Cuvee-Brut - Brouwerij Liefmans

harrymel

Washington

3.48/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Manito tap house

Rusty brown on cherry with a little white etch atop the beer. Smells of cherries, wood, some leather and a delicate tartness in the nose. I feel like it might have a good dose of wood to match the acidity of the beer. Flavor is tart cherry with some interwoven wood and pepper, a surprising sweetness in the middle there that lightens the flavor into a near fine candy character, reminds me of a hand made cherry cola honestly. Medium bodied with low carb and a semi dry finish. Decent beer, dunno if it's worth the price tag I've seen it at though.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2012 23:15:16 | More by harrymel

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.68/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Draft at The Pour House in Westmont, NJ.

Pours a dark copper, almost brown color with deep amber edges and a one finger off white head that slowly settles into a lasting ring. Spotty lace left behind.

Vinous dark fruit aroma with underlying dark malt and acetic vinegar qualities.  Hints of tart dark cherries, grape and other dark berries along with some caramel malt and  dark chocolate.  Smells kind of like a chocolate covered cherry dipped in vinegar.  

Medium bodied with sweet and tart dark fruit notes followed by a strong acetic vinegar flavor.  Lots of tart dark cherry and other vinous fruit with a strong acetic vinegary presence mid palate that lingers throughout.  Dark malt flavor underneath with some caramel and cocoa.  A bit too sweet and vinegary for me yet it never becomes harsh or solvent like.  Slightly sour but more tart with lots of fruit.  Could use a stronger malt backbone and less acetic acid.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2012 22:28:10 | More by corby112

mdaschaf

Washington

3.6/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at the Pickled Pig. Review from notes.

A: The beer is a nice dark red color with a small off-white head on top with minimal head retention and no lacing.

S: A nice cherry aroma with some light spice and a hint of tartness.

T: more cherries, a bit more sour than the aroma mixed with a little bit of oak and vanilla.

M: Medium bodied with a nice level of carbonation.

O: It was ok, easy drinking and fruity, but not really a beer I want to drink over and over.

Serving type: on-tap

09-10-2012 01:49:17 | More by mdaschaf

mdfb79

New York

4.15/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap tonight at Beer Authority in NYC.

a - Pours a hazy deep reddish-brown color with one inch of off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of sweet cherry juice, Belgian yeast, spice, sweet dark fruits, and fruity malts. Very nice nose.

t - Tastes of sweet cherry juice, sweet dark fruits, spices, Belgian yeast. Taste has a little more yeast and spice than the nose. Not too sweet which is nice.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Body is very smooth and easy to drink. Great mouthfeel.

o - Overall a really great fruit beer. Reminds me of Lindemans, but not quite as sweet....it has a little more of a Belgian yeast/spice kick to it. A great beer I'd love to have again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2012 00:33:31 | More by mdfb79

marlinsfan4

Maryland

4.23/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at Max's in Baltimore. I loved this beer.... fruit beers can be hit or miss for me but this one was on spot. A nice tart, cherry beer with tons of flavor and a nice well balanced, smooth taste. Drink it way too quickly and could have easily ordered a few more pints. Haven't delved into the foreign beers too much, but after trying this I just might have to.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2012 22:20:57 | More by marlinsfan4

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap at Rattle N Hum in New York, NY

A: Pours a clear light to medium brown in color with lots of garnet red highlights and some light visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall fizzy pinkish red head that reduces to a thin film covering the entire surface of the beer and a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Significant lacing is observed.

S: There are moderate to strong aromas of sweet cherries and sour cherries along with some vinous notes and some light funkiness.

T: The beer has a light amount of sweetness that balances out with the sour cherries, vinous notes, and slight syrupy sugar sweetness.

M: Light bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly prickly on the tongue.

O: Very nice, there is a good balance between the sweetness of the cherries and the sourness/funkiness. Enjoyable and easy to drink, I think of it more of a sipping beer than a sessionable beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2012 16:59:24 | More by dbrauneis

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.16/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

At one point, the Liefmans Kriek was basically my everyday beer. Then they had that whole bankruptcy thing, or whatever, and the supply got interrupted, and blah blah. Needless to say, I am always up for anything Liefmans.

Flavor profile is what I expect for Liefmans. Sweet, but just sweet enough and not too syrupy (though slightly so). Very smooth feel. Way too easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2012 05:16:28 | More by RblWthACoz

ehammond1

California

4.08/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On Tap

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

Dark red brick in color with a very thin, though creamy, off-white head. The beer eventually leaves dots of stick down the glass. Appropriate and pretty.

