Draught samples at BCTC VIP dinner on 7/20/07
Every body was in a flurry to get some of this before it was all gone and then we all started tasting it and were like, hmmm, ok, nevermind.
They definitely went the Lindemans/Boon route, not the Cantillon/3F route. Which is too bad, though not surprising, since A) it’s made by Boon and B) 3 Philosophers isnt tart/sour at all.
Big pinkish-amber head atop a blood cherry body that is minimally hazy. Retention is moderate, as is the lacing.
Hugely artificial sweeteners in the nose, underattenuated, no real relation to lambic. Just another fruit beer concoction. To its credit, it’s not nearly as syrupy/sugary/fake as Lindemans Kriek, but it almost dosent matter. If you’ve had one of these "lambics" you’ve had em all. Vanilla, heavily sweet cherry soda and some cherry peel-like tanginess (but it’s fleeting).
Sweet, cherry soda and cherry pie in the flavor, with a highly carbonated, fluffy body that belies, to some extent, the amount of syrupy sugars in this. Bits of tartness (nothing bordering sourness) are noted on the finish, as in the aroma, but there’s nothing here resembling a lambic, for the most part. I actually remember Boon Kriek being more authentic than this. Go figure.

[BCTC ’07] - served at the VIP dinner - clear pinkish beer with a fast-fading white head - very sweet, nearly artificial cherry aroma, with notes of vanilla, and not much else (as aeneas notes, it almost smells like cherry soda) - sweet, sugary flavor, with dominant cherry (although quite natural, not artificial like the aroma seems to suggest) - no funkiness or earthy complexity (tastes filtered, even) - a tiny bit of nearly acidic tartness and fruit skins come into play, but never really step up and balance the sweetness - one-dimensional, and, yes, quite like lindemans.