Beer Around Town

Sometimes you’ve got to have your Lambic fix. A hankering for the funky sour goodness, quick onset, only one resolve. Cull through the cellar to find that one that suits, bring it to the light and pour a perfect glass.

This weeks pick turned out to be a 2006 Oude Kriek from De Cam. I was lucky enough to first try De Cam while traveling through Belgium in the fall of 2006. While attending the Bruxellensis festival I came across a booth of lambic blenders called  De Cam who were pouring 2 vintages of their Kriek. Instantly I was in awe of their creations, their Kriek achieving a beautiful complexity akin to the finest Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen. These type of beers were why I was in Belgium. Sadly upon return to the US De Cam was nowhere in sight, seeming to be to small to distribute across the pond. Well… finally I tracked a bottle down.

Upon opening the room is filled with the tart cherries and earthen funk. The smell of the cork should be an air freshener, the musty damp wood mixed with the notes of the Kriek return memories of past wonderful beer experiences. The pour looks beautiful as the afternoon sun strikes the back-lighting, deep crimson with edges that seem to glow. A thin head sits atop, small fizzy bubbles jump from the surface more akin to soda then your typical frothy mug of beer. The sourness is lemony, less acidic then a Cantillon, seeming to work a bit friendlier with the cherries.  The pits of the cherry impart a subtle woody tone while the cherries themselves strike up a refreshing tartness. The prickly carbonation and dry finish really seem to up the level of sourness. I have to say, this 2006 bottle might be the best Kriek I’ve ever had.