Timmermans Kriek Lambic - Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.

Shmupi

Israel

5/5  rDev +49.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Found it draught in Israel and I'm the happiest man on earth...

Best fruit beer ever ...but in the bottle it sucks

Far better than Belle-vue and other krieks that I've ever drank!!!

But I've never been in Belgium so you never know ....maybe the monks ther have better beers

Serving type: on-tap

07-30-2004 06:05:10 | More by Shmupi

BeerNutta

Australia

4/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Love this beer. Only thing that maybe you could fault it is the fact that it was a little too sweet.

A = Ruby Red with little to no foam.

S = Cherries. What else?

T = Sweet cherries. Almost artificial in taste. Very odd.

M = Very good. Moderately carbonated.

D = Good.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2005 03:20:26 | More by BeerNutta

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cantillion has vanished from shelves and this stuff has popped up in it's place.

My bottle label looks different than the one picture here - I got a black and white photo of some Belgian good ol' boys. The beer itself is a brownish eggplant color but shines beautiful ruby red when held to light. Big Calamine lotion pink head leaves a fair amount of foam stuck to my glass. Decanted so I could dump the dregs in a Flanders Red ale.

Smells exactly like Dannon strawberry banana yogurt. Not a little bit like but dead on. Tastes like Dannon strawberry banana yogurt with some Lindemann's cherry cough drops added in. It's no Cantillion but not much is.

Like Dannon strawberry banana yogurt? If so, you'll like this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 02:15:49 | More by donkeyrunner

flagmantho

Washington

4/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 330mL bottle into a tulip. Bottle label reads 4% ABV rather than the above-noted 4.5%.

Appearance: dark, rich red hue with a thick finger of frothy pink foam. I like the deep color of this, compared to the candy-red of some other krieks I've seen.

Smell: nice aroma of cherries and a hint of sour beer underneath. I will admit that the aroma seems pretty candylike, but I have a bit of a weak spot for sweet cherry beers. It might not be to everyone's taste, but I like it.

Taste: a light tartness complements the cherry very well, and the flavor is much less candylike than the aroma. Sweet with a lightly sour complexity makes this a very tasty, if not exactly sessionable, beer.

Mouthfeel: medium-light body with a good level of carbonation and resulting decent creaminess. I like it.

Overall: this is a tasty and satisfying cherry beer. A bit on the sweet side, but that's OK once in a while, eh?

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 20:07:14 | More by flagmantho

Offa

California

3.98/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I find this to be a very good kriek lambic, far better than their strawberry or raspberry, but then I do usually like krieks more.

Red, it has a small pink head slowly shrinking to foamy ring and a few wisps.

Aroma is nice cherry, hint of cherry brandy and cherry candy and medicine, rustic funky yeasty hint.

Taste is nice, firm cherry character, but not too sweet, thankfully, although it leans slightly to the sweet side. It has a hint of rustic lambic character underneath - firm but still not enough for my tastes. It has a nice light acidic element. It's very good and enjoyable, with at least some rustic lambic character noticeable to round out the fruit, but it needs more and more depth. The problems it suffers, though, are all too common to fruit lambics (or "American wild ales," too), which to me rarely have enough flavour, especially in the funky/rustic/yeasty department, making this overall far better than most.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 00:27:24 | More by Offa

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a brown 11.2 oz. bottle. Has a dark pinkinsh color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is full of sour cherries. Taste is the same, a bit wine like, lots of sour cherries and flavor. Feels medium bodied and carbonated in the mouth and overall is a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 14:36:39 | More by tone77

Lemke10

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This pours a reddish color with a slightly pink head. The aroma is mostly that of sweet cherries. The taste is sweet with cherries and slightly fizzy in texture. This is smooth, fruity, and refreshing. As far as fruit lambics go, this is kind of average but it’s still very good.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 19:03:52 | More by Lemke10

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer poured into the chalice clear ruby garnet with just a lightly pinkish hue head which barely formed but did make an attempt to lace the glass.

The aroma was sweet with a strong cherry presence and a lightly tart acidic character in the background. The aroma also had a lightly earthy nature.

The flavor was tart and refreshing with a slight bit of sweetness that was by no means overdone and a tart and crisp character that was just a bit husky. The beer was not hardly sour at all and only had a mild tartness at best. The cherry flavor was very strong and worked well with what sour presence was notable.

The finish was even with a moderate cherry flavor into the aftertaste and just a very slight tartness. The body was medium light with a carbonation high enough to let the flavors prickle the palate. The beer did not have much complexity but was quite a refreshing beverage.

12 ounce can, purchased at grocery store in Brussels and brought back to the US to give it a whirl. 4% ABV on can.

Serving type: can

09-19-2006 21:14:06 | More by GCBrewingCo

Macca

Australia

3.85/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This pours very dark red with a red tinged finger of head.

Very strong cherry aroma with a distinct musk stick edge to it. Doesn't smell natural, but I like it anyway.

What a sour bomb! Sweet sour sweet sour. Love it.

