Boon’s more traditional and more ’fruit-laden’ variation on the regular kriek Dekoninck, which he took over from De Neve in 1992, after De Neve had inherited it from Dekoninck itself, a lambic producer in Dworp that ceased activities in 1977 but was a well-known name in the lambic world up till then. Thick, dense, moussy, pale pink head, slowly thinning and breaking in the middle but otherwise very stable (especially for the style); ravishingly pretty ruby red colour, very deep and pure, with an intense fuchsia hue, clear initially but evidently turning cloudy with sediment in the end. Typical authentic fruit lambic aroma but perhaps a tad less strong and funky than many other classic ’oude krieks’, impressions of fresh sour cherries and cherry pits, dusty cellar, old blankets, dried lemon peel, very old books, stale sweat, hard unripe nectarine, dry hay, old wood, redcurrant, unsugared yoghurt. Evidently very fruity onset with a truckload of sour cherries, refreshingly acidic but in a ’malse’ way so not puckering, more wry unripe green stonefruit than sharp lemon but softened by a deeper fruity sweetish accent (ripe blackberries), spritzy carbonation at first but diminishing after a while; supple, smooth middle, soft basis, some soapy wheat and bready barley, upon which the rich, tart cherry flavor rests along with the esters. Finishes fairly mild for this style: there is a dry woodiness and wryness of the cherry pits, even a dim earthy hop bitter note all the way at the back, the yoghurty lactic tartness assists in drying the back and the sour cherries go down on top of all that, but other than a few ’Bretty’ accents of wet hay, leather and old horseblanket, the funkiness remains very moderate. This is more straightforward than many more ’demanding’ and more complex cherry lambics, soft and mild, very ’mals’ as the lambic producers would call it, with a soft sourness rather than puckering acidity and clearly less Brett funkiness than usual (same as with the geuze in this brand); don’t get me wrong, this is very correct and genuine in all respects, but I personally prefer this type of beers a bit more acidic and funky. Could serve perfectly as an introduction to the style, though.

375 ml bottle. The beer is a dark but vibrant magenta. Looks a bit hazy. Hard to tell. Smallish pink head, fizzes off in a minute or so. The aroma is pure cherry. It’s full and sweet. Mild funk with a hint of mineral flavor. Mild citrus in the background. It’s really just cherry juice, though. Taste doesn’t quite follow through on the fruitiness. It’s a bit sweet without enough berry tartness to back that up. It’s mostly just sweet cherries again. Mild funk. Mild acidity. Low astringency. Fairly light. Nice enough.

7th January 2016
Tasting at Mr Smith’s Skyflat. Thanks to Dan. Lightly hazy cherry red beer, good pink head. Palate is light, semi dry and has modest fine carbonation. Mild cherry sourness. Touch of lemon acid. Minerals. Light semi dry finish. Mellow.

Bottle shared at Leighton’s place. 7/1/2015.Many thanks to Daniel for this one. Fluro pink purple coloured pour with a lasting fine pink coloured head. Aroma is horsey hairspray, tart cherry, medicinal, Flavour is composed of dry cherry, raspberry, dry grainy, tart fruit, cherry sweets. Palate is semi sweet, sour, clean, tart, Refreshing. I like it.

Bottle thanks to Big Ol Dirty D. It pours bright deep red - pink with a thick pink head. The nose is fresh, sweet, cherry drops, sticky, oily candy, earthy brett and Bakewell tart. The taste is crisp, tart, tangy fruits, sticky, sweet - sour, cherry candy and green apple. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Tangy sweet and sour vibe throughout. I was hoping for it to be a bit more sour than tangy. Ends up a touch one-dimensional. Overall its not bad.

Bottle shared in London - many thanks to Daniel. Pours clear blood red with a creamy pink head. Lovely tart jammy berries in the nose, cherry and raspberry, hints of wood. Medium sweet flavor with more tart cherries, a little woody dryness, slight bitter grass, jam. Light to medium bodied with average, spritzy carbonation. Tart and juicy in the finish, lightly acidic, with more cherries, touches of earth and wood. Somewhat simple but refreshing and very drinkable.

Bottle split at home, 21/11/15. Cherry red with a well appointed crimson covering that retains well. Nose is cherry skins, light smoke, cherry singed straw, farmy, earthy rwd berry. Taste comprises bitter cherry mellowed with sweeter aspects, cherry drops, bakewell tart icing, light wood must, straw, lemon rind. Medium bodied, light spritz in the carbonation, semi drying close. Ok but would have preferred less of the sweetness.