The aroma is a wonderfully pleasant combination of fresh, authentic, plump cherry juice and just a bit of the skin. There's a hint of yeast character, but the fruit dominates and smells quite nice.

The flavor is both sweet and very slightly sour, with fresh cherry juice dominating most of the flavor. There's some earth and wood character in the background, along with a bit of biscuit, though the sweetness drowns much of this out.

Thin to medium bodied with moderate carbonation. A joy to drink.

A very nice, somewhat sweet, cherry beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2012 17:10:04 | More by ehammond1

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a hazy amber to brown-ish color with a small white head. In the aroma, mellow sour cherries. In the taste, sour dark cherries and quite fantastic. A sour bite and a medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel with a light dry cherry in the aftertaste. Sour cherries and loved it!

Serving type: on-tap

02-07-2012 14:28:09 | More by OWSLEY069

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.4/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a cloudy reddish brown color with good carbonation and a dirty white cap

S: Sour cherries, wood and Earthy notes

T: Nicesour cherry blast, woody and some Earthy notes. Very much cherry forward and mild on the sourness; for my liking anyways.

M: Well carbonated, medium body, dry and tart finish

O: Not to bad, good for the style

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2011 18:06:24 | More by barleywinefiend

Hojaminbag

Colorado

4.13/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cuvee Brut has a brown body with lots of bright red highlights. The head is thin and tan, and it doesn't do anything in the lacing department.

The aroma is all lightly tart cherries, with maybe a hint of malt in the background.

Once again, the flavor is all cherry. Very natural and fruity tasting, with a little bit of tartness from the cherries. I would guess that whatever strains were living on the cherry skins are also in here due to the tartness, but I can't really be sure about that. Very faint malt in the background, with just a hint of wood.

Highly carbonated; with a lighter body it might remind me of champagne.

Very nice overall; this is a good fruit beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-22-2011 14:19:55 | More by Hojaminbag

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-dark red with a brown tint. basically no head except a cream colored border around the glass.

S-really dark cherries and alcohol. a hint of cinnamon and tangyness. medium strength

T-comes in with a fresh and slightly tart taste of candied cherries.its a quality taste and the tang stays for awhile in to the after-taste of surprisingly unique and awesome taste of cherry Phillies...you know...the cigarillos..its spot on and great.

M-low creamy carbonation with a good crisp finish

O-i've noticed that many readliy available fruit bees/lambics are very similar and predictable. this has a great twist on it.i love the tobacco aspect to it, even though i hate tobacco. it also has a good aged aspect to it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2011 05:45:45 | More by AdamBear

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.38/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Max's today.

The beer pours a fairly deep cherry red, amber color, with good head retention and lacing. The nose on this beer quickly lets me know that I'm in for some serious stuff. The aroma profile consists of some pretty intense sour, plum, lavendar soap and cherry. Not too many beers out there that smell anything like this. On the palate, this is mighty, might tasty. The sweet cherry is much more pronounced than I expected, and in combination with the sour component, there's an intense sweet tart flavor to this beer. There's also a hint of barnyard funk in the finish, which much to my surprise, adds an unexpected, unanticipated bonus to the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is medium bodied at most, and the finish is long, sweet and tart. Alcohol is completely undetectable in this outstanding beer.

Yumm... I'll be ordering this one again for sure (at least whenever I'm fortunate to see it on tap).

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2011 18:26:03 | More by johnmichaelsen

Domingo

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Had this at the Cheeky Monk. Arrived a blood red color with a pinkish head. The carbonation is a little like champagne, but still thicker.
The nose is definitely heavy on the tart cherry character. A little bit of yeast character and some clear fermentation (so you wouldn’t fool anyone into thinking it’s juice) but it’s pretty mild.
The flavor profile definitely has more depth. Sweetness upfront, balsamic and a citric twang in the middle, and a lingering finish of sweet and sour cherries and a little bit of wood/vanilla.
The carbonation is a tiny bit on the fizzy side and is really my only complaint.
Like many of the sweeter Belgian fruit beers, it’s not the most complex thing in the world, but sometimes simple can be good. I like the way the balsamic-like notes work with the fruit.
I paired this with a chocolate fondue dessert and found it to be an excellent companion before, during, and after.
Plus, the cost of this wasn’t too crazy either, especially if you can get it on any kind of special. I think I like this more than some other similar (often sweeter) brews and appreciate that it does keep some residual sweetness without going bonkers. It’s a good in-between when you don’t want Lindemann’s, but you don’t want Cantillon either.

