Oud Beersel Oude Kriek Vieille - Brouwerij Oud Beersel

seand

California

4.23/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a deep fruit-punch red with a fair amount of frothy pink head. Just a ring around the edge of the glass retains, leaving thin walls of lacing.

S: Cherry pie, raisins, spice, and mild funk.

T: Starts tart and light. A little thicker through the mid palate, still with a strong sour cherry note. The funk comes through in the finish, balancing the tartness a bit.

M: Light bodied to start, medium to finish, medium carbonation.

Overall, an enjoyable and balanced lambic. Not sweet, not overly tart, not overly funky, and the flavors are well constructed. It's still not my favorite style of beer, but I'd have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 01:39:00 | More by seand

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a cloudy opaque light garnet red in color with moderate amounts of visible carbonation near the surface of the beer. There is also moderate amounts of yeast particles towards the bottom of the glass. The beer has a half finger tall fizzy pinkish purple head that quickly reduces to a very small patch of thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal abouts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of funkiness and sour cherries - this beer has a fairly sour smell. There are also some light aromas of yeast spiciness.

T: The dominant flavor for this beer is the sour cherries. In the sour cherry flavor, there is a fair amount of oak and lighter notes of yeast spiciness. Additionally there is a fair amount of funk to the flavor as well.

M: Light bodied with light amounts of carbonation. Slightly prickly on the tongue from the tartness and dry in the finish.

O: While I personally found this beer to be very enjoyable and easy to drink, I could see this beer being tough for folks that are not huge fans of the more funky fruit lambics (it is not sweet like some of the others in the style). I don't think of this as a sessionable beer but I would say that is mostly true for the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 23:25:58 | More by dbrauneis

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

375 ml bottled 27.06.2007

Appearance. Pours a murky pink-peach with a finger of pale pink, bubbly head.

Smell. Big sweet and sour cherries, some old wet wood and spicy funk. Smells really, really good!

Taste. Awesome sour cherries, some smooth wood and just the faintest hint of cinnamon and spice

Mouthfeel. Medium body, medium-low carbonation. Not as fine and lively as others.

Overall. This beer is 5 years old and the cherry smell and taste is still absolutely amazing. Would love to try an older one!!

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 02:56:57 | More by Rutager

shleepy

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served from 750 bottle into tulip glasses.

A: Cranberry red, bordering on purple, with very pink, medium-sized head.

S: Funky "cellar" notes and cherries.

T: Excellently balanced levels of sourness, oak, horseblanket funk, and cherries galore.

M: Very pleasant mouthfeel. Medium body / carbonation.

O: Honestly, I've had a lot of kriek, and this is probably the best common, mass-produced one (including Cantillon). Other krieks generally suffer from an inbalance of some sort - too sour, too funky, etc. This one is good, all around, and also happens to have the smoothest mouthfeel. I believe that it won our blind tasting of all the krieks that we could find locally, when we had one with a small group of friends. Cantillon Lou Pepe is the only kriek that is on a higher level, and it's there on its own.

I should mention that some of the Oud Beersel krieks and gueuzes we tried in the SF Bay Area seemed to have an unpleasant metallic flavor to them in most of 2011, and were then back to normal. It was especially noticeable in the gueuzes. So, I think that they may suffer from some inconsistency issues / poor quality control, or else the importers handled the bottles badly... We first thought it was limited to bottles from Lunardi's, but then realized that the taste was present, regardless of the local source. That said, as of 2012, they seem just fine... There may still some very slight metallic flavor, but nothing unusual.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 22:34:25 | More by shleepy

srandycarter

California

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - One BEAUTIFUL beer. Purple hue, purple huge head, purple haze (lace).

S - Cooked and tart cherries, a small amount of funk.

T - Tart, cooked cherries evident, fairly dry and refreshing.

M - Medium body, good carb, nice balance.

D - I could drink this one all night. Does it come in a keg?

