Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek - Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen

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

Mavajo

Georgia

4.45/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep red with almost no head -- it fizzed up on the pour but faded instantly. I pick up predominantly horseblanket from the aroma. The cherries are there too, but I'm not sure I'd pick them up without the power of suggestion. It's mostly just the horseblanket. Taste is mouth-puckeringly sour and tart -- wonderful. Cherry is much more prominent on the palate. Mouthfeel is fairly full for a sour, with mild yet tingly carbonation and a bit of a gritty coating on your teeth.

Excellent lambic, and brutally sour. The gritty sensation in the mouthfeel and somewhat muted aroma (other than the horseblanket) are my only real knocks.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 23:57:16 | More by Mavajo

Lowen

Spain

4.18/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

375ml bottle. Sour and cherries aromas. Pours bright red, some hazy, with little pinkish head, vanishing, and almost no lacing. Light body and high carbonation. Taste is cherries, very sour but quite balaced, not too agressive flavours (bearing in mind this is a real sour beer style, of course). Aftertaste is long, dry and some sweet. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 22:59:40 | More by Lowen

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.3/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

How can you not like the pink and purple colors with the fluffy head on this? Maybe if you're insecure as a man, but I think it looks beautiful. Damn good aroma, a nicer priced alternative to the schaerbeekse version, still delivers plenty of stacked cherry tartness.

Taste, ample sour and cherries, a thick mouthfeel, this one does not skimp on the fruit and whatnot, you get a coating of it, all for the better too. I'm thinking the brighter variety colorwise of cherries here. So much cherry that the wood barrel is just an afterthought in terms of taste perception.

This beer makes me ache for the few weeks it was available on the shelves of the chain stores in Reno. Pricey, yes, but a worthwhile treat that hopefully, fate permitting, I can continue to keep a few just hanging out around the house, waiting for that right moment to drink up.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 03:47:50 | More by Beerandraiderfan

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.15/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2009 properly aged bottle. Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a dark ruby red color. Virtually no carbonation, a few lazy bubbles on the pour, then flat. Aroma of cherries, light oak and a hint of vinegar. Sour cherry start then other flavors develop including a surprising pie crust flavor that ultimately reveals itself to be related to the oak aging. Complex. Finishes with an interesting sweet / sour cherry and fruit flavor. A hint of funk. An very nice flavor progression. I'm not a sour beer fan, but this is very enjoyable and interesting to drink. I'm really glad I was able to get a bottle of this to try. I would have preferred a bit of carbonation and don't know whether the complete flatness of this kriek was due to age or not. Still enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 03:40:55 | More by LiquidAmber

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

Duffman929

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

375ml '07 Vintage

A: Reddish/purple color poured into the glass. Not much head, but what there was was a pinkish color.

S: Large funk smell from cork and in bottle before pour. Tart cherry, oak, and woodsy.

T: Quite sour upon initial taste, but mouth adjusted after slight warming and drinking more of bottle. I love sour cherries and this was great.

M: Heavy light to light medium feel, which is more that anticipated by the look. For sure sour and was able to linger well after finished.

O: The age helped to smooth this bottle out and it was awesome. I'm glad that I have another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 11:27:08 | More by Duffman929

Fux

France

4.2/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours dark purple / dark grape with a creamy pink head (when poured quickly) that fades almost immediately and leaves sparse lacings.

S: Woh, I could smell it before the corked popped out by itself! Sour with cherries, a bit of funk.

T: The taste follow the nose with the usual acidity and astringency from 3 Fonteinen. Sharp, fruity, very nice.

M: Medium body, not as light as one could have expected. Still very drinkable and refreshing.

O: Not very complex or surprising but sharp, pleasant and well blended. A nice kriekenlambic!

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 00:06:28 | More by Fux

zeff80

Missouri

4.3/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out a dark, dark red color with almost no head. The bubbles that were present were white. No lacing to speak of.

S - It smelled of black cherry. Sour with a hint of maltiness.

T - Great sour black cherry flavor with some notes of oak and sweet malt.

M - High on the pucker-factor with a dry, clean finish. A light to medium bodied ale.

O - This is a great tasting cherry lambic, especially if you like them sour and not so sweet.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 21:47:42 | More by zeff80

scottyshades

Florida

4.15/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2005 vintage

A: Pours a dark violet color with a tiny white soapy cap. Not much retention

S: Light apple vinegar, sour cherries, old oak barrels apparent, tiny touch of funk- and less of the barnyard variety

T: Pretty tart but not mouth-puckering sour, lots of unripe cherries. The flavor profile in general is light and delicate. The funk begins to come out as it warms, but is never intense or pronounced.

