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Description
The Verbeeck-Back brewery has been around since the end of the 19th century, when it became one of the most beloved independent breweries in the northern region of Belgium. The brewery was, is and remains a family affair: no monks or big corporations in sight. The secrets of its successes were passed on from father to son until they became fathers themselves... and so on. However, the sons of the sixties-generation had other plans. In 1966, the brewery dozed off for a short nap.
In 2015, a new generation has risen and so has the brewery. The Verbeeck-Back family bloodline was reinforced by the De Cock family. Together, they have formed the formidable, reassuringly Belgian-sounding name Verbeeck – Back – De Cock. VBDCK. This new crop of VBDCK heirs to the family tradition of Belgian quality and craft has literally been digging up history by its roots. They are ripping through the nostalgic silence with KEREL, the beer that says it all, and the transformation of the original brewery and family residence into a new place to stay.
In 2015, a new generation has risen and so has the brewery. The Verbeeck-Back family bloodline was reinforced by the De Cock family. Together, they have formed the formidable, reassuringly Belgian-sounding name Verbeeck – Back – De Cock. VBDCK. This new crop of VBDCK heirs to the family tradition of Belgian quality and craft has literally been digging up history by its roots. They are ripping through the nostalgic silence with KEREL, the beer that says it all, and the transformation of the original brewery and family residence into a new place to stay.
6.4/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 6.5
Texture 7
Overall 5.5
can @ drink station (budapest) golden colour, normal body, average carbonated, some white head, fruity, citrusy, pear hints, bitterish taste
Tried
on 26 May 2026
at 15:13
8/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle from local AH XL supermarket. Batch 25-101. Color: Dark brownish red, pink head. Aroma: Yeasty, cherry. Taste: Combination of dark cherry notes, cherry kernel, malty and oriëntal Saké notes. Some almond and vanilla. Not sweet, neither tart. A little more sweetness. Some cherry kernel like bitterness. I did taste the Lambiek Fabriek Kriek before but never had the Kerel Kaishaku. Compared with the Kriek, the cherries are less prominent. Just over medium body, just below average carbonation. Interesting blend, far more interesting than most Kriek beer in my opinion.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Apr 2026
at 19:39
4.5/10
Tried
on 12 Mar 2026
at 12:00
7.5/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7
Now here is something I did not see coming: a collab of two breweries I would not easily have associated with one another, in the form of a blend of Lambiek Fabriek kriek (sour cherry lambic) with Kerel Kaishaku (an unusual creation by VBCDK fermented with sake yeast)... Sold even at the local Delhaize supermarket in Lokeren (though I got mine through Huis van de Geuze). Medium thick, vaguely pinkish-tinged off-white, tiny-bubbled, shred-lacing head on a misty scarlet red robe with deep cardinal to fuchsia glow - a beautiful colour I must add, of a different shade of red than usual in a cherry lambic, but equally intense. Aroma of candied cherry as well as actual sour cherry, embedded in impressions of lychee, rosé wine, cranberry sauce, Kirr Royal, sake, rosewater, vermouth, fruit yoghurt, elderberry juice, sourdough, cold cooked rice but this is probably autosuggestion, rosehip. Fruity onset but far less tart than I was expecting - in fact even tilted to the sweet side, no doubt coming from the Kaishaku, hinting at faint banana, lychee, candied cherry and elderberry, even a touch of orange perhaps. Medium carb, very active but fine-bubbled, lambrusco-like with smooth, vinous body; sourish-sweet cherry effects 'diluted' by the Kaishaku are carried on top of it all to a lightly tannic finish, mildly tart much in the same way as a lambrusco or a sparkling rosé wine, with herbal, somewhat perfumey accents (rosehip, jasmin rice, rosewater); a 'friendly' but clear, warming, indeed sake-like alