Kriek lambic is a style of

Belgian beer Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

, made by fermenting

lambic Lambic ( , ; ) is a type of beer brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium southwest of Brussels since the 13th century. Types of lambic beer include gueuze, kriek lambic, and framboise. Lambic differs from most other beers in that it is Bre ...

with sour Morello cherries. Traditionally " Schaarbeekse krieken" (a rare Belgian Morello variety) from the area around

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

are used. As the Schaarbeek type cherries have become more difficult to find, some brewers have replaced these (partly or completely) with other varieties of sour cherries, sometimes imported.

Etymology

The name is derived from the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

word for this type of cherry (kriek).

Brewing

Traditionally, kriek is made by breweries in and around Brussels using lambic beer to which sour cherries (with the pits) are added. A lambic is a sour and dry Belgian beer, fermented spontaneously with airborne yeast said to be native to Brussels; the presence of cherries (or raspberries) predates the almost universal use of

hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to whic ...

as a flavoring in beer. A traditional kriek made from a lambic base beer is sour and dry as well. The cherries are left in for a period of several months, causing a refermentation of the additional sugar. Typically no sugar will be left so there will be a fruit flavour without sweetness. There will be a further maturation process after the cherries are removed. More recently, some lambic brewers have added sugar to the final product of their fruit beers, in order to make them less intense and more approachable to a wider audience. They also use

cherry juice Cherry juice is a fruit juice consisting of the juice of cherries. It is consumed as a beverage and used as an ingredient in various foods, processed foods and beverages. It is also marketed as a health supplement. It is produced by hot- or cold ...

rather than whole cherries and are matured for much shorter periods.Oliver, Garrett. (2011). ''

The Oxford Companion to Beer ''The Oxford Companion to Beer'', abbreviated ''OCB'', is a book in the series of Oxford Companions published by Oxford University Press. The book provides an alphabetically arranged reference to beer, compiled and edited by Garrett Oliver with a ...

''. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. p. 522. . Retrieved March 14, 2019.

Framboise Framboise () is a Belgian lambic beer fermented with raspberry (''framboise'' is the French word for raspberry). Beer In English, ''framboise'' is used primarily in reference to a Belgian lambic beer that is fermented using raspberries. It i ...

is a related, less traditional

, fermented with raspberries instead of sour cherries. Kriek is also related to

gueuze Gueuze (; ) is a type of lambic, a Beer in Belgium, Belgian beer. It is made by Blending (alcohol production), blending young (1-year-old) and old (2- to 3-year-old) lambics, which is bottled for a second Fermentation (food), fermentation. B ...

, which is not a fruit beer but is also based on refermented lambic beer. Some breweries, like

Liefmans Liefmans is a Belgian brewery which produces oud bruin and other Belgian beers. It was founded in 1679. The company went bankrupt in 2008 and was acquired by Duvel Moortgat. Liefmans' wheat beer, Dentergems Wit, and a Belgian ale, Lucifer, were ...

, make "kriek" beers based on oud bruin beer instead of lambic.

Commercial examples

Traditional krieks include: * Lindemans Kriek Cuvée René * Boon Oude Kriek *

Cantillon Cantillon is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Daniel Cantillon (born 1945), American fencer. * Estelle Cantillon, economist. * Joe Cantillon (1861–1930), American baseball manager and umpire. * Marie André Cantillon (1781/ ...

Kriek Lambic *

3 Fonteinen 3 Fonteinen is a Belgian brewery, specialized in geuze and kriek. The brewery is situated in Beersel, near Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels ...

Kriek * Girardin Kriek 1882 *Hanssens Kriek Lambic *

Oud Beersel Oud Beersel is a Belgian lambic brewery. It is a member of HORAL, whose main event is ''Toer De Geuze'' every two years. History Oud Beersel is an artisanal lambic brewery, based in Beersel and founded in 1882 by Henri Vandervelden. His so ...

Oude Kriek Vieille *

Timmermans Timmermans is a Dutch language, Dutch occupational surname meaning "carpenter's". It is a common name with (in 2007) 11,658 and 6,663 carriers in the Netherlands and Belgium, respectively.Belle-Vue Kriek Lambic * De Troch Chapeau Kriek Lambic * Lindemans Kriek Lambic * Boon Kriek Lambic *

Mort Subite Alken-Maes is a Belgium, Belgian brewery created out of the 1988 merger of two small breweries, Maes located at Waarloos, Kontich-Waarloos and Cristal-Alken located at Alken, Belgium, Alken. It was bought by Scottish & Newcastle in 2000, who wer ...

Kriek Lambic *Timmermans Kriek Lambic *

Van Honsebrouck Van Honsebrouck is a Belgian brewery in Ingelmunster, Belgium. Founded in 1865 as Sint-Jozef Brewery, it was renamed to Brewery Van Honsebrouck in 1953. It is one of two breweries outside of Pajottenland to produce lambic beer. History The loca ...

St. Louis Kriek Lambic *La Sultane Halal Kriek Kriek based on Oud Bruin include: *De Ryck Kriek Fantastiek *Liefmans Kriek *Kasteel Kriek *Verhaeghe Echt Kriekenbier

References

External links

{{Beer Styles Beer styles Beer in Belgium Traditional Speciality Guaranteed products from Belgium Cherries