Belle Vue Kriek - Brasserie Belle-Vue

Absumaster

Netherlands

3.19/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A vibrant red,clear beer with a smooth head. The carbonation is light.

The smell is mainly cherry, with a slightly syrupy smell, but not overly sweet or artificial.
It does have some red fruity winegums smells.

The taste is sweet with cherry winegums. The beer is sweet but not sticky or syrupy. The beer has a non-offensive taste which reminds more of a soda. The good thing about the beer is the lack of the sweetener taste. Bitterness is low and drinkability is high.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 20:47:53 | More by Absumaster

devlishdamsel

Washington

4.23/5  rDev +23%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Rarely would I ever review off memory, especially after reading the site guidelines. However if something really strikes my fancy palate wise I do believe i have an impeccable palate memory in that situation. This brew is no exception. Sadly it is no longer available in my area, which makes me pine it/crave it even more. I have tried many Krieks since and not been impressed. Most are way too dry and remind me of sour cherries gone wrong, or are much to sweet and can only be made palatable by mixing them with sparkling wine and citrus ( which if you ask me is just wrong).
Bellevue had a very wonderful light head. I dare say this brew was perfect for the summer days I consumed it on. The perfect amount of tartness vs sweetness ( and this goes for most fruit based lambic style beers as well). There was absolutely no aftertaste or lingering on the palate either. If you have this beverage available in your area I strongly suggest you try it!

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 05:46:13 | More by devlishdamsel

Maakun

Afghanistan

3.2/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Colour is dark pink, almost red. Light pink head that leaves a small layer.

Smell is cherry jam, very sweet, icing sugar, pink bubblegum. Smells a little artificial to me, not enough beer in here.

Taste is very sweet at first, the cherries taste more like candy than like real cherries. Then a nice tartness and very light bitterness. Aftertaste is again slighty sour with a hint of malts.

Mouth is medium, the sweetness makes it nice and round. Medium carbonation. Quite pleasant but nothing special either.

I can quite enjoy a kriek, but this one is more for drinking at parties than for slowly enjoying it at home. There's a lot worse kriek out there, but this still feels artificial and candy-like.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 20:27:46 | More by Maakun

Fatehunter

Oregon

2.7/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a flute glass. Reddish hue with a red tinted finger of head.
It smells like bread and faintly of cherry.
It has a sweet taste overall, candy cherry too.
Medium body, moderate carbonation. Crisp texture.
Okay, but there are better Krieks out there.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 02:38:24 | More by Fatehunter

shigg85

Japan

3.85/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had a bottle of this at a Thai restaurant in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Poured into a Belle-Vue tulip glass. Cherries is the key word for this strange carbonated lambic brew. The scent of cherries is a bit overpowering, but definitely not unpleasant. The head on this brew was beautiful to look at, rosy in hue and leaving a thin, delicate lacing around the glass, bubbling up in the middle as a good Belgian beer should. However, the carbonation in this was a bit much for me, feeling more like cream soda than a beer. The flavor, too, while it was definitely cherry, was a bit too sour and not really resembling a beer (even for a lambic). Overall, this is a tasty cherry drink that would go over well with those who don't like the taste of standard brews. However, when it comes to fruit beers and lambics, I know other brands I will choose again over this. Tasty though...

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 13:59:30 | More by shigg85

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.18/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A deep, dark red colour with a thin and bubly, white head that is just under a centimetre tall and has average retention.

Sweet cherry smelling with lots of sugar and a slight bit of sourness, although the najority of the aroma comes from the cherries.

Again a sweet cherry taste with some syrup and sugar but like the smell there is not a lot else here really. A little too sweet and overpowering but not a terrible taste.

Light bodied and as expected, very sweet tasting with a sticky smooth finish.

Nice and sweet to begin with but after a while it gets a little bit too sugary and sickening, I imagine half a pint of this would have been a more appropriate amount to try.

1001 Beers Blog:
http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 13:06:37 | More by flyingpig

Douberd

Netherlands

3.1/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured, from a 300 ml bottle. A 2 finger head, disappeared almost completely after half a minute. Lacing on the glass is minimal.
Bright red colour, that of a cherrie juice, minimal bubbles.
Strong sweet smell of sour cherries.
Taste is also of sour cherries, but much more artificial than the aroma was. Also, a bit of corn (?)
Thin bodied as expected, little carbonation.

I would like it a bit more sweet, as a fruity beer, but not that bad after all.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 21:57:40 | More by Douberd

dgilks

Australia

3.53/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear red colour with a smooth, creamy, light pink colour with good lacing.

