6 Pack Reviews: Kriek

For this 6 Pack Review we rounded up six Krieks. Stephanie and I both tried them and rated them. I’ll declare a winner at the end!

Anchorage Relucent

This is the only one of the six that doesn’t actually claim to be a Kriek. It’s actually Anchorage’s Saison with an addition of Montgomery cherries. It had a nice aroma, reminiscent of Luxardo bar cherries. The cherry flavor was present, but understated, with a plumb-like fruitiness. The acidity is nice, but there was an odd, somewhat astringent finish.

Stephanie: 3, Keith: 3.5

Lindemans Kriek

This was the sweetest of the six. It was almost like drinking the syrup from a cherry Hawaiian snow. It had good head retention and a pleasant mouthfeel. The sweet, maraschino cherry, is overpowering. This was our least favorite of the six beers.

Stephanie: 3, Keith: 2.5

Sierra Nevada Big Chico Kriek

This is a very tart beer. Out of the six this one most approached a vinegar flavor. It has a rich, oaky barrel character. It has a dry, lingering funky finish. Overall, a really nice balance of cherry, oak, and funky flavors.

Stephanie: 4, Keith: 3.75

3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek

This beer has a pleasant cherry nose, and a really lovely, rich tartness. It has a really nice cherry flavor throughout, with a lingering finish. Just the right amount of lambic funk character, and pleasantly mild carbonation. This nails the cherry flavor, acidity, and funk of a Kriek.

Stephanie: 4.5, Keith: 4.5

Coronado Tecolote Kriek

This one probably had the most barrel character, with a distinct oak flavor. It had low carbonation, with minimal head and no head retention. It had a muddy nose, with a candy cherry aroma poking through. It had a bright fruit flavor with a hint of funkiness. The cherry flavor was pretty mild for a Kriek.

Stephanie: 3, Keith: 4

Double Mountain Tahoma Kriek

This one was odd. We agreed that it could pass for a brett Saison. There wasn’t much cherry flavor. It wasn’t even particularly fruity. The cherry flavor we did pick up was tangy, not sweet. It was a really nice sour though. Funky and tart, with some nice spicey wood notes.

Stephanie: 3.25, Keith: 4

Conclusion

After averaging our scores the beers ranked:

1. 3 Fonteinen
2. Sierra Nevada
3. Double Mountain
4. Coronado
5. Anchorage
6. Lindemans

I would be happy to drink any but the Lindemans again. It was far too sweet, and overly dominated by cherry flavor for our taste. We were impressed by how well the Sierra Nevada Kriek acquitted itself as they aren’t known for their sour beers. The 3 Fonteinen was the standout though. It had everything you’d hope to find in a Kriek.