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 03:23:08 | More by srandycarter

superspak

Michigan

4.63/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

375 ml bottle into tulip glass, best by 4/10/2029. Pours cloudy brick red color with a foamy 2 finger pink head with good retention that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Slight wisps of lacing on the glass, with a good amount of carbonation streaming up retaining a head. Aromas of huge tart cherry, cherry skin, wet hay, grass, earth, pepper, leather, bread, oak, funk, and yeast spiciness. Fantastic aromas here with big complexity and balance. Taste of big tart cherry, lemon, cherry skin, pepper, grass, wet hay, earth, must, bread, oak, leather, funk, and yeast spiciness. Good amount of tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of tart cherry, cherry skin, earth, pepper, oak, and funk on the finish for a good bit. Incredible flavor complexity; with fantastic sour/sweet balance, which makes this very easy to sip on. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a fairy acidic and slightly syrupy mouthfeel as expected, with plenty of very crisp and balanced carbonation. Alcohol is essentially invisible, and this is super easy to sip on despite acidity. Overall this is an absolutely incredible sour Kriek. Huge complexity in flavor and aromas, with fantastic balance. Wow.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 03:11:23 | More by superspak

flagmantho

Washington

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 375mL corked & caged bottle into a tulip. Best before 6/28/2031 -- love these Oud Beersel guys.

Appearance: rich, hazy cherry-red hue with a thick finger of creamy pink foam. Pretty much what I expect from a good kriek.

Smell: lightly tart, acidic funk with an underpinning of cherry character. A touch of sweetness comes through in the aroma.

Taste: tart and lightly sweet, the cherry character is subdued and only comes through at the end. A hint of funk keeps things interesting. This beer is fairly balanced, although a little more cherry character would be welcome.

Mouthfeel: light body with a big carbonation and a big but ephemeral creaminess. Not bad.

Overall: this is quite a good beer, but for me, I like a little bit more cherry character in my krieks. Would I go after this beer again? Probably not, but I certainly wouldn't turn one down.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 20:59:19 | More by flagmantho

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.15/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a lovely brown-tinged red-colour, with a fine pink head. To be honest, it's certainly a kriek-hued deep blood red colour, but you have to expect a certain hue from a kriek. Minimally fine head, with not lacing, and a soft, but rather obligatory carbonation. Overall, it's good; could be better.

Nose is excellent, however. Really pleasant plasticky gueuze like funk giving a strong and forward intensity to the brew. The cherries leaven and support the sharp acidity, but really, they're not at the forefront. Instead, you get a pronounced, classic gueuze/lambic like funk. And I love it.

Taste is a little lighter, and here, the kriek character actually detracts from rather than accentuates the pleasantness from the funk. It gives a slight colour to the acidity, but otherwise it provides something of a distraction. In many ways, this is just a good straight lambic, but it just reminds me what a good beer the Gueuze Vieulle is, and what an intrusion the cherry forms.

Really, it's a good beer, but it's a beer that detracts from its progenitor. I almost wish I had tried this first (being as it is, a very good kriek). But having had the Gueuze, I can't help but compare it to that, and the addition really does it no favours.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 09:55:42 | More by lacqueredmouse

Giovacchini

California

4.28/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- pours a hazy red with a thin pink head.

S- oak, strong tart cherry aroma, and funky yeast.

T- sour cherries, cranberry, oak, some alcohol, and vinegar.

M- puckering tartness, mild carbonation and a nice dry mouthfeel.

O- I enjoyed this lambic. I am very interested in this style of beer and I have to say this one was very delicious. I plan on trying it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 03:48:54 | More by Giovacchini

pisano

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 vintage served out of 375 ml bottle at cellar temp.

a: pours hazy scarlet red with pink two finger foamy head, which dissipates fairly quickly to a thin layer.

s: cherries, oak, funk.

t: sour cherries, pleasant sourness with slight sweetness.

m: nice light body with a good amount of carbonation and a dry finish similar to champagne.

o: a very refreshing and drinkable lambic.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 14:37:39 | More by pisano

danieelol

Australia

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Chris @ Slowbeer.

Pours a nice dark red colour with vaguely red white head and lacing.

Smell is marshmallows, slight corn, light fireworks. Strawberry fairy floss. There is some malt left in here. Nice, bit more fruity than funky.

Taste is a well balanced sour-sweet. Lots of strawberry.

Mouthfeel is wispy and spiderwebby. Lots of fairy floss. Picking up some sugar on a relatively thin base.

To my tastes could be a little drier but overall a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 02:58:21 | More by danieelol

beerandcycling88

Washington

3.83/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 375 ml bottle into a snifter.

A Pours a darkish red with a very slight head.

S Lots of fruity raspberry and cherry with a nice barnyard type funk.

T Again lots of very tart raspberry with a bit of cherry. Not much in the way of sweetness, just tart.

