Samuel Adams American Kriek (Barrel Room Collection) - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.44/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a crystal clear deep reddish brown with a long lasting fluffy off white head. Smells of caramel, sour cherries, a bit of yeasty funk and fruity esters. Hints of sweet brown sugar and a touch of balsamic round out the nose. The flavor is really a bit sweet for a wild ale if you asked me. There's a lot of brown sugary malt sweetness with enough sour cherries to make it a bit different. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet slick mouthfeel. I'm not sure what they were going for here, maybe a beginners wild ale? This was good, fairly tasty, but really needed some more tart or funk imho.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 01:05:09 | More by johnnnniee

gcamparone

Rhode Island

4.13/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 25 oz bottle into a Samuel Adams utopia glass. Purchased in Wakefield, Rhode Island. Year above bar code reads "2010", so this is 3 years old at this point.

A- Pours a hazy auburn body with a small white head that reduces to a white ring as I consume. Some leggy lacing.

S- Some funkyness, leather, and a vanilla-cherry aroma that I can describe as yogurt covered cherries. I also get raisins/dried fruit.

T- Starts off with sweet candi sugar and dark fruit notes, this develops into slight tart cherry, oak, and vanilla notes. There is a nice toasted malt aftertaste.

M- Medium body and medium carbonation. Pretty easy drinker.

This was not the beer that I was expecting, but not in a bad way. The cherry character of this beer is subtle, leaving the barrel notes to really take over and shine. The complexity is quite impressive and I'd recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 03:26:37 | More by gcamparone

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

750mL bottle pored into teku

Hazy, clouded dark cherry color with murky tones. Thin crop of head dissipates quickly with a few spots of lacing on the glass.

Sweet, slightly funky cherry scents with jammy pie and fruit skins. Oak, vanilla and sweetness. Not much of the typical sourness I might expect from a kriek or wild ale.

Cherries, fruit skins and dark fruit up front. A little jammy, unusually sweet with soft oaky notes. Soft notion of funky yeast with a suggestion of tartness. Finishes with lingering cherry sweetness.

Lighter medium body, well carbonated, sticky and lingering on the tongue. I was a little confused by this one - I tried this before at a fest a year+ ago and it was definitely sour, but this was more of a sweet cherry brew with some funky Belgian yeast. No reason to pick this one up considering New Glarus has that on lockdown.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 13:55:48 | More by xnicknj

SouljaSaia17

Massachusetts

4.83/5  rDev +36.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Got this bottle of American Kriek at the Samuel Adams brewery which is from their barrel room collection. These Barrel room beers are the only ones that are actually brewed and sold out of Bostons brewery.

A: Beer pours a deep red/crimson color with a solid 3/4 inch pinkish head and leaves some lacing.

S: Aroma starts with sweet floral cherries with undertones of spice, oak, caramel, marzipan, and tropical fruit.

T: Nice balance between sweetness and tartness with intense dark cherry flavor, malt and vanilla.

M: Starts out sweet on the mouth and then turns a bit sour, but not overly bitter. Has some carbonation which is noticable in the taste as well.

O: As I understand it, when this beer was first created as a "sour", it came out overly bitter, so it had to be toned down a bit. Excellent brew, great flavor although I wish there was a little bit more sourness to it.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 01:10:36 | More by SouljaSaia17

Cavanaghty

Maine

4.5/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into a Sam Adams Glass.

Appearance: Cloudy reddish color with a reddish tinted beige head of about four fingers, mild lacing on the glass.

Smell: Smell of cherries, hints of oine, citrus and alcohol.

Mouthfeel/Taste: Medium bodied, and smooth. Taste of sweet cherries and alcohol up front, ending with bittersweet tart flavors.

Overall: Third time I have had this beer, first was sampled on tap at the Boston Beer Company Brewery in Boston, the second was a bottle bought from that trip to the brewery, this last one was just a the store, but I had to get it one more time, always have enjoyed this one and it's unique flavors.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 23:20:35 | More by Cavanaghty

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a very slightly hazy dark garnet red in color with some hints of brown and significant amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a two finger tall fizzy pink head that reduces to a very thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of tart and sweet cherries with an underlying hint of malts. There are some very light notes of vanilla and oak.

T: Similar to the smell, the taste is dominated by the flavors of cherries with both tartness and sweetness. There are also some light flavors of vanilla and oak. Not as much of the tartness as I would like.

M: Medium bodied with just slightly more than moderate amounts of carbonation.

O: Easy to drink and enjoyable but kind of immature for a sour/wild ale - it has not developed to have the complexity and sourness/tartness that I expect from the style. Not sure I would go out to find this one again but it was a good beer to have.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 02:12:55 | More by dbrauneis

lovindahops

New York

3.78/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In celebration of our Sis and bro in laws moving out, we decided to tap into our sam adams American kriek that we bought from the brewery in June

A- pours a darkened mahogany red with massive foam busting all over the glass. Very strong colors showing through the glass.

