Kerasus - Picobrouwerij Alvinne / Den Bierzolder

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Gingerman NYC. Crimson color, with a bit of a pink head. Head disappears to a thing ring quickly.

Sour cherry notes up front. Earthy notes, with a bit of perfume. A bit funky and earthy.

Not much sweetness up front. Subtle sour cherry notes, and a bit heavier on the earthy and funky notes. Quite dry at the finish.

Lighter body, carbonation is very smooth. Alcohol is a non-factor. Not bad.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2012 19:04:22 | More by Bierguy5

TheSupremeAJ

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Trapp Door in Upper Milford Township, PA.

10oz pour in a snifter. Apperance is very murky and deep- almost like a cloudy maroon wine with a thin white head. Carbonation is visible. The aroma is astounding- funky, vinous, sour cherry. The taste is like a *POW* *WHAM* *PUNCH* of glorious sour funk... very tart. The mouthfeel is moderately thin, smooth on the finish. Overall a very good brew I would have more often if it were more ubiquitous.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2012 23:20:46 | More by TheSupremeAJ

mrfrancis

Kentucky

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear ruby with a thin white mousse.

S: Aromas of cider vinegar, pomegranate, and tart cherries are immediately noticeable.

T: A sharp, tannic entry reveals notes of tart cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, oak, leather, gooseberry, and cider vinegar. The finish is extremely tart with notes of mixed fruit and vinegar.

M: Slick light-to-medium body with firm, prickly carbonation. Dries out a bit on the finish. Very drinkable. I could see this being a well above-average thirst quencher.

O: Another impressive effort from Alvinne. I really like this little sour and would happily go out of my way to find it again.

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2012 17:22:29 | More by mrfrancis

Viciousknishs

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- pours deep red with a half a finger of pinkish head.

S- red wine like tannins with notes of leather, tart cherries and cranberry. Finishes with a touch of basalmic.

T- big tart acidity up front with a basalmic character. The middle is tart cherries, cherry pit and cranberry. Finishes with leather and a touch of vineous red wine.

MF- slick oily mouthfeel with a medium body and caressing fine carbonation.

D- nice drinkability.

Overall a superb brew! Lots of complexity and tartness.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 03:16:58 | More by Viciousknishs

russwbeck

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-Tap at Churchkey around Zwanze Day

Blood red pour almost to brown. No head whatsoever. Barnyard funk and dark fruits predominantly on the smell. Not acidic at all. The dark fruit really dominates the taste. Funk and slight acidity sit on the back and finish the taste with a bang. Very much like a wine. Medium bodied, heavy for a sour. Slight tinge of carbonation. I really liked this. Complex, but not overly acidic, and tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2011 09:16:00 | More by russwbeck

Halcyondays

California

4.28/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Beachwood II,

A: Pours a deep red with a minimal bubbly head, some lace.

S: Deep vinegar/acetic nose with a lot of cherry and raspberry.

T: Cherries, oak and vanilla, with a lot of acetic acid. Very tasty, the fruit and the barrel character is well balanced.

M: Medium to high acidity, acetic quality. Fizzy carbonation, quite crisp.

O: This was a fantastic ale, a great cherry beer, well worth a pickup.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2011 00:00:04 | More by Halcyondays

Chaney

District of Columbia

2.95/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I had this on tap at Churchkey as part of a warm up act at Zwanze Day 2011.

A: Dark, blood red, with an extremely cloudy disposition and absolutely no head or bubbles whatsoever. This would make Vlad the Impaler go into heat!

S: Tart cherries (tasted like Bing cherries to me), and I could use this as a cleaning agent because of it's vinegar content.

T: Not quite as intense as the nose, but still fairly morbid. So dry on the finish that it almost became watery, and the oak was so prevalent that it almost tasted like someone added a shitload of vanilla extract into the brew.

M: Like I stated, this was very vinegary, but there wasn't much fruit to back that up. No bubbles or anything that might even be construed as lacing.

O: Even though this didn't really work as a beer at all to my mind, with a little bit of tweaking, this might make on hell of a salad dressing!

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2011 02:02:19 | More by Chaney

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Churchkey yesterday. Served in a mini snifter.

Pours ruby with almost no head. There's a strong note of cherry and a bit light oak. Faint lactic acid there as well, though this gets quite a bit stronger in the flavor. Moderate cherry in the flavor. Light body and some moderate carbonation. Tart cherry and dryness in the finish. Quite tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2011 16:41:56 | More by Thorpe429

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood Brewing

A: The beer pours a murky amber/red color with a small off-white head.

S: An interesting blend of cherry pie and raspberry. There's a bit of vinegar and lemony tartness. A mild malt aroma and sweetness, perhaps some oak and grass, too.

T: Sweet cherry pie and vinegar flavors dominate this one. It's a very simple beer, but very sour. There is also a fair bit of lemon and perhaps some light raspberry notes to it.

M: Medium in body with low to medium carbonation.

O: Very sour and acetic, but overall pretty nice.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2011 00:53:32 | More by womencantsail

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a clear light red color ale with a large bubbly head with average retention and limited lacing. Aroma of oak and sour cherries with light acidic notes is very enjoyable and refreshing. Taste is a nice mix between some oak notes with sour cherries. Well balanced tart notes with a light acidic touch. Body is quite full for style with great carbonation. Well brewed with great drinkability and complexity notes.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 02:31:32 | More by Phyl21ca

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a reddish color with an off-white head. The aroma is heavy on the dark fruit with some brown sugar and oak aged notes. Fairly complex and very enjoyable. The aroma is more of the same. I get some lightly tart dark fruit, strawberries and cherries, as well as some oak aging notes. The tartness is fairly minimal. The beer is easy to drink. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2011 02:25:54 | More by Mora2000

beerpirates

Belgium

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

33 cl bottel poured into my cantillon glass

A : Hazy ruby red with a small, mostly fading, pink head.