Very heavy mouthfeel.

Look I like what they've done here. Does it taste like beer? No. Much more like some sort of soft drink but who cares, it's fun.

Would I want a second? Not tonight but definitely some other time.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2010 08:45:17 | More by Macca

RockyTopHeel

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Tasted 1/16/04 at our little Extravaganza Belgique.

Special Thanks to TheJoj to smuggling this one back from Belgium.

Timmermans poured a bright, bright red-pink with a rosy pink-white head, with little carbonation. Very sweet aroma previews an incredibly sweet cherry flavor, with no sourness whatsoever and only a slight hint of wheat in the finish.

Good, but it tastes more like flat cherry soda than beer. I miss the sour pucker I usually associate with lambics...

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2004 18:10:02 | More by RockyTopHeel

mdagnew

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

3.83/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle bought from the Vineyard, Belfast

Poured quite a dark red/pink colour... Head was pinky white and disappeared almost instantly...

Aroma - Strong cherry notes, also strong smell of nuts (almond and pistachio in particular), earthy, slight maltiness, some vanilla notes....

Taste – Sweet, lots of cherriness, peppery, orange hintrs, vanilla...

Feel - Quite smooth with light carbonation...

Overall - A pretty good kriek. Maybe slightly too sweet.... worth a try though...

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2005 14:11:11 | More by mdagnew

bark

Sweden

3.8/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The liquid is clear; the colour is deep wine red-purple. The thin head is pink/purple. Some lacing occurred.

The smell is bitter sweet with notes of bitter cherries, cherry jam, cherry stones, some soil, vinegar and gravy. The smell is bit unbalanced in an odd way.

The taste is sweet with some sourness. A flavour of cherry jam is the strongest, but there are notes of cherry stones, and sweet fruit candy. The aftertaste is also sweet with a uncomplicated taste of cherries and a touch of raspberries; it is pretty short and balanced.

The carbonation is representative for the fruit lambics; very strong with large bubbles.

This kriek is a bit more simple than the “tradition kriek” from the same brewer. Perhaps this is an good introduction to the style?

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2006 22:36:55 | More by bark

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clean deep reddish color, with a pink head. In the aroma, small sour cherries. In the taste, it is kind of like cherry Kool Aid, with a nice tartness. A smooth and lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a semi dry dark cherry aftertaste. Nice small tartness, and not medicinal at all.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2011 17:47:00 | More by OWSLEY069

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Dickinsonbeer for this...
Appears a transparent orange with a crimson hue when held to the light. The mild white/pink head quickly fizzles out into nothing.
The smell is of vinegar, tart cherries, minerals, and faint rubber.
Taste is also of major, tart cherries with a citrus, and vanilla flavor that leads to funky minerals in the mouth.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, moderate carbonation that tingles the tongue on the way down.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2008 01:52:09 | More by weeare138

anders36

Sweden

3.73/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A lovely dark red colour with a pink head. I can feel the smell of almonds and cherries. It has a bitter yet sweet taste of almonds and cherries. This is the first kriek i taste and i am a little surprised. It was not as bad as i thought it should be. So when i get the chance i will try some more of this styles of beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2003 16:39:09 | More by anders36

dirtyskunk

Colorado

3.65/5  rDev +9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark clear red into my tulip. Little to no head, disappears quick, but there are plenty of bubbles on the side of the glass below the surface like in a champagne. These disappear too after a minute.

Nice tart cherry smell, so strong it almost comes across like artificial flavoring. A little toasty/matly/woodsy in the back too, the whole thing smells like a cherry pie.

Just like the nose, this is pure cherry with some very nice tartness in the back countering the mild sweetness from the fruit. Unlike the nose, this is more balanced and has none of that artificial smell.

Average to nice mouthfeel, not too syrupy, not too thin. Very nice carbonation feel on the tongue.

I don't have a lot of experience with the style to pit this against, but it seems to be well balanced, very fruity, not too sweet, and to generally fit the style's description. I would like a little more tartness or complexity from the spontaneous fermentation.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 16:13:00 | More by dirtyskunk

Paddez

Belgium

3.63/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

A fair kriek

Poured out of a 25cl bottle/33cl can. Beer has a small to medium sized, quickly diminishing head after a heavy pour.

The smell is incredibly sweet and full of cherries. A bit artificial though, a bit chewing-gum-like even. The taste is a little less sweet than the smell but still a bit over the top. Full of almonds and sweet cherries. Yet again though, there's a soda-like taste about the cherries that bring down this beer.

A lot better than Belle-Vue for sure, but definitely too sweet and artificial. Nice for when you're watching a movie or as a desert brew since it's cheap and very drinkable, but other than that there's nothing special about it.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2004 19:09:27 | More by Paddez

cudmud

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: This sample has a magnificent candy-apple red color. In addition, it produces an interesting pink head with loads of lacing. This brew has a striking appearance.

Smell: This beer has tons of cherry notes in the nose. Behind the wonderful fruit aromas there are hints of almond cookie in the background.

