. On first pout it is clear, though after the second, some yeasty particles can be seen suspended. A two finger pink head forms, but recedes in a second. Very little lace.
S: Just great. Funky yeast and horse blanket up front. Oak and light vanilla. Tart and acidic cherries comes on strong toward the end. Really well balanced.
T: This time the tart cherries are up front and center. Real cherries, nothing artificial here. The sourness and acidity builds as the beer warms. Though it never dominates. Funky yeast and horse blanket. Dry oak and vanilla lingers. I can't get enough of this.
M/D: A medium body that is perfectly carbonated. Perfectly crisp, dry, and refreshing. A treat to drink. I want to savor every last drop.

This is excellent, and world class. So well balanced between the tart, sour, and acidic cherries and everything else. Everything a fruit Lambic should be. As good as anything that I have had from Cantillon. Something I highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 04:06:16 | More by champ103

rye726

Colorado

4.68/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Ejoyed at The Bear in Brugge. I think this had a bit of age to it, but was still delicious.

Deep and dark black cherry color. Lack of head is my only quarrel with this fine brew.

Very tart nose with some musky earthy tones. Sweet malts and sour cherries.

Possibly the most unique beer I have ever tried. An amazing Kriek with an extremely complex flavor profile. Very dry with tart cherries and earthy herbs and spices. Sweet malts and fruits are well hidden.

Little carbonation I think do to the age. As a result this felt a little watery in the finish.

Delicous, so dry and acidic yet very drinkable. Expensive in the US, but worth the money.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2008 17:18:35 | More by rye726

biga7346

Michigan

4.68/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

2007

Beer poured a flat, ruby red to burnt crimson and takes on a more rusty maroon as it warms. No lacing or head whatsoever.

Big aromas of leather, moss, barnyard to hay with the slightest backdrop of tart raspberries, cherries and tropical fruit. A very complex layering of aromas.

The texture is where this beer really hit a homerun with a firm, well attenuated, velvety mouthfeel that swirled easily across the palate. I got more tartness, lemon curd, fresh raspberry and cherry, red wine spritziness and then the slightest touch of phenol to mediciny in the finish.

What a wonderful lambic, good year. This is something I would very much enjoy with fresh fruit maybe even chocalate.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 21:41:45 | More by biga7346

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

4.68/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 4-1-11. 375 ml into a New Belgium tulip.

A- Poured a magnificent red to ruby hue. Big, frothy pink head that retained well, but only laced a little. Still, brilliant.

S- All big sour cherry notes. Not a lot of complexity here. Tart and strong, big sour cherries. Slight lactic sour notes peak in and out.

T- Pretty much like the scent. Huge tart cherry presence off the bat. Lactic and acidic sour notes are present. Fairly sour, but only as much as the cherries permit. Cherries permit sweetness to be present too.

M- Very carbonated, but decently heavy on the palate. Wouldn't want to tackle a whole 750 ml by myself, but the palate can tolerate a fair amount of this one.

Overall, a very good intro to authentic Belgian sours/lambics. Interested to get into the geuzes.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 04:38:47 | More by boilermakerbrew

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.65/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

bottled on dec 14th 2007

pours ruby with deep cherry and cranberry color. light velvet head that quickly gives way.

light sour cherry, vinegar, hints of grape and.

light vinegar up front that gives way to a nice puckering cherry flavor with light oak notes. not to much funk, actually, very little. a hint of lemon in the finish. a little puckering at the finish as well. this is blended so well that everything compliments each other.

light and crisp, very light carbonation.

amazing, this is one of the best sours i have had. the cherry flavor is perfect and blends well. nothing stands out because it is blended so well. amazing. i cannot wait to see what time does to this.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2010 03:08:23 | More by hooliganlife

kingcrowing

Vermont

4.63/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

375ml corked & caged bottle pouredinto an acbf sampling glass.

This was bottled on 31/03/2009 it was one of the broken thermostat bottle.

Pours red/pink with a small pink white head. Nose is very funky, tart and sweet with hints of cherry.

Taste is phenomenal. One of the best sour beers I've ever had, it's so amazing. Tart and fruity and this batch is way better than normal. If you find it, drink it.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 20:40:10 | More by kingcrowing

dgilks

Australia

4.63/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This pours an amazing purple red colour with a thick pink head. Great head retention for a sour with a nice fluffy ring left around the beer.

Rich and thick cherry aroma with a moderate funk in the background. The key here is balance with notes of lemon, stone fruit, spice, geranium, sage and almond.

Balanced between fruit and tartness with just a hint of real sourness. I get a nice cherry flavour backed up by other fruit and a touch of herbal character. Well balanced and simply delicious.

Medium body with moderate carbonation. Silky.

A really good kriek with plenty of balance and fruit character. This is an example of where you don't need Cantillon style tartness to make a kriek work but it can be done with a bit of finesse. I'm looking forward to searching for some more Drie Fonteinen on my next trip to the US.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 09:55:04 | More by dgilks

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

4.6/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a brilliant clear red, like cranberry juice. The brisk bubbly head quickly reduces to a ring and leaves minimal lace behind. The aroma is full of tart funky brett, woody cherry pits, sour cherry flesh and some zesty wheat malt. The taste is full of fresh cherry flavor, pithy with a nice green stemmy touch as well. A clean lactic acidity mingles with some barbyard funk and sharp cheese. The finish is immanently tart and funky with gratious amounts of sour cherry. The mouthfeel has an interesting viscous feel with light carbonation.