Jammy, raspberry and cherry aroma with plenty of sweet and sour.

Fairly empty accept for the syrupy, jammy fruit flavour combined with an artificial tartness.

Medium body with moderately-high carbonation. Okay.

An acceptable, sweetened Kriek but it's nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 10:35:53 | More by dgilks

rvdoorn

Netherlands

1.78/5  rDev -48.3%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

look: the beer pours a nice deep red colour with a nice not long lasting head.
Smell: vinegar and candy cherries
taste: sweet sweet cherries, almost like the candy ones you give to children.
Mouthfeel: medium carbonation, sticky and syrupy.
Overall: this beer is too sweet,unbalanced, lacks all sourness and bitterness in the taste. Tastes like cherry soda, avoid

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 06:51:06 | More by rvdoorn

Wegomlegging

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark with a red hue, and a nice head that vanishes quickly. Nice scents of sour cherry and red vinegar. Taste is nice and understated, with only a hint of kriek cherry and sour Flemish, obviously not added sloppy after the beer. Soft drink, easy to down a few of these. Kriekenbier is not for everyone, and not particularly masculine, but will admit it's nice.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 04:01:39 | More by Wegomlegging

Long813

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Dated: 16/12/10

A: Dark clear red body with no head and lacing.

S: Light scent of cherries and vinegar. The sourness overpowers the fruit.

T: Faint water-like cherry flavour with a stronger vinegary presence.

M: Light bodied with low carbonation. Almost no aftertaste.

D: All over-meh. Weak in all categories - I could be drinking crystal light cherry water and not know the difference.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 21:42:07 | More by Long813

Brabander

Netherlands

3.73/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

My wife had this beer today. Normally i am not much into this kind of beer but i had a few sips of this beer.

Poured in a Palm like chalice the beer looks very inviting with the pink beerfluid and the lightpink head.

It has the smell of the kriek (cherry) very noticable. The taste is a bit sour with the cherrytaste on top of it.

Is gives a mouthfeel like you were drinking a cherry soda. For warm weather a good drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2010 13:36:03 | More by Brabander

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

2.05/5  rDev -40.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Brown 25cl bottle of 4.3% ABV, poured into a Westmalle chalice.

Cherry red in colour, pink collar and lacing, a thin covering also sat on top of the body at first.

Weak aroma for a kriek, not your normal 'in your face' cherry smell.

Sweet and syrup sweet, not a mans kriek at all, kids and sweet toothed females only.

Very un-impressed. Mass produced and you can tell.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2010 20:59:29 | More by BlackHaddock

RuudJH

Netherlands

3/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Trying some more krieks, I had to try this, probably the most commercial in this category.

A: it's as a lot of krieks red colour, with pink head.

S: It smells like a lot of sweets, or softdrinks with cherry flavour, allmost artificial. The sour is there, but it's very faint.

T: Also sweet, but there's a dry and sour taste to it too. Not enough to make it real though.

M: It's refreshing to a certain degree (a bit more sour would make it much better).

D: It's quite an ordinary brew, meant for an average palate.
Mostly as I expected.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2009 15:34:34 | More by RuudJH

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had a bottle at the Ibis Hotel bar. Appear bright, clear red with a pink head. This is your typical, but well-made, juicy fruit lambic. Very sweet and with more body than actual juice, finishes with a bit of sour tang, but nothing that approaches a genuine oude kriek.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2009 15:48:53 | More by tempest

kellywilson50

Costa Rica

4.25/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Kriek is a wonderful option for those who enjoy a refreshing fruit beer on a hot afternoon. It's smell is very enticing with strong cherry aromas. The first sip has a pleasant sourness and then rounds itself out with more cherry flavors. It leaves wonderful lacing in the glass when you finish. Very drinkable!

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2009 01:07:43 | More by kellywilson50

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +29.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy deep red to copper color with a small white to no head. In the aroma, dark cherry, sweet and sour. In the taste, a tart dark cherry. A smooth sourness, and a medium bodied mouthfeel, and a small sour cherry aftertaste. Nice sour, big in cherry, a great lambic.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2008 01:10:53 | More by OWSLEY069

mhewes

Colorado

2.78/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A : Pours red with a pink head

S : Cherry and sweet

T : Extremely sweet and syrupy. Definitely taste the cherry but way too sweet

M : Highly carbonated

D : Not one I could drink again. Way too sweet and syrupy to enjoy. Would probably be good to use to introduce a BMC drinker to a lambic.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2008 01:19:35 | More by mhewes

ggaughan

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Beer poured a redish amber body with a thick pink, fluffy head. The nose was slightly sweet yet tart as well. The taste was very cherry, again slightly sweet but tart. I was expected the beer to be more syrupy sweet and I didn't think it was but it is still sweeter than I would expect for a lambic. This is probably a good starter lambic for someone getting started with the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2008 12:07:35 | More by ggaughan

Shadman

Alberta (Canada)

3.13/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had this in the cellar forever..

nice looking lambic. Slightly cloudy, keeps an nice creamy ring and decent lacing.

