Big Sky Kriek - Big Sky Brewing Company

zhanson88

Montana

2.03/5  rDev -14%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Bottle 2836/3600. Vintage 2010.

Appearance: Pours a murky ruby color with about a half inch of off white head. Very little retention, and no lacing at all. Not bad looking, but not really that appealing either.

Smell: Very oaky, lots of vanilla, and lots of cherry scents. The cherry smells sickly sweet, and the overall scent is not appealing.

Taste: Strong, sweet cherry flavors initially. Oak and vanilla follows. There's a lot of alcohol heat on the back end - I can tell this beer is 10% ABV.

Mouthfeel/Overall: Medium bodied with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is heavy for the style with not enough carbonation. It adds to the cloying nature of this beer. Overall, I was not a fan of this offering. Way too sweet. I couldn't finish much of it.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 01:36:48 | More by zhanson88

Zbeetleman

California

3/5  rDev +27.1%

05-16-2013 02:58:39 | More by Zbeetleman

UCLABrewN84

California

3.26/5  rDev +38.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Bottle I brought to share at Wowcoolman's tasting.

Thanks to podunkparte for gifting me this one.

Bottle # 1068/3600. 2010 vintage.

Pours a murky reddish-brown with a foamy bone head that fades to nothing. Small dots of lace slowly drip into the remaining beer on the drink down. Smell is of malt, cherry, vanilla, cardboard, and slight vegetal aromas. Taste is much the same with cherry and cardboard flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of acidity on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an above average beer that really isn't as bad as I was expecting it to be based on its reputation.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 02:05:12 | More by UCLABrewN84

drewone

California

2.75/5  rDev +16.5%

04-22-2013 02:49:20 | More by drewone

superspak

Michigan

2.43/5  rDev +3%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

750 ml bottle into tulip glass; bottle 315 of 3600, 2010 vintage. Pours lightly cloudy red orange color with a 1-2 finger frothy pink head with horrible retention, that reduces to nothing very quickly. No lacing on the glass, and a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lightly tart cherry, cherry skin, oak, red wine, light vinegar, hay, funk, earth, pepper, clove, and earthy yeast spiciness. Pretty decent aromas with ok balance and complexity of fruit and barrel notes. Taste of lightly tart cherry, cherry skin, oak, red wine, light vinegar, hay, light funk, earth, pepper, clove, and earthy yeast esters. Light earthy tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of light tart cherry, red wine, oak, cherry skin, light vinegar, clove, earth, hay, and earthy yeast esters on the finish for a while. Fairly decent flavor with ok balance and complexity of fruity and barrel notes; with a fair amount of cloying sweetness present after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and fairly full bodied; with a very syrupy, slick, and lightly prickly mouthfeel that is a bit unpleasant. Alcohol is moderately well hidden with a moderate warming present after the finish. This is very difficult to drink; have to take very tiny sips. Overall this is a pretty unpleasant Kriek. Decent flavor balance and complexity of barrel and fruit character; but very hard to drink with the alcohol and mouthfeel. I think they would have been better off doing a lower gravity fruit beer for this one. Drain poured the rest.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 04:15:11 | More by superspak

CaptainNomihodai

Illinois

2.25/5  rDev -4.7%

02-28-2013 06:09:56 | More by CaptainNomihodai

pmoney

Illinois

1/5  rDev -57.6%

01-21-2013 16:34:33 | More by pmoney

beertunes

Washington

1.75/5  rDev -25.8%

01-11-2013 23:49:00 | More by beertunes

MDF1IBetty

1.75/5  rDev -25.8%

11-24-2012 01:47:00 | More by MDF1IBetty

SageO

California

1.25/5  rDev -47%

11-11-2012 23:43:16 | More by SageO

atone315

Wisconsin

2.5/5  rDev +5.9%

10-29-2012 21:57:49 | More by atone315

TonyTalon

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev +27.1%

10-29-2012 01:13:44 | More by TonyTalon

corby112

Pennsylvania

1.35/5  rDev -42.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

2010 vintage, Bottle 3453/3600

Pours a dark ruby red color with a half finger off-white head that immediately disappears without any lacing.

Syrupy medicinal aroma with subtle oak and vinous fruit. The barrel character is faint and the nose is dominated by sweet cherry juice. Light spice presence but not much else going on expect cherry cough syrup.

Medium bodied with more carbonation than the appearance suggests. Metallic with strong zesty spicy, herbal/medicinal cough syrup, artificial cherry juice and burning hot alcohol in the finish. The barrel presence is non existent without a trace of oak or red wine. All peppery spice, cough syrup, artificial cherry flavoring and hot booze. Really harsh and very difficult to drink. I could only a few ounces before dumping it.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 06:43:20 | More by corby112

drpimento

Wisconsin

2.2/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured this at a good temperature with an average sized, light tan, fizzy head that immediately disppeared and no lace. Color is a slightly hazy apricot with some tiny bubble trails. Aroma is totally dominated by yeast, then hints of cherry, oak, malt. Flavor is cherry, oak, carbonic tang in a not so appealing blend. Body and carbonation are ok. Bad burps. Finish is long with a kind of mediciney cherry, oak, and boozy. Don't know if I'll finish it.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 23:54:01 | More by drpimento

sweemzander

Illinois

1.65/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

750mL corked & caged bottle poured into a tulip.

(A)- Pours a murky blood red color. Some white bubbles formed.

(S)- A spicy cherry & dry oak profile. Hints at a sweaty sock coming through.

(T)- Again, a very spicy/zesty cherry oak. Again, a bit funky, but in a bad sewer water thing.

(M)- A decent carbonation level. Quite disjointed and not sure what it wants to be. It even feels a bit hot ABV + booze.

