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

Duhast500

Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle #3299, bought at the brewery in Boston, Ma.

Poured from a 22oz. bottle into a over sized wine glass.

The color is a dark, clear red with a finger or two reddish foamy head with some nice lacing.

The smell is a filled with a sugary hoppy flavor, giving off some other hints of sweet and tart fruit.

The taste is a dark cherry flavor. It has a sugary fruit juice flavor with a small hop flavor that is almost hidden.

The feel is pretty light and is real easy going down. This beer would make for a really good pairing beer with food. It has a great light welcoming flavor and feel it would be a good gateway beer for those new to barrel aged beers.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2010 06:47:52 | More by Duhast500

deltatauhobbit

Maine

3/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle #2939

Pours a dark red color with a sizable fizzy-like head, fades fast but leaves a little bit of sticky lacing along the glass.

Smell has an odd aroma but can definitely make out the cherry presence quite easily, sweet yet slightly tart, not overwhelming.

Taste is rather muddled, nothing really pops out and says hi, the cherry presence is not as evident and there is hardly any sweet or tart or sour or really any flavor, I can pick up some of the barrel aging which I think almost blocks some of the natural cherry tartness, in the end there's just not much flavor, the carbonation is spot on though and there is a bit of crispness.

I really wanted to like this but was disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2010 21:53:57 | More by deltatauhobbit

pokesbeerdude

Colorado

2.95/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750 ml (Very cool bottle) from Wilbur's in Ft. Collins, $10. Bottle #13759

A: Pinkish red in color with a white/pink head that bubbled up to about an inch and recedes back to a clumpy island of bubbles with no lacing. Very clear beer, fair amount of bubbles moving through this beer. Not too shabby really.

S: Doesn't really smell like much, a few notes of cherries, and a little whiff of vanilla. Smells pretty meh, a few notes of wheat malts and that's really it. Disappointing.

T: Tastes a fair amount better than it smells, definite notes of black cherries, tangy wheat malts, just a slight subdued wild/funky profile, very far back in the profile. Cherry flavor is nice, but really verges on medicinal, but not in a good funky way, more like watered down cough syrup flavor. Just a slight oaky presence, maybe a hint of vanilla. Decent, has just enough funk to notice, but really seems like an amped up Cherry Wheat to me.

M: Light bodied, slightly warm alcohol, slick in the mouth, kind of coats the mouth. Not overly lactic or puckeringly sour. Fairly creamy. Decent.

D: It is farily easy to drink, would pair nicely with a cheesecake or other dessert, but this is tame for a wild ale. Only slightly funky, just really seems like a stronger version of the SA Cherry Wheat. Fair beer, but the price tag is a little too much for the beer that you get. Cool bottle, and an interesting idea, just a bit of a let down.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2009 06:33:51 | More by pokesbeerdude

aquatonex

New York

2.1/5  rDev -40.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Got this as #2 of my 3 pack from my trip to Sam, was excited to try but not as excited after :(...

Pours a pretty, translucent ruby color. 1-2 fingers of foamy head that dissipate into a ring and a little lacing. Nose is musty and funky, smells like old cherries. Taste is also funky, the cherries are lingering but there is very minimal sweetness, it just tastes like hints of rotting fruits. Oaky mustiness lingers on the palate. All in all each sip and swallow makes me twist my face in odd apprehension and eventual mild disgust.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2009 20:20:47 | More by aquatonex

kingcrowing

Vermont

3.45/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml corked & caged bottle poured into an 8oz snifter.

Pours a very red color, you can tell there were cherries in this thing, there is a big head that fades really fast and sounds like soda (loud bubbling). The nose is also off white with hints of red.
Nose is both funky and fruity. There's some significant cherry aroma here.

Taste is mellow and drinkable, it's not over the top funky or fruity. Oddly enough it's got low carbonation even though by sound I though it'd be higher. There's a bit of a gingerbread cookie finish to it, quite interesting. A bit of breadyness from the yeast as well. I don't think this was done super well, however for a relatively uncommon style, I think Sam Adams made it quite approachable without sacrificing too much.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2009 00:02:42 | More by kingcrowing

drumrboy22

Colorado

3.15/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 750mL bottle into a New Belgium globe glass. Beer was a dark red color, with a two-finger head. Moderate carbonation and light lacing around the glass.

Aroma was cherries, oak, smells a bit medicinal.

Taste was light cherries, mildly tart, some oak notes. On the thin side.

I'm a little disappointed by this one. Was hoping for a fuller, more complex flavor and either some tart or sour notes. I was anxious to try the new Sam Adams Barrel Room Collection, but can't say I'm a fan of this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 00:07:37 | More by drumrboy22

portia99

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Cool 750ml bottle poured into a Portsmouth goblet.

A - Pours a crystal clear, beautiful ruby red color with a full 3 fingers of rose colored foam sitting on top. The head lingers for a moment and starts a fast and active descent with bubbles noticeably popping on the way down to the surface of the beer. Tons of nice lacing on the glass.

S - Sweet cherry aroma, slight alcoholic nature - almost like a cherry liqueur. Not much else in here. The cherry smells pretty good, but its all by itself...not much complexity.

T - Cherry up front, a bit of tartness but really in a subdued way. A bunch of wood in the flavor as well. Wood is actually a bit too much in my opinion, gives it a little bit of a weird aftertaste and doesn't blend that well with the rest of the beer...almost a wood beer with some cherry added...although the cherry comes out much more as the beer warms, improving the overall flavor. Summing things up, its not bad, but not near the top of my favorites list in the wild ale category. Doesn't taste very "wild" either.

M - Thin in body, very water like in feel or maybe an undercarbonated soda. Undercarbonated for a soda, but pretty good for me in this beer. Nice and fizzy, but not distracting or harsh on the tongue. Fairly smooth for being so active.

D - For a wild ale, there isn't much going on. Really no funk at all, just a touch of tartness from the cherries. A decent fruit beer and I wouldn't be disappointed to have another... but I think I'm spoiled by having the NG Belgian Red on several occasions (which is sooo good). Definitely worth a try, but doesn't blow me away.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2009 00:52:04 | More by portia99

Patrick

Massachusetts

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

A: Pours a dark ruby color, think black cherry juice. A three finger pink head froths above the beer leaving lots of thin pink lacing.

S: The smell is of black cherries, vanilla, oak, and some sugary fruitiness. Great smell, though it is lacking the tartness of an American Wild Ale.

T: Nice sweet cherry flavor up front that quickly turns to a juicy tart cherry flavor. Nice amounts of vanilla and oak round out the finish. No tartness from any wild yeast though. All I am getting is some phenols from Belgian yeast.

M: Well carbonated, juicy, slightly tannic, slightly dry, medium bodied.

D: Nice beer, reminds me of New Glarus Belgian Red. Would make a great after dinner beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2009 23:42:37 | More by Patrick

BostonBrewins

Massachusetts

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

A - Poured a transparent ruby red into a flute glass. Head dissipated very quickly. Judging by the amount of carbonation bubbles it looks very carbonated.

S - Sweet cherry scent very faint initially, becomes stronger after 5 minutes or so.

T - Based on its appearance and smell I was expecting cherry soda, but I am pleasantly surprised that the black cherry flavor is fairly rich and slightly smoky.

M - Acidic and highly carbonated, yet there is a smooth creaminess as well. Much smoother with time.

D - Overall not too bad, pretty straightforward with some depth as well.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 16:54:59 | More by BostonBrewins