MF/D: Smooth velvety feel to it, lighter in body than expected. Overall a very enjoyable beer, wish I paired this with something

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 02:38:50 | More by scottyshades

bashiba

Iowa

4.23/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a deep clean purple with a light off white head.

Has a nice tart and cherry mix with a bit of musty odor.

The flavor follows the nose quite well, clean and tart with sour cherry flavors, a bit of farmhouse funk.

The mouthfeel dry and crisp.

Very nice kreik.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 01:00:29 | More by bashiba

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375 mL bottle split with my doppelganger this weekend! Bottled December 2, 2005! Served from bottle into a New Belgium globe. Poured ruby red with a very minimal pinkish white head. There was no lacing evident throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, cherry, funk, and subtle tart cherry. The flavor was of sweet malt, cherry, funk, and sour cherry. It had a light feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. I have to be honest that this one has become very still with the age on it. However, the cherry flavors are still lingering around which is always nice to see. Also a nice musty funk has come into play as well keeping the beer exciting. The aroma was definitely the highlight though for me with a nice sweet cherry note. Definitely worth trying this vintage if you get the chance or if you prefer still Oude Krieks.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 14:17:36 | More by thagr81us

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

Thehuntmaster

South Africa

4.2/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

375ml bottle 6,0% Abv.
Served lightly chilled in an over sized wine glass.
Bottled on 01 April 2011 (what a foolish beer!)
Best before 01 April 2021

Appearance: Another beautiful kriek! Moderately opaque, deep pink body with hints of purple, topped by a good sized light pink head. Retention and lacing are quite poor, even by lambic standards.

Smell: My mother actually had a sniff of this before I did and the instant look of utter disgust on her face told me that this was certainly going to be a funk forward kriek. My first sniff confirms my theory - initially the nose is almost entirely made up of deep, complex 3F funk (musty basements, stale urine, old wood, wet hay and some ripe cheese). As the beer warms the cherry notes begin to emerge - tart and sweet cherry juice, tannic skins, woody pits and a distinctly vinous note.

Taste: Mmmmm, I love the mouth puckering tartness of a good kriek! Great combination of cherries and 3F funk. Notes include: Tart cherries, tannic skins, woody notes, musty, earthy, old wood, wet hay and light urine.

Mouthfeel: Just lighter than a medium body with a high level of carbonation. Not the tartest kriek I have had, but still mouth puckering. The finish is lengthy and dry.

Overall: Great authentic, funky kriek! I preferred the Cantillon and Hanssens, but I will still be buying this one again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 12:35:56 | More by Thehuntmaster

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared as a sampling of three fruit lambics with friends, purchased from Etre Gourmet.
Bottled in January 2011.
Poured into a US pint glass.

Drie Fonteinen's kriek displays an impressive, sharp tartness that embodies a positive aspect in lambic/gueuze beers. I felt that it was fairly one-dimensional with that tartness, though, lacking the complexity I expect from lambics/gueuzes; I was unable to detect much in the way of cherry additions to the brew, unless the cherries detracted from the traditional flavors I was anticipating. This was an enjoyable beer, but something I don't think I'd need to seek out with intensity.

Pours, into the glass, a light red to pink head of fairly small bubbles, about 2cm tall. Head descends quickly, leaving little lacing and reducing to a ring around the glass. Body is deep red in color, with visibly active carbonation.

The main aroma I detect from this beer is Brettanomyces-produced scents, typically described as "funk." Very little cherry, if any at all, is detectable for me, which is disappointing.

Taste is primarily tart/sour upfront, a bit of fried electrical Brettanomyces character appears midway, also with a very slight nod towards cherries occurring mid-palate. Has solid lambic characteristics plus a slight fruitiness. Pleasantly sharp, tart aftertaste.

Body is fairly light to medium-light with aggressive carbonation, producing a crisp and effervescent mouthfeel, as expected for the style. Finish is dry.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 05:48:03 | More by falloutsnow

lanamj

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

33cl bottle poured into a tulip glass. 2009 vintage

A- Opened with a bang, but no gushing. Pored a nice cherry red, as it should have, with a nice pink soapy head. It hold up well with nice retention and strong lacing.

S- Lot of tart funk in the front mixed with sour cherry aroma. Deep inside you begin to pick up sour apple, oak and pear. This is a very good smelling kriek but not a whole lot of complexity. It makes my mouth water!!

T- Nice and tart just how I like em'. Lots of cherry throughout and nice dry oak finished. Very well balanced and smooth. I pick up some berries and also small hints of lemon grass. I really love this beers taste.

M- Easy to drink, perfect, active carbonation that cleanses the palate very effectively. It is a very nice kriek that could be enjoyed over and over again. It has a very woodie finish which reminds me of a strong oaked chardonnay.

