Central City Brewers + Distillers Sour II Kriek Sour Sour / Wild Ale at 10.8% ABV | 17 IBU (C$18.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 15-Nov-2016, reviewed 16-Jan-2018)
Appearance: clear reddish brown with one finger of fizzy head diminishing rapidly to nothing, no lacing. (3/5) Aroma: vinegar, cherries, leather, oak, red wine. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet and tart, low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry tart and warming finish. (4/5)
I’m not at all sure I’d’ve identified this as a Kriek in a blind tasting – more likely, I would have gone with a Flemish Red. (Excepting, of course, the very high ABV, which is really appropriate for neither a Kriek nor a Flemish Red.) Then again, I’m not one to complain about a high ABV, and it is decently well integrated. Not unpleasant, by any means, but lacking the emphatic fruitiness and delicacy of style I associated with true Lambic Krieks. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