This is a kick ass Kriek. Its not as funky as Cantillon but much fruitier. Its just as sour but in a more focused, less harsh way. Truly a wonder to behold and prerequisite tasting for any lambic lover.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2006 20:09:55 | More by CAMRAhardliner

popery

California

4.6/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

375 ml bottle, home. The bottle is about 11 months old. This a fantastic beer. It pours a raspberry-mahogany color with a small pink head that dissipates slowly. The aroma is naturally fruity and sweet. There's a big cherry note that borders on raspberry/strawberry jam sweet. The aroma also has a balanced, refined horseblanket funk that's just wonderful. The flavor is fairly dry and medium tart. I haven't had all that many lambics, but this seems quite balanced. There's also a medium acidic vinegar flavor throughout the aroma and flavor. Very nice fruit sour.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2010 07:18:04 | More by popery

rowingbrewer

Massachusetts

4.6/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2006 vintage poured from 750 into a snifter
This beer pours a lovely ruby color with a decent light light pink head that recedes rather quickly. the smell is wonderful, earthy barnyard funk with a nice tart cherry hint in the finish of the nose., after about 5 years in the bottle the cherries are still present. the flavor is funky, a nice tartness lemony cherry goodness. the mouthfeel is dry well carbed almost puckerinbg but not quite. overall an excellent kriek

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 03:36:40 | More by rowingbrewer

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

4.6/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle served in a flute glass.

2006 corked bottle.

A: Pours a dark rose to purple color. Cloudy. Minimum carbonation (I guess that's due to the bottle age). Forms a very small bubbled white head with minimal retention and no lacings left

S: Fruity and woody. Cherry juice. A little bit sour. Lambic yeasts

T: The best part. Just perfect. A Slightly sweet fruity upfront, followed by a tart cherry pie taste. Oak and malt. In overall a dry but veeeery smooth taste. Not aggressively tart as a Cantillon, for example, giving a quite winy sensation in the mouth.

M: Light but slightly smooth body. Very low carbonation. Malty and tart aftertaste

O: Excellent drinkability. I would like to taste a "younger" one (this is a 6 years old bottle) to compare. Absolutely great beer. No more comments...

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 17:38:23 | More by eduardolinhalis

vacax

California

4.58/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Dated 28 November 2006, foil and faux-corked 750 mL green glass bottle.

Vigorous pour results in no more than a couple bubbles. End result is a tiny ring of microscopic bubbles clinging to the edge of the glass. Pours deep burgundy red, like a bottle of Merlot. Impressed by the color, obviously this is loaded with cherries, unfortunate the head is all but missing. The nose hits me with authentic spontaneously fermented sour funk, lightened by what I soon realize to be cherry juice. This is a great beer to hold to my nose and really take in the complexity, the citric sour, the moderate acetic funk, and somehow all complemented by fresh cherries.

Tastes sour immediately, with a slightly sulphuric farmhouse funk (just the right amount). All the while, cherries are meshing with every flavor, so well in fact at first it is hard to pick up on. Puckering on the back of the tongue, then the finish switches off between sour cherries and cherry funk... this is really exceptionally complex, there is so much to taste here and everything works exceptionally well together. Just a great fruited lambic. Body is light, tingly low-medium carbonation.

There is so much I love about this beer, most of which is the mix of flavors where I taste something different every sip and how the flavor experience in just one sip can reveal so many changing flavors. I will look for another bottle of this, and if it has a bit more carbonation I will up the scores here, because this is surely a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2009 01:51:06 | More by vacax

CashMoneyVagrant

Ohio

4.58/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

- 375ml. Bottle, dated 31st. March, 2009.

Amazing appearance to this beer. Deep blood red in color, almost black. Yet when held in the light against a piece of white paper shows gorgeous pink- red hues along the edges of the glass. Very good lacing. The head of foam is tremendous, big and fluffy, like cotton candy rich violet-pink, purple color. I can smell the cherries and sour funk as it sits from across the table without yet putting my nose to the glass.
Ripe cherries, almonds right away in the nose, sour funkiness a little medicinal. Sweettarts, vanilla-oak, cherry cough drops. Dusty barnyard, musty earth, rich red wine fruit.
At first sip this beer has lively, spritzy carbonation on the tongue. Halfway through the glass the carbonation has all but vanished leaving a mellow, creamy, almost flat brew that's delicious. Very ripe fresh cherries upfront in the taste. Sour, sweettarts-funk, almonds, vanilla-oak flavors. Good sweetness from the fruit, not sugary. Musty-barnyard. Tart and dry but balanced with the cherries. Clean cherry pie, bready finish. Tart and refreshing. Sourness isn't too acidic on the stomach like some lambics. Great musty, sour funk mixing with the fruit. Layers of foam all the way to the bottom of the glass. Can't wait to see how this beer drinks with 4 or 5 years bottle age from the celler. Would drink a lot of this, world class brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2010 02:46:26 | More by CashMoneyVagrant

nniicckkww

Florida

4.58/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into goblet style glass. Deep garnet color with pinkish frothy head that quickly dissipated but left a slight lacing on the glace. Aroma of tart cherries with slight vinegar undertones and musty, funky barnyard.

Lively carbonation. Fruity taste upfront with cherry tartness that layers into an earthy mustiness through the finish. Light to medium body. This beer is delicious. Finishes with slight saltiness that lingers. Very complex. There is so much going on with this one.

I only rate the drinkability at 4.0 because it was $12.99 and because it is so complex. I was extremely satisfied with just one. An amazing beer made in the traditional style without sugar added. My wife loved it also!!!

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2011 20:27:02 | More by nniicckkww