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 Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck Beers
Bacchus KriekenbierBacchus Kriekenbier is a fruit beer based on Bacchus Oud Vlaams Bruin (Old Flemish Brown) with the addition of krieks (Morello cherries). The production process is similar to that of the St. Louis fruit beers (also in the hands of ...
[ read more ]
St. Louis Premium FramboiseSt. Louis Premium Framboise is a fruit beer based on traditional geuze lambiek. During the brewing process 25% juice is added, produced from Willamette raspberries. Before the St. Louis Premium range saw the light in 2001 (to tak ...
[ read more ]
Kasteel DonkerDonker is the genuine flagship of the “Kasteel” range. Brewed since 1989 and the first, original Kasteel beer. The name is a clear reference to Ingelmunster castle owned by the Van Honsebrouck family. This beautiful castle is depi ...
[ 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 ]
Bacchus Vlaams Oud BruinIn the same vein that gueuze beer typifies the Pajottenland region, this beer is also a genuine Flemish regional product. In the Roman pantheon, Bacchus (son of Jupiter) was the god of wine, inebriation and general drunkenness. T ...
[ read more ]
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