St. Louis Kriek Lambic
St. Louis Kriek Lambic© BeerTourism.com
The Brewery
Emelgem (Izegem)
8870
West Flanders, Belgium
+32 (0) 51 33 51 60
Beer Style
Fruit Lambiek (Fruit Lambic)
The Beer
The St. Louis Kriek Lambic is a traditionally produced kriekenlambiek. It is different from the St. Louis Premium Kriek in that, instead of krieken juice, a proportion of 15% of real krieken cherries is added to gueuze lambiek. The krieken will mature along with the beer for at least six months.
Another essential difference from the St. Louis Premium fruit beers is, that after maturation, the beer is mixed with old lambiek. Sugar and sweeteners are added.
Originally this beer had an alcohol percentage of 5% but this was reduced to 4.5% and subsequently down to 4%.
This is the only remaining Castle Brewery van Honsebrouck fruit beer which is still brewn in an alternative version since the introduction of the Premium range in 2001.
Like Gueuze, Kriek has received a warrant from the European Union and can now boast to be a guaranteed traditional specialty.
Alcohol
4.0 % ABV
Fermentation
Spontaneous fermentation. This Kriek Lambic is brewn on the basis of artisanally produced gueuze lambiek. This lambiek is brewn in the traditional way and will then mature in oak barrels.
Ingredients
The St. Louis Kriek Lambic is based on gueuze lambiek brewn with barley malt, unmalted wheat and hops. Sugar, krieken and old lambiek are then added.
Colour & Transparency
This is a beer with a deep red, almost burgundian, colour, less clear than the Premium Kriek. Thanks to the added cherries, the beer yields a recognisable and distinguished pink collar.
Serving Temperature
6 °C / 42,8 °F
Serving Glass
The Kriek Lambic from St. Louis has been allocated its own glass, in the same way as the Gueuze Fond Tradition. These glasses are different from those used for the beers in St. Louis Premium range.
Character, Tastes & Aromas
The beer gives an intense taste of krieken with subtle almond-like touches. This aroma comes from the cherry stones and determines the taste of this fruity delicacy.
Less sweet than the Premium kriek.
Culinary
The St. Louis Kriek Lambic presents a sourer character compared to the Premium Kriek. Needless to say, this gives a different dimension to taste pairing. Up to the beer lover to start experimenting.
This beer, like many other fruit beers, is suitable to enjoy with dessert or for culinary purposes. Also good as an ingredient for sauces with, for example, fried goose liver.
Keeping and Storage
Most Van Honsebrouck beers do not require further storage. St. Louis Kriek Lambic is no exception.
It is reputed that beers of this type will survive laying up over many years but we will let each individual beer lover judge for him or herself.
Availability
Bottle ✔ On Tap ✖
St. Louis Kriek Lambic is brewed in far smaller quantities than Premium Kriek. In Belgium you will find this beer in well-stocked off-licences and in specialist beer shops and cafés.
A fair amount of the production of Castle Brewery Van Honsebrouck is destined for export. So, outside of Belgium, you should be able to get hold of a bottle without too many problems.
Other Castle Brewery Van Honsebrouck Beers
St. Louis Kriek Fond TraditionSt Louis Kriek Fond Tradition is a pure, traditional, kriekenbier. This fruit beer made by Castle Brewery Van Honsebrouck with krieken cherries (sour Morello-type cherries) is truly a beer for the connoisseur. Traditionally, the ...
[ read more ]
Kasteel RougeKasteel Rouge is principally a “blend” of two artisanal, quality products, Kasteel Donker and a cherry liqueur. The beer was launched in 2008 and is the “fruitiest” offering within the Kasteel beer range. As it is produced in a d ...
[ read more ]
St. Louis Gueuze Fond TraditionThis gueuze is a completely different beer compared to the St. Louis Premium Gueuze. This beer was created as the result of a challenge. During a brewery visit by Professor Gilbert Baetslé with a group of Hogeschool students from ...
[ read more ]
St. Louis Premium GueuzePremium Gueuze is the flagship brew of the St. Louis range and one of the jewels in the crown of Castle Brewery Van Honsebrouck. This was by no means certain when Luc Van Honsebrouck decided, a few decennia ago, to start gueuze pr ...
[ read more ]
Kasteel TripelKasteel Tripel is a West Flemish tripel through and through, enriched with Belgian hops. Brewery CEO Xavier Van Honsebrouck firmly states that this Tripel is as solid as a castle, and let’s be fair, there are few Tripels that achi ...
[ read more ]
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