Serving type: on-tap

07-12-2011 14:21:11 | More by Domingo

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A delcious fruit-forward sour ale with a robust burst of cherries, oak, tannin, and acidity with the dryness and stillness that any Merlot fan can appreciate.

Russet brown with garnet and maroon colors aiding in the deep rusty palate. Light carbonation releases a fine creme that creates a dainty lace around the rim. A dim glow illudes to the medium haze and dark color of the beer.

Mouth watering acidity of tart cherries, thin cider, oak, sherry, and sharp lactic tartness give a complex aroma of vinous fruits, alcohol and woods.

Cherries, crabapples, under rippened berries, black currants, plumbs, dates, and dried appricots carry the early sweetness and tartness into a mid palate of full blown tartness, oaky tannins, and a robust note of vanilla, almonds, and leather. Finishing with a thin cidery tartness dry red wines or sherry, the beer's complexity over-rides a mild vinegary note that persists as the beer warms.

Medium creaminess and robust textures fade quickly, allowing for the acidity to play on the palate in the absence of carbonation. Mildly astringent with the feel of cherry skins and oak, the tartness is exacerbated. But so is the sensation of dryness and powdery coat that leaves you wanting another sip just as the last one fades.

A very dry fruit-forward ale that borrows what's best about Flanders Red Ales and Oude Bruins. True lambics, but with an exciting twist with fruits, woods, and youth.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2011 04:06:06 | More by BEERchitect

JizackFH

New York

3.85/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had on-tap at Sunswick 35/35.
Review taken from notes.

A - This beer pours a dark brown color with ruby highlights. It has a small off-white head on it. The head has okay retention and leaves some scattered lacing on the glass.

S - It smells of sour cherries, not cherry flavoring, real cherries. There is also a toasted malt background and some funk.

T - It tastes of real sour cherries up front. It has a toasted malt backbone, and I am getting a little bit of funk. There are also some slight flavors of caramel and brown sugar. The finish if quite sour, and leaves some lingering cherry flavor behind.

M - This has a medium body and good carbonation. It goes down easy and has a good sourness to it. The finish is sour and the cherry flavor lingers in the mouth for quite some time.

O - This has good drinkability. It goes down easy, and I really enjoyed the flavor. Overall I thought this was a very interesting and good beer. I could easily drink a few glasses of this in a row. I recommend giving it a shot. I'd drink it again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2011 07:25:27 | More by JizackFH

DCon

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed on-tap (Tap #2) @ the Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar in St. Louis, MO for $8. Poured into a 12oz Snifter and enjoyed thoroughly! (Never have had anything from Liefmans).

Appearance- Is a dark amber, light brown bodied beer with a 2 finger off white head that has a fantastic retention! Leaves a good amount of lace on the sides.

Aroma- Black cherries, sour, tart aroma, with a nice malty background. A hint of sour apples as well.

Taste- Nice cherry flavor but then has a cough medicine aftertaste... Still has a nice body, well-balanced, tartness all the way through, and a nice complexity.

Mouthfeel- Light-Medium Bodied, Medium Carbonation, and nice sour finish! Cherries forever.

Overall- What a great Lambic! Nice sour feel and brewed with all attributes purposely nailed and well executed. I am ready to explore more Liefmans coming up in the near future. Could drink many of these, so I had to move on.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2011 01:35:15 | More by DCon

FosterJM

California

3.93/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

458th review on BA
Draft

App- A very crimson looking red with a faint hint of bubbles on the edges. About what I expected but wanted a little bit more carbonation.

Smell- Another expected sensory experience. Muted cherry juice with just a touch of tartness.

Taste- Just like fresh squeezed juice with a slight touch of booze to it to know its a beer.

Mouth- Light and high. A bit creamier than I expected.

Drink- This was pretty tasty. I would enjoy this one again if given the chance to see if a bigger or fresher keg would make it a tad better.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2011 02:41:30 | More by FosterJM

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Toronado in San Francisco.

Pours a bright and deep cherry red colour with a pale fine head of pink noticeable bubbles. Thick, but fine. Gorgeous. Almost looks like the ultimate kriek. Just perfect.

Fragrant and organic on the nose, with an odd juxtaposition of cherry pip and artificial sweetness. Sourness is not noticeable at all on the nose (if it's here at all)—it's just clean, crisp and sweet. Very much like candy. That makes it a somewhat guilty pleasure.