Nice tart cherry aroma, very rich.

Very dry and tart initally and i could see this putting a lot of people off. Very rich cherry flavors come thru nicely in the middle with the oak and tart cherry finishing things off.

Lot's of carbonation, but overly fizzy compared to some fruit beers I've tried.

Interesting and I'm glad I tried it. Definite after dinner beer as others have commented

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2008 04:16:21 | More by Shadman

Weizenmensch

Japan

3.6/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Belle-Vue Kriek 375mL in a corked green bottle, ABV 5.1% (not 5.2% as listed).

Looks great in a Duvel tulip (I don't have a Belle-Vue glass, but I think this is pretty similar). Rich deep red/brown colour with a pink-white head. Pretty impressive!

Girlfriend thinks it smells like canned tomato soup - maybe there's some sharp metallic aroma but it's caused by the cherries, certainly not by bottling problems or any adjunct. Rich cherry aroma as expected, sort of smells like Sour Cherry Blasters candy, a little artificial sour cherry aroma.

Tart like a beer, with fruitiness, but not overly sweet or dominating the beer base. Sour but refreshing, a good choice when your regular lager or pale ale cloys your palate in summer. Some hop bitterness but the flavour of the hops is easily overpowered by the cherry taste. Nice for a change, but I wouldn't drink it all the time.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin. Little carbonation and a high level of mouth bitterness means that unless the weather's really hot and you're slamming them down, you'll get tired of this beer before too long. Definitely one to start the night on, and easy to drink to get your palate moving, but not something you'll have more than a couple of.

Overall: I'm a fan of this beer, because it maintains its integrity as a beer while being an interesting type of Belgian fruit beer. Since it's on tap at all the Belgian bars around Australia, it's easy to get my hands on, and I'll order one on a hot afternoon without thinking twice. Even if I'm at work.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2008 06:54:46 | More by Weizenmensch

laituegonflable

Australia

2.98/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

My mate was kind enough to share a bottle of this brew with me, given that I'd never come across it before and in spite of my trepidation that it would be similar to my much-loathed Timmermans Kriek Lambic.

On first appearance it would seem so. A light crimson colour with a light frothy head, not much lacing. A light amount of carbonation and quite appealling on first glance. But then, it looked like soft drink.

Smells almost exactly like a cherry flavoured Jolly Rancher or something. Very few beer characters here, just an overwhelmingly rich fruit aroma, but quite nice for what it's worth.

Taste isn't bad and considering my aversion to Timmerman's, surprisingly good. It's light and fruity, a lot of cherry characters with the slightest hint of hops on the middle of the palate but mostly a slightly tart fruit quality, but not too sour that the taste makes your lips pucker. Quite pleasant and quite drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2008 02:04:08 | More by laituegonflable

thierrynantes

France

3.13/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Beer bottle (37,5 cl), tasted in 2003.
Appearance: Kriek developed with lambics, macerated cherries, red colour, pink foam and perennial
Smell: cherry aroma
Taste and mouthfeel mouth fruity, a little syrupy
Drinkability: kriek beer too sweet

Review added 11-18-2007, translated from french 1-26-2008.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2007 11:27:24 | More by thierrynantes

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Mahogany brown color and clear; the head starts off well but there is very little lace.

Mild cherry smell--far less than expected.

Nice sour cherry flavors; light carbonation with a thin body.

This is a very drinkable kriek. It is more sweet than most lambics.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2007 02:35:53 | More by smcolw

drseamus

New York

3.45/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

As with most krieks, this beer has a vibrant red body with a pink head. The head on this beer disappeared much quicker than most krieks though. It has a slightly sour aroma but is dominated by a sweet cherry aroma that seems authentic. The cherry flavor is a bit different though. It seems almost artificial either because it actually is artificial or they just put too much cherry into it. The sourness is there in the background helping to cut the overwhelming cherry flavor. Some residual sweetness is present as well. Holding with the style guidelines is the light body and it gives a decent drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2007 02:37:55 | More by drseamus