Taste: This sample starts out with loads of awesome cherry flavor and sour flavors. Next the beer has an off bitter and metallic taste. After appearance and taste, I was let down by the beer's taste.

Mouthfeel: Dry and inviting.

Drinkability: This is a good dessert beer and even a fun beer to drink on a hot Sunday afternoon. The off aftertaste would keep me from drinking more than one a night.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 01:30:09 | More by cudmud

Mora2000

Texas

3.58/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a reddish color with a white head. The aroma is very heavy on the cherries with some maple notes mixed in. The cherries smell nice, but they smell artificial. The flavor has a little bit of light funk, as well as some vanilla and oak - but what this beer is all about is the cherries. They are nearly overwhelming and almost hide all of the other flavors. Medium mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 19:10:07 | More by Mora2000

sfprint

Germany

3.55/5  rDev +6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

exp 8/4/12

A: Poor head retention and not really a head. little micro rising carbonation. but a beautiful black cherry color. dark but "transparent"
S: Black cherry soda, sweet, syrupy, hint of sourness.
T: It's largely straight cherry soda on the syrupy side, slightly sour. Pretty nice. Underneath that there's a more artificial flavor, but difficult to describe and isn't very strong. I still find it strange that Kriek lambics are considered beers, it's far more soda like.
M: Fun, light soda frothiness. Nice and suitable.
O: Good, hardly a beer but nice and easy.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 02:16:08 | More by sfprint

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

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

OK, not the best Kriek lambic you'll ever have, a touch sweeter than than i'd like. Still tart enough, sourish refreshing finish, i'd don't mind Timmermans that much, but i prefer the more assertively sour and earthy examples of the style, a nice session kreik lambic!!!! Enjoyable without being over-complex.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2002 05:49:26 | More by rastaman

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Belgium's finest lambic beer.... I disagree
pours a pinkish red. Lot of light pink head. Looks decent but not stellar.
Smells a bit empty. Fruit. Some sweetness.
Tastes like a fruit beer. No lambic to be found.
Good carbonation but lacking overall. Like a fruit soda

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 23:55:09 | More by Urbancaver

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

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

Timmerman's Kriek 11.2oz bottle; dated 01/25/11. Poured into a tulip glass.

Pours a hazy, plummy purple-red with a thin ring of head. The body looks red-brown without a light backdrop. 3.5

Smells like tart cherry soda with some faint vanilla and general acidity. Like a sour Grenadine or like Jones Black Cherry Soda. Incredibly sweet-smelling, in mostly a good way. 3.5

Tart cherry dominant with syrupy sweetness and some matching bitterness. Has a tiny little pucker note that's more of a dry gum feel even though this beer is pretty sugary. There's also a prominent apple juice note that I feel is the direct contributor to all of the sweetness. The cherry character is better than the aroma, but this lambic could use some complexity or even an acetic acid character (I know, this is not a Flemish Ale). Fruit-forward with no funk and the tartness is held in-check. 3.5

Sticky sweet and a little too persistent with carbonation. The body is thin, but tacky, like fruit juice. Not as refreshing as I'd like. 3.5

I still like these kinds of fruit-lambics, and I recall Lindemans Kriek as having a far more oppressive sweetness than this Timmerman's example. Not everything can be close to Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen. A decent Kriek, worth trying the other fruit lambics in their line. 3.5

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 02:29:31 | More by thecheapies

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.45/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

25 cl long-necked brown bottle. Red label with cherries and on old-looking pic of brewery-workers in the old days...

A: Pour is deep red and the surprisingly large compact pink head dissipates slowly into a little lace.

S: Sweetness from the cherries (?). Some wheat - faint ripe bananas. Citric notes. Almost no yeast...

T: Way to sweet at first, but then the sweetness sets and other flavours evolves; dry cherries, wheat but only a little brett.

M: Mouthfeel is a bit sour. Body is light and carbonation is medium, but very smooth. Aftertaste is long and holds a sour dryness.

D: I really like Kriek, but this one is to sweet for my taste and I missed the brett-feeling. This could work as a "Kriek-for-beginners".

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2010 11:27:12 | More by Sunnanek

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.45/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

while some sweet/fruity beer lovers might get off on this, I found it a little over the top in many ways. the pour is a hazy pale red color, like muted strawberry jam, with a minimal head and nose of candied cherries. I don't pick up any yeasty tartness that I expect in an authentic lambic, and frankly the fruit seems artificial to me. the taste is all sugar, like Swedish fish or something, its pure sugar without the flavor of real cherries really being there at all. I have had some other timmermans lambics, and I think this is by far my least favorite. carbonation is fine and the body is light, but the sugar is so intense that a whole bottle fo this would be near impossible for me, and my teeth hurt after just a few drinks. its bordering on not being a beer in a lot of ways. There are many superior versions out there if you are looking for a more authentic and less diabetic kriek.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 18:08:43 | More by StonedTrippin