Taste is sweet with a hint of cherry acidity. For the most part is smooth, and round with very little skewing it in an unusual or uncomfortable direction. A hint of late marzipan, a dash of acidity and a pleasant, but very moderated midstream funk. Dry finish with a bit of cherry-skin aftertaste. Very refreshing, biting and clear.

A nice brew, and an example of the beautiful Belgian sour beers that are so classic and well done. With few exceptions, no one does it like them.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2011 05:03:00 | More by lacqueredmouse

DoubleJ

California

4.35/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Surprised to see this on-tap at Commonwealth Lounge in Newport Beach. I was even more surprised to get 14 ounces of it, but the shocker was getting it all for $4 during their extended happy hour. On to the beer:

Reddish violet color with very little head on the pour, leaves a few tiny spots of lace on the glass. Smells like cherry jam, fine enough for me. Not much of a surprise to me, we've got a sweet and tart beer, and a very lovely one at that. Here we go again with the cherries; the first half seemed a little more tart, the second half of the glass seemed to sweeten up. What's real sweet is the aftertaste, and I mean that in a literal sense.

I'm a big fan of Liefmans Kriekbier. Cuvee Brut isn't far off the pace of that, which is to say that this is still a kick ass, cherry dominant beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-13-2011 18:54:32 | More by DoubleJ

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served from tap into a Trappe Door tulip. Poured a deep red with a three finger very slight pink hue head that subsided to two fingers slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, sour, tart, dark fruit, and funk. The flavor was of sweet malt, sour, tart, raspberries, slight cherry, and funk. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Ovearll this was a pretty nice brew. Definitely had a great flavor profile going on here. They were not in-your-face strong which was nice as it made it very enjoyable and drinkable. The funk definitely surprised me quite a bit in a good way. A definite must try on tap if you get the chance!

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2011 13:23:59 | More by thagr81us

Chizoad

California

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep red beer with an tan cap that looks like a breaking wave. Really pretty coloring and great looking beer.

Slightly sour nose that doesn't overwhelm. Very strong aroma of cherries.

Taste is pretty much identical. Mild tartness up front and then sweet cherries all the way. Not complex, but very tasty.

Mouthfeel is not exactly too thick, but nearly bordering on it. Relatively low carbonation, and a little more would buoy the beer a tad.

Enjoyable, would have it again, but wouldn't go out of my way. I love the fact the local bar has rarities like this rotate through their taps.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2011 22:03:12 | More by Chizoad

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Pizzeria Paradiso in Old Town. Served in a tulip.

Pours an enticing dark crimson with a bit of a purplish tint. Thin ligh tan head forms up and persists through. A bit of spotty lacing forms on the walls of the skinny tulip. Good collar throughout, along with some persistent foam. The nose draws me in at first with mild, creamy oak along with a nice acetic bite which follows up on the woody notes. Beneath the acid lies a mixture of sour cherries and a few other darks fruits, most notably red plum. Smooth and mellow, the acid, fruit, and wood all play well together.

The flavor is mildly puckering and tannic from the start. Berries blossom more and more as it warms. Plum and light oxidized malt character lingers in the background. Acetic acid takes the reigns here. Good smooth and creamy body that coats the palate and lingers after a fairly-full, yet still acidic, finish. All around, an extremely well crafted brew that I'll be looking for a few bottles of.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2011 00:31:28 | More by Thorpe429

womencantsail

California

2.68/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

On-tap at Tustin

A: The pour is a dark, blood red sort of color with a huge off-white head, maybe a bit pink.

S: Sugary and sweet cherries and cherry candy. Perhaps just a touch of wood in there, a mild acidity, but not enough to counteract the sugary nature of the beer.

T: Even sweeter on the palate. Like cherry soda or fruit punch in terms of the sugar content. No real balance to it. Tough to drink.

M: Medium in body with a moderate to high carbonation.

O: If you're looking for a kriek or lambic here, just move along. No thanks.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2011 04:07:55 | More by womencantsail

modernartblues

Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from Notes

Served in a Tulip at Prime 16

A: deep ruby red, 1" white w/pink highlights head recedes to a bare topping

N: sweet cherry rasberry w/ light tartness

T: sweet with some funky barnyard notes, cherry fruits up front with only a touch of tartness

M: sticky sweet sugar coats my mouth like a sugary syrup

D: pretty good for a lambic/sour, but one is enough for a session

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2011 19:13:11 | More by modernartblues