M Light with pretty solid carbonation

Overall this is a pretty good lambic and quite an enjoyable drink. I would pick this up again.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 02:00:28 | More by beerandcycling88

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

375 ml bottle, best before June 28, 2031, poured into a wine glass.

A- Pours a dark cherry color, topped with a fizzy pink head, has pretty good retention, leaves little lacing.

S- Smells just like a cherry pie, really great cherry aroma, some tart yeast funk.

T- Big tart yeasty flavors, nice cherry flavors, dry oak tannins, lingering tartness, sweetness is minimal, definitely leans toward the sour side.

M- Light bodied, well carbonated with a crisp, dry feel.

O- A pretty excellent kriek, anyone who likes really tart lambics will enjoy this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 05:03:29 | More by WillCarrera

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Cork and cage.

Poured redish pink with zero head or lacing.

Bright cherries with funk, lemon and cranberry. Very light and fruity.

Massive cherries with a nice barnyard finish. Slight dry with a lingering tart finish.

Awesome carbonation and light feel.

Probably the most balanced and least funk forward lambic I've ever experienced. Wonderful.treat on my vacation to compliment my meal.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 00:17:19 | More by korguy123

amphion1065

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle, with a 28 10 2029 "Best before" date. Served in a Duvel tulip. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a dark, ruby red. A deep purple, one-finger head with wonderful retention forms. A really delightful appearance.

Lots of tart cherries in the nose, with a deep lactic tartness throughout. It's funky and sour, but the fruit flavors still really shine. Perhaps a little more sweetness than I'd like, but it's certainly not a turn-off.

This is very, very cherry-forward. Overwhelmingly sweet, with just a slight sour twang. A vinous, slightly wild yeast component is largely subdued by the cherries at play. Vanilla comes through as well.

This is a touch undercarbonated, though not terribly so. The tartness is mild enough that this never becomes exhausting to the palate.

Totally fine, and pretty tasty. I can't really dock the fruit for being too vibrant, but a slightly deeper level of complexity and sourness would certainly help.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 16:38:08 | More by amphion1065

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: 3/4" pink head that dissipated quickly over cloudy red liquid.

S: Funk, oak, yeast and cherries.

T: Yeast, oak, funk and sour cherries. Quite nice and refreshing.

M: Medium viscosity and a high level of fine carbonation.

O: Excellent lambic that is up there with Cantillon in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 22:09:21 | More by DaftCaskBC

csiewert

Oregon

4.03/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a ruby red color out of its bottle into a tulip glass.

A-today color, not much head but just the right amount of have. Laces well.

S-tart roght up front... Let it cool down a little and the cherries begin to peak out

T-tart Cherie's overwhelms the flavor... But not in a bad way... Peppery aftertaste.

M-slightly acidic leftover, but is to be expected... No other harsh afterfecra, just lingering cherry

O-great kriek... Would definitely get again

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 10:37:24 | More by csiewert

Keffa

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Steve, thanks man.

Live review.

Poured into a Duvel tulip.

A: Pours a dark red, 1 finger pink tinged head settles into a small cap, a little light lacing.

S: Oaky, funky, acidic; main components are joined by cherries and a light sweetness. Musty too. Good.

T: Cherries, oaky, funk, slight acidity and vinegar. Leans heavily towards the acidic side of sour. No abv detected. Acidic finish is accompanied by drying Brett.

M: Decent carbonation, light side of medium, coating.

O: Good. No expectations going in, and none coming out. Good for what it is, and well worth trying. Just don't expect super sour on this one. It's more acidic.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 07:35:49 | More by Keffa

danedelman

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a large sniffter glass

A-pale strawberry red color with a nice tight bubbled head that hangs around for quite a while.

S-funky cherry smell. goat cheese. some wheat, sourness very present.

T-fairly tart with a small amount of black cherry flavor, not like lindemans which is sweet. pretty dry but does have a nice sweetness to it. Funky from the wild fermentation which of course I love!! at this point it is too cold, I will come back.

M-bubbly and smooth. tart feels great in the back of the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 21:50:41 | More by danedelman

bump8628

Oklahoma

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pale red with a pretty pink head of bubbles of that fades quickly. Nice balance of acidity and tartness. The cherry seems to soften the sourness and mute some of the funkier lambic characteristics. Hay and lemon peel seem to be the most prominent flavors emerging from the sourness. Perfect dryness and spot-on carbonation. A well done, if not understated Kriek.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 21:24:00 | More by bump8628

fragilehearted

Texas

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375ml bottle, corked and caged, into a snifter. Best till March 2030? Yeah, couldn't wait that long. ;)

A - dark rosy red, cloudy. 1.5 finger pink head, goes down slowly to a ring that sticks around. No lace.