S- very tart and sour cherry scent bursts up the glass. Very sweet and tempting with the flavor really amplifies by the sourness

T- sour and sweet black cherries all over. Very heightened and sweet with flavor that almost hides back the base of the beer. My only criticism would be I wish there was a more yeasty presence

M- smooth and syrupy coating flavor

O- I really liked this offering from BBC. Good cherry flavor that was consistent and flavorful

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 01:14:50 | More by lovindahops

horshack7

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Poured into a tulip is a dark mahogany colored beer with an off white head around two fingers thick.

Aroma: Sour cherries with notes of tartness. Oakiness, faint plum.

Taste: Lots of tart cherries, oak, minor malt sweetness with a touch of lime. It's mostly sour with a light dry mouthfeel.

Notes: Quite drinkiable and a straight forward a solid wild ale. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 00:55:55 | More by horshack7

dinksinct

New York

4.43/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I have had this beer at inception at Sam Adams brewery in Boston and now after 18 months aging in my cellar. Very hard to find ATM but if you ask around you can find a bottle.

It is a top notch beer. The cherry flavor only hits the back of your tongue but when it does it's pronounced.

The rest of the beer is flavorful enough that you do not notice the alcohol.

Well done Mr. Koch!

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 01:41:18 | More by dinksinct

mikeg67

New Jersey

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

750ml bottle. Pours red with a short lived, frosty, white head. Aroma is of sour wine, funky yeast, cherry, hints of caramel. Body is full, crisp and creamy. Cherry, caramel, yeast, woody and vanilla notes fill the mouth. Finish is short, semi-sweet. On a sweet side, but very pleasant brew I liked.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 14:57:29 | More by mikeg67

Jamesthebrit

Michigan

3.4/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Brownish red. Hazy.
S: Hints of oak and cherry but nothing really too spectacular that comes through.
T: There is some oak and there is some cherry but neither one is overly prevalent. There is also some yeast taste as well. I was really looking for more of the cherry flavor to come through.
M: Sits like an average beer, pretty drinkable.

Overall an above average beer but nothing spectacular. The fruit flavors are on par with the oakyness so there isn't really a goal that I see for this beer as it tries to combine two flavors but does not succeed.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 17:47:52 | More by Jamesthebrit

JerseyKirk

New Jersey

2.9/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Slightly lighter cranberry juice color. Pours a huge 3 finger pink head. Laces really well around all edges. Clear. Great traditional lambic.

S: Sour tart cherry, slight vinegar, little bit of lactic.

T: Oak, cherry, almost no sourness, slightly sweet. Oak is way more prevalent than in most oak aged sours. Could be from the blended beer's character coming through more than intended.

M: Sweet all the way through.

O: This was a big disappointment. I was expecting way more sour cherry flavor that wasn't there. I'm left wanting.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 00:18:47 | More by JerseyKirk

notchucknorris

California

3.58/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: copper/reddish color with an off white head with hints of pink.

S: Definitely picking up cherries right away. Not a whole lot else going on though.

T: Unripe cherries throughout with just a touch of funk and a lot of red delicious apple sweetness through the finish. Was hoping for a bit more depth but it's not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 14:17:43 | More by notchucknorris

DustinSmall

Maryland

3.6/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle 1330 into 2 tulips one for me, and one for the old man

A- Hazy dark red/copper, 2-2.5 finger head, nice lacing

S- Sweet tart cherries, sour notes, and you get some oak on the back end

T- Right up front you get a big sour cherry flavor, wishing there was more of the tartness to help balance it out, tastes great though, on the back of the tongue you deff get the oak it lends a nice earthy flavor to you sour cherry

M- Medium, a tad too much carbonation for me, but the feel of this beer brings out the flavors

O- good beer but its missing something, perhaps more tart flavors would help this one out but good beer

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 02:11:29 | More by DustinSmall

rlee1390

Indiana

3.6/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-Deep ruby red, two finger head with a pinkish hue

S-Tart, cherries and some oak.

T-Nowhere near the tartness I'd expected, cherries are there. Not getting much oak either.

M-Light body with some carbonation although there could be some more.

O-Maybe an introduction to sour beers but not very tart. A little more tartness would improve this beer a lot.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 04:16:31 | More by rlee1390

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.8/5  rDev +7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750mL corked bottle - unsure about the dating on this, but I know it's been cellared for at least six months. Shared with friends at a recent beer tasting as an after-dinner brew.

Poured into a wine glass. Light cherry red, opaque - looks like a thin fruit punch. Leaves a thin head, lasts for a few moments, but dissolves into a fine ring.

Nose is quite nice - cherries (slightly sour but not overly so) chocolate, vanilla, and what I assume to be the oaky character from the barrel. Quite nice, but only kriek-like in terms of the cherry. Not really reminiscent of the lambic style, but it is called an "American Kriek" so I knew there would be differences.

Interesting brew - I lean towards the "I like it" camp. The cherry, while not as sour as I would have hoped, did provide a nice tartness that meshed well with the soft chocolate, caramel and vanilla flavours. The brew finished with a light oakiness - quite nice.

Not something I'd like too often - both for the price tag and for the sweet nature of the brew - but certainly an interesting take on the kriek style. There's not too many brews I like other than Belgian krieks that make use of cherries, but this was one of them.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 05:47:00 | More by JohnnyBarman

jwc215

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours clouded cherry-wood color wirh a head that appears and vanishes quickly, leaving some spots.