(O)- Not sure of what to give this since it is just a bit too odd and disjointed to be something really cohesive and complete, let alone giving it the name "Kriek." Not even close.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 15:32:40 | More by sweemzander

cnbrown313

Illinois

1.9/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Picked up a 750ml bottle for $12.99.

A - Pours a reddish brown color with very little carbonation. Looks almost like a warm apple cider in a glass, but nothing out of the ordinary for the style.

S - Yikes... the smell is quite offensive! It smells like either something got infected or went wrong in the bottle. It has a strongly acidic smell.

T - At first the taste isn't too bad, although it never tastes like a Kriek should. At first it tastes a little bit like wood and cherry, but that is followed by a rotten, acidic taste. The aftertaste is like a combination of rotten onions and dirty dishwater. I couldn't make it thorough one glass of this.

M - The mouthfeel was medium, and normal for the style. But it was also lacking most of the carbonation.

O - Avoid, if at all possible...

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 19:50:29 | More by cnbrown313

dubinsky

California

1.13/5  rDev -52.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

I really have no desire to review this crappy beer but want to make sure that no one else has the same experience I had. This beer is undrinkable. it pours a murky brown color, smells rotten and tastes awful. Enough said. I can't imagine they released a beer that was so bad knowingly. Something must of happened in the bottle. stay clear of this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 03:05:32 | More by dubinsky

mychalg9

Illinois

2.68/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Bought this on a whim for $14. Take that for what it's worth.

Decided to break it out on Saturday night to share with my brother. He didn't know what the style was supposed to taste like, so I guess it had that going for it.

It looked ok in the glass, and smelled decent even, a bit tart with some cherry and oak. The taste actually starts out decent on the front end: sour/tart cherries with some oak, but it turns south halfway through all the way to the finish. I don't really know what happened, it just drops off a cliff into sub-mediocrity. The mouthfeel was the only redeeming factor I guess, it was decently carbonated and left my mouth "feeling" happy, at least. I warmed up to drinking it (possibly because of the high alcohol) and managed to finish the bottle (my half at least), so it wasn't a total loss seeing that I got a bit of enjoyment out of drinking it. I wouldn't buy it again I don't think unless it cost considerably less (and by that I mean the $1 dollar bin). I usually like Big Sky's beers but this one didn't impress me at all.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 18:37:22 | More by mychalg9

danp14

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev +37.7%

07-22-2012 16:21:22 | More by danp14

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

2.6/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

thanks to TATURBO for sharinging this beer. Thanks Chris.

Vintage 2010; bottle 874 of 3600.

reviewed from notes taken on 7/17/12.

Appearance: hazy red bodied beer with a white cap drops quickly to no head at all.

Smell: Big vinegar and tart cherries. Hints of earthy oak and sweet vanilla. This beer seriously smell wonderful.

Taste: Wooooh. What happened here? This beer does not tast anything like ut smells. Really sweet cherries with not a hint of sour notes. Little bit of oak barrel is in there. Has a vegital aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with a moderate carbonation. Little bit of booze and its a touch cloyingly sweet.

Overall: This was a bit of a wierd beer. The nose tells you that this beer will be delicous then you taste it and its just not what you would expect, caught me off guard.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 22:09:07 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

Duff27

Illinois

2.33/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Quick dissipating fizzy head on a murky pink/red body. No head, no lacing.

Smell is the perfect of sour tarty vinegar and sweetness.

Downhill from the nose. Make my face do stupid things, hard to describe. Really sweet, oaky. Yelch.

Above average carbonation. Medium mouthfeel.

Never had a beer where the nose and taste were so different. I could smell this all day but never want it to touch my tongue again. Thanks TATURBO?

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 01:26:58 | More by Duff27

womencantsail

California

1.63/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

This beer is terrible. Reddish color with a nice murkiness and a small head. Aroma is just bad. A bit of bile along with onions to start things off. A mild fruit/cherry character followed by a heavy dose of celery. Tastes like pruno/cheap wine with a little bit of cherry. A very strong vegetable character which is far from pleasing. Bah.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 22:04:54 | More by womencantsail

ehammond1

California

1.75/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Bottle

Sour Fest 2012
Stone Brew Co.
Escondido, CA

Hazy dark brown and ruby in color with low carbonation. This looks oily and doesn't leave much mess down the glass.

Heavy vegetable aroma, with some earth and mud, along with what I guess is cherry, but I don't think I would have called it that unknowingly. There's some distinct gourd and dirt characters, as well.

The flavor is no better than the aroma, and in truth, it's hardly drinkable. Vegetable forward flavors with some metal and earth, along with a strange acid note. Why in the world is this 10%? There's good amounts of booze notes in here also.

Medium bodied with low carbonation.

San Diego's tap water is exponentially more drinkable than this vile concoction.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 03:10:15 | More by ehammond1

PacNWDad

Washington

3/5  rDev +27.1%

07-01-2012 05:33:46 | More by PacNWDad

51mmz0rz

New Jersey

3.15/5  rDev +33.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

If you're looking for bottle 1703 of 3600 (2010), I am about to drink it. This cork was hard to get out, almost broke, so be careful. Poured into a 0.5L Duvel tulip.

A: Furious carbonation in this one seen coming off the etch in the bottom of this glass. Head was large but fades instantly. Body is deep red brown.

S: Quite stinky. Not really sour, but more sulfuric, cabbage like. Some hit of cherry sweetness behind it.

T: Boozy, highly carbonated nice flavor up front almost quad like hot Belgian yeast flavors. One dimensional. There's also a fair amount of off flavor here.

M: Way too carbonated, even for this style.

D: I was actually getting used to the veggie flavors...this is not a drain pour. I also wouldn't consider this a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 01:43:54 | More by 51mmz0rz