O- As always Drie does it well. All the lambics they create are wonderful and this one is no exception. Lots of fruit forward flavor and good oak character. The only reason this is not a five to me is I have had the pleasure of enjoying, including other krieks from Drie, other lambic krieks that I would consider a little better. That being said this a wonderful beer and is well worth the fancy import price tag.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 08:26:31 | More by lanamj

mindspin315

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Huge foamy reddish pink head faded away fast. Deep ruby red body and a bubble ring around the sides of the glass.

Big dose of funkiness comes out right away. Wet hay, minerals, musty, and tart over-ripe sour cherries underneath all the funk.

Sour cherry flavor right out of the gate. Drys out very quick, mineral quality, low-medium amount of carbonation, and finishes a bit syrupy. A touch more carbonation would help to break up the syrupy finish. The cherry flavor turns slightly medicinal in the aftertaste. The dry aspect to the beer is quite nice though and feels good on the palate.

[86/100]

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 20:02:04 | More by mindspin315

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.3/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into a tulip glass

A: Pours deep red with brown hues, hazy and completely opaque. A finger of light foam develops and recedes very quickly. This is very lightly carbonated.

S: Extremely funky aroma - basement must and wet hay. I get fairly strong sour cherry behind the funk with light lactic acid smell. Very nice.

T: I really like the balance of this beer. It starts out with a strong sour cherry flavor. Behind the cherry, there is a small, but significant amount of vanilla. The lactic acid sour flavor is quite restrained, but still evident for sure. The funk is much more restrained than it is in the aroma, but shows up in the way of basement must and wet hay.

M: The carbonation is quite low, but better than it looks. It's fairly full bodied for the style.

O: This is an ugly beer that is under carbonated. However, the sour cherry flavor is quite nice and is very well integrated with the other flavors. All the flavors are quite balanced and support each other very well.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 01:15:40 | More by coreyfmcdonald

megahurts4

Louisiana

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek

Appearance: dark red-purple, medium head, and no lacing.

Smell: funky oude lambic.

Taste: nice lambic qualities, a maltiness, and a faint cherry flavor.

Mouthfeel: medium and tart.

Overall:
This is a nice brew, but the cherry flavor is towards the back end. There is no shortage of lambic flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 04:05:58 | More by megahurts4

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

01001111

California

3.58/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: A deep rose, somewhat similar to sparkling red grape juice.

S: Dry, tart, acidic with a slight fruit aroma.

T: Sweet, tart, with a mild fruit flavor that increases with consumption. The tartness is sharp and crisp, as is found in a gueuze, as opposed to the thick, sour pucker you might find in an exceptional sour ale, like Supplication.

M: Light, fizzy, and crisp. A touch too thin.

O: Sour ales have stolen my heart and I appreciate a good lambic. This delivers fairly well in both departments but is slightly too thin.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 01:33:05 | More by 01001111

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

celticfutblclub

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12.7 oz bottle poured into a lindeman's stange

A - pinkish red body with a pink head half a finger thick (big carbonation bubbles in the head) quickly settles to a ring.

S - sour cherry smell, salt, earthy malts, candied sugar.

T - sour cherry, candied sugar, oak, funkiness, earthy malts bit of salt in the end.

M - frothy medium bodied big astringency from the tartness.

O - very good stuff. expensive so probably won't splurge again on this but worth a try once.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 21:10:22 | More by celticfutblclub

Agold

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottled March 31, 2009. This beer opens with a big pop. The beer is a deep dark pinkish red color with an off white just pink head. Spots of lacing. A nice film remains on the top of the beer. The aroma is big cherry pie with a mild funky must and a mild vinegar big tart note. Flavor is largely cherry again with a nice balance of acetic and lactic balance. Very tart with some nice funk notes. Good light refreshing mouthfeel with a bit less carb than I was expecting. Overall this is a damn good beer. A bit more sweetness and vinegar than I expected, but very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 03:37:54 | More by Agold

Soonami

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

01 April 2011 bottling. 375 ml C&C poured into large 24 oz snifter.

This beer is a very pretty dark garnet red with a vividly pink tinted head. The foam quickly subsides leaving just a feather of bubbles on top. The beer smells soooo funky and acrid. The beer tastes equally funky with a lot of lactic acidity upfront that fades out to the mineral, musty, swampy, almost spoiled flavors. The finish is dry with a salty, tart cherry tang. The MF is very effervescent with abundant carbonation that just sparkles. This is a nice Kriek Lambic, but the overly funky (imo) flavors really mutes the brightness from the fruit. However, the vibrant acidity is nice, although my stomach might hate me in the morning for it.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 06:01:49 | More by Soonami