6.6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Bottle from a local supermarket. Aroma is tart and sweetish cherry with soft woody notes and a touch of funk. Flavour is tart and mild sour with some sweetness as well. Medium body. More nuanced than I expected.

6.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6.5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Draught Deep brownish red beer with a shortlived off-white head. Cherry sweets, cherry syrup, but with not excess "sugarness" in the nose. Bit unidimensional, soft drink-like, yet not without a certain complexity in the aroma. Deep cherry flavour, certainly not artificial, bit almondy. However, where the sourness might be is anybody's guess. Fruit, but the balance turns out rather neutral. Bit fruitslickness, on the edge of sticky. Medium bodied, soft carbonation. Not bad as some big brewers' krieks, but... it doesn't have to be all lambic-based kriek, but if you call it 'sour', that yields expectations. Duvel Moortgat has much better.

5.1

Appearance - 5 | Aroma - 4.5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 5 | Overall - 6

Cherry beer by this Dutch craft beer pioneer, now under Moortgat; bottle from the AD Delhaize Zwijnaarde. Membrane-lacing, medium thick, very stable, off-pinkish head on a crystal clear crimson red beer with vermillion glow. Aroma of sweet cherry juice and even red cherry candy (including the dreaded 'poepegatjes'), marzipan, white bread slices, grenadine, cassis, red fruit 'confituur', something dusty. Cloying sweetness in the onset, red Haribo candy again (I hate it) with artificial cherry jam flavour but also, admittedly, a slight cherry sourness and even a touch of cherry skin tannins; banana and red apple notes complement, but this white sugariness persists, over a smooth cereally and wheaty core towards a sticky sweet ending where this combo of artificial red cherry candy and 'real' sourish and bitterish cherry flesh and cherry skins continues. Unfortunately the first of these two elements gets the final word, so what we utlimately end up with here, is another 'rouge', a heavily sweetened, strong(ish) cherry beer of a kind still quietly gaining popularity in Belgium and its surroundings. I detest this trend, and I probably even more detest the fact that this product is advertized as a cherry 'sour' without being sour at all - has any of the IJ, or Moortgat, managers ever tasted a true sour ale? Sickly and childishly sweet rubbish for the youngsters, I say. Eerily close to drain pour for me.

6.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Tap. Rather clear amber-reddish color with white head. Aroma is very cherry, a bit tart, a bit artificial too. Taste is the same. Oily mouthfeel with low carbonation. Alright.

6

keg at the t tap house Utrecht... deep red brown... small tan head.. soft mslts.. big green apple nose... big cherry sweet cherry fruit.. big fruit.. Light almond

5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4

30/VIII/22 - 33cl bottle from Bierhalle Deconinck (Vichte), shared @ home, BB: I/2032, L2231 07:55 (2022-1093)

Clear light ruby to bright rusty carmine red beer, creamy bit irregular dense off-white to light pink head, pretty stable, a little adhesive. Aroma: yeasty, some banana, artificial cherry flavourings, candy, a bit soapy, musty. MF: pretty acidic start, rather metallic bitterness, artificial cherry flavourings, a little sweet, meh. Aftertaste: cherry flavoured candy, a bit sugary, some citric acidity, more artificial candy, a bit metallic, bitter touch, bleh. Don’t like it.

7.2

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

(Draught at Brouwerij 't Ij, Amsterdam, 5 May 2022) Dark red colour with frothy, pinkish head. Fruity, slightly sourish nose with cherries, blood orange, almonds and raspberries. Fruity, slightly tart taste with notes of cherries, red fruit, raspberries and hints of almonds. Medium body, with a touch of sweetness. Tasty and well balanced sour with a good fruit character. Nice one.

5.2

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Clear red colour with no head. Taste is of sweet cherry. Like a glacè cherry. So I say that it's sweet, not sour