S - oh so delicious. Tart cherries, smells fairly sour. Lots of musty funk. Lemon, oak. Seriously delightful!

T - Puckering sourness and acidity. More of the funk comes into the taste than the cherries. Cherries are sour, but not as present as in the smell. The sour lemon comes through moreso than the cherries, and the oak finishes this one off. The lack of cherries would be my only criticism here.

M - medium bodied. Perfect amount of carbonation. Pretty dry finish.

D/O - very good lambic. Would have liked a little more fruit, but leaps and bounds better than the ones that are syrupy - this is not.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 06:43:46 | More by fragilehearted

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Corked and caged 375ml bottle, best by March 10, 2030.

It pours a murky pink/red, has a +1 finger of pinkish foam and is loaded with lacing.

Can you just smell the cherries? A little bit sweet, very much tart. And I'm getting a few whiffs of the oak in between the layers of cherry. This smells fine.

The taste is what I'd expect from a beer labeled Lambic Fruit. Cherries up front bringing mild cherry sweet with a base of tart cherries and an underlying oak influence. Just the right amount of each to make this so easy drinking and enjoyable. I had their Framboise earlier and it, imho, didn't come together as well as this. There's a hint or 2 of some Brett but I won't stand behind that statement.

On the upper end of light bodied with a brisk level of carbonation, the mouthfeel is quite lively and the beer is, like I said, a joy to drink. A very well executed beer for the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 17:23:15 | More by Bitterbill

drtth

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into a Duvel tulip glass. Glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically. The best by date is 10 Mar., 2030

Appearance: As poured the beer is a mostly clear dark ruby red color with a 1 ½” light pink head that has a few nice billowy hills and valleys as it slowly recedes. Eventually the foam recedes to a ring around the glass and thin swirls of foam on the surface. Sipping leaves a few speckles of lacing, some of which cling and some of which recede slowly back to the liquid.

Smell: As the bottle is opened with a soft “phutt” the aroma of cherries spreads into the room. During the pour this becomes more pronounced. Underlying the cherry there is a nice subtle tartness tinged with a light woody basement character that reflects the beer’s time in the oak.

Taste: The flavor includes lots of tart cherry with just a hint of residual sweetness. There are also some musky, woody notes from the oak. In the background is that wee bit of funk and barnyard that should emerge and become more pronounced with more time in the bottle.

Mouthfeel: The mouth feel is on the light side of medium bodied with good active carbonation. The finish is long, tart and very dry.

Drinkability and Overall Impression: I’m finding this one quite sippable as each follows the last slowly but surely and as I focus on sorting out the components of the aroma and flavor here. This is nicely complex but also relatively subtle and something I’ll be more than happy to have again. My overall impression is that this is a first rate kriek. The cherries add a wonderful dimension of flavor to the lambic and this is a complex and subtle beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 01:49:50 | More by drtth

tobelerone

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Almost no head at all on this despite a vigorous pour but good lacing and carbonation nonetheless. Deep, dark cherry color with lots of sour, musty barnyard aroma. Full of suspended floaties that don’t exactly look appetizing but fortunately didn’t effect the taste or mouthfeel negatively, although there were chunks left in the bottom of the glass at the end.

Very tart aroma follows in the taste. Sweet but not overly so, under ripe cherry sourness, touches of barnyard funk and mustiness. Pleasantly puckering tartness; very refreshing and crisp. Finishes fairly dry and clean. Excellent paired with deli sandwiches and vinegar chips!

I’d enjoy this bottle again and recommend it to those interested in sour beers, particularly newcomers to the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 13:45:12 | More by tobelerone

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12.7 oz. bottle, 6.5% abv. Best before 10/03/2030. Dark red in color, close to ruby. Pink fizzy head is fun to look at, but disappears rather quickly, leaving a small ring.

Nose is big on sour cherries and oak. Vinegar, and slightly funky as well.

Only a slight tartness up front, without a great deal of sweetness. Sour cherry, but not overwhelming. Oak dries things out a bit. A bit of an earthy feel, especially in the finish.

Light body, with lots of carbonation. Alcohol is hidden well. Not a great deal of fruit flavors going on here, mainly oak and earthy notes. Still pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 00:51:19 | More by Bierguy5