The smell is tart - strong dark cherry - with vanilla.

The taste is mildly tart with some sweetness. It has a delicious dark cherry taste with a firm caramelish malty backing. The cherries, while in the forefront, allow a rich malty ale to support it. At first, there is a taste of cherry pits, but as it progresses, it brings on a character of cherry pie. Hints of vanilla and oak add to the complexity. It has a mild sweettart, dry-ish finish.

It leans towards full-bodied with carbonation that is towards effervescent. Alcohol is slightly noticeable, but not powerful. Smooth.

Although I wouldn't say it's a great example of a wild ale, it is an enjoyable, cherry beer "dessert" brew that is better than the typical American Fruit Ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 17:54:19 | More by jwc215

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.53/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a caged & corked 750ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep red color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains cherries, caramelized malts, Belgian yeast and touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out with sweet flavors of cherries and caramel followed by a hearty malt character for the style and some Belgian yeast breadiness. There’s a little bit of sourness that creeps in along with a mild hops presence. The after-taste is slightly tart.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, good kick, decent but seemingly toned down representation of style, it’s worth drinking for a while if you want a sour-style beer that isn’t as heavy on the sourness but overall it’s just an average beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 04:05:05 | More by TheManiacalOne

JustinAniello

Connecticut

3.55/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours mahogany red with a two finger head that quickly dissipates to a light cap and lacing.

S - Heavy cherry and malts with a touch of sweetness.

T - Starts with sweet cherries turning to a robust malty breadiness and tart black cherry. Good amount of cherry in the aftertaste.

M - Medium body, heavy carbonation. Too much carbonation, feels a bit like a soda, lessening that would definately improve the mouthfeel.

O - An interesting beer, but nothing extraordinary. Good flavors and aromas and slightly put off by the carbonation. A little less of the breadiness would probably help the cherry flavor shine. Worth at least trying if you ever get the chance.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 00:21:27 | More by JustinAniello

bs870621345

New Jersey

2.93/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a cloudy ruby red color with minimal head and no lacing.

Smells like a blend of sweetness and sour cherries. I get a little band aid flavor and some oak.

Tastes like cherry cough syrup. There is no funk, just an odd cherry flavor that makes me think I'm sick.

Mouthfeel is slick and thin, with high carbonation.

Overall, this is pretty bad. If it tasted like it smelled it would be fantastic, but was a serious let down.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 01:39:08 | More by bs870621345

BigPlay1824

New York

3.93/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed in a tulip glass

A: pours a warm red color that is perfectly opaque with a thick and fluffy head of light reddish color that lingers only for a little then dissipates leaving spotty lacing on the glass
S: nice tartness from the cherries with a slight sweet and sour note that stings the nostrils at the end
T: begins with a sweet note then moves immediately over to an interesting sour note that i really like, leaves a great lingering sour note on the palate
M: a bit strong on the carbonation but actually really smooths out nicely through the middle, leaves a bit of an interesting feeling on the palate, not really sure how to describe it other than 'comfortable'
O: i like this brew, i love this style, ive seen better representations in the appearance aspect but the taste and mouth feel here were really a joy, nicely done

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 21:16:50 | More by BigPlay1824

MoreThanWine

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Despite the unique and classy barrel-series bottle and packaging I despise the extra spongy caged cork which was so hard to grip to extract it actually tore off.

Poured a 2 1/2" beige head which lasted a while though the beer seemed to expend almost all it's carbonation into the initial head. Body is a hazy and quite attractive auburn. Smell has caramel and malt and also a vague sour cherry. Taste echos the smell and the cherry is stronger. Happily it's neither a lambic style cherry nor simply a sweet dessert cherry, in fact the cherry doesn't overwhelm the rest of the beer. Lighter weight body then I expected. Decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 03:07:56 | More by MoreThanWine

tkepx182

New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: This beer has a nice cherry red color to it that was soothing to the eye. The carbonation of the beer allowed for a nice head.

S: The main smell of the beer is that of tart, the type that comes from cherries with a hint of hops

M: smooth feel in the mouth

T: Not overly tart with nice hop tones to the beer

O: It is a nice beer that i was not expecting it to be as good as it was.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 01:19:14 | More by tkepx182

UDbeernut

New York

3.7/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured into a tulip glass, amber hue capped by a silky white head with good retention. scent of cherry and oak. taste is more sweet cherry than tart cherry. not much balance here. alcohol is warming to the face. a interesting beer, I enjoyed the Stoney brook red more.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 00:21:37 | More by UDbeernut

bonkers

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I poured from a bomber into a snifte, deep pinkish pour, medium white head, no lacing. Ton of tart cherries on the nose, light oak. The beer had a nice cherry tartness to it, it finishes slightly tart. The beer gets some medicinal sweetnss to it as it warms. The body is light, average carbonation. A nice starter sour, IMO a bit too sweet for the styly, but I did enjoy it.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2011 00:48:50 | More by bonkers