S : Pleasant, mildly tart aroma of cherry and strawberries and some sweet sugar.
T : Sweetish and slightly acidic cherry flavor with mild, dry tartness in the finish. Not very sour at this point
M : Light to medium body, slightly watery with mediumn carbonation.
D : very easy to drink , no alcohol detected

a decent - although quite thin - fruit beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 20:07:17 | More by beerpirates

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.65/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a dark cherry red with no head. Smells of tart cherries and cranberries. The cranberry is especially pronounced on the finish. The taste exhibits very tart cherry- a bit watery and somewhat thin, but clean. More cranberry on the finish. Somewhat one-dimensional, but not bad. A little too thin and watery in the mouth, which emphasizes the tartness. Still, fairly refreshing and interesting. It's not Cantillon, but it could be it's baby brother. I did enjoy it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2010 03:05:28 | More by Georgiabeer

drabmuh

Maryland

3.35/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The tap menu called this "Oak Kerasus" but it was from this brewery so I'll assume it is the same as this entry unless someone wants to correct me.

Beer is red with no head, no noticable carbonation and no lacing on the glass. It appears to be pretty clear.

Dominant cherry aroma, citric / lactic sour notes, some subtle funk and perhaps a bit of woodiness.

The beer is really thin. Its OK for sours to attenuate really really low, but this seems to disappear the second I start to drink it. There is also little flavor and depth of character. The cherry flavor that was showcased in the aroma is nearly absent in the beer and there is only mild sourness. Overall its just OK, nothing special or great here.

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2010 16:39:11 | More by drabmuh

Travlr

District of Columbia

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Dark maroon color, slightly thin, with a two bubble head that disappears quickly.
S: Aroma is of chocolate covered cherries and roasted malts, some vanilla in the background.
T: Flavor has more cherries than beer, with a slightly sour finish.
M: body is a bit on the thin side, but decent.
D: Nice brew, but needs better balance. The 2009 batch was made with cherry mash - the batch brewed for release in 2010 was made with whole cherries, and should be a considerable improvement.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2010 16:47:00 | More by Travlr

easement

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours ruby red with little head. There is a slight ring of carbonation around the rim. carbonation explodes in your mouth.

The aroma is fruit (sherries) with some barnyard.

The taste is sharp sour that increases, but doesn't go over the edge. it fades quickly into a malt backbone and then lingers with cherry flavor.

The mouthfeel is really thin which pairs well with the beer.

Because it's not super sour, I could drink multiple ones in a session.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2009 21:29:04 | More by easement

Beertracker

Oklahoma

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The Alvinne Kerasus pours up surprisingly flat, but creates enough carbonation to muster a weakish, thinly laced pinkish-white head that barely rises above the bright, plum cherry body. The aroma is expectactly fruity with some tart/cordial cherry notes followed by a hint of earthiness. The flavor is quite fruity (Bing cherry, black cherry) with just a hint of sourness, Marzipan nuttiness & cherry pit bitterness. This fruit beer is overly focused on the cherries and really lacks sufficient body & maltiness (sweetness) to carry the fruitiness. Kerasus makes for a good appertif or even a nice base for a beer cocktail, but not as interesting as some of their other brews. Glad to have had the oppurtunity to try it on draught at the Redlight-Redlight in Orlando.

CHEERS! Beertracker

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2009 20:52:06 | More by Beertracker

jophish17

Georgia

2.83/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

30cl pour at Brick Store Pub

Aroma: light smells of tartness and cherry

Appearance: I love the way a kriek looks, dark red in color with a bit of pink in the half inch of head. Kinda girlish, but I still like it

Taste: disappointing! Much like the smell, very light bits of cherry and wild yeast driven funk.

Feel: I know its not supposed to be heavy but at the same time its too thin for me. Tasted like flavored water, much like a Fanta

Drinkability: not hard at all to drink, but not one I will be grabbing again.

I'd like to think this is supposed to be a lambic, but I think the taste makes it more appropriate for the fruit/veggie beer listing it currently has. With that in mind, I'm probably being too harsh, but its still a beer I don't care to spend my money on ever again

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2009 16:23:57 | More by jophish17

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours completely flat. Brown with thick ruby hues. Nose is mild Brett tones. Flavor is....weak. Mild cherry tones. Mild sour and funk. Vinegar tones. Feel is a bit biting on the carbonation and the liquid is typical. Well. This beer is a waste of time (money and liver too for that matter!) Flavor barely hits and vanishes way too soon. Feel is thin like water. Not a horrid beer, but nowhere near where it should be for the style from a lambic purists point of view. If you pass on trying this one, you won't be missing anything IMO. In fact at these prices, I might as well have grabbed another bottle of Ithaca Brute and have the guarantee of making babies in my pants whilst drinking.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2009 21:46:31 | More by RblWthACoz

brc

Michigan

4.63/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 33cl bottle into tulip. Best by Jan 2014, lot 280 on cap. Label is in Dutch, but says "Morpheus wild yeast inside". Pictures of cherries on label. Another note: label has 6% ABV, Alvinne's website lists 5.5%.

Pour a very fizzy head, bright pink, which fades quickly. Head acts more like soda than beer. Color of the liquid is deep ruby.

Has smells in common with lambic kriek, a bit of mustiness or cellar smell along with cherry aroma. Smelling it makes my brain tell my mouth to pucker.

It has a lovely tartness. Not overpoweringly sour at all, very pleasant. Nice cherry taste, dry finish.

Very fizzy mouthfeel, like champagne.

Very drinkable - no offputting flavors that some sour ales have, no overwhelming sourness. I wish I bought a case.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2009 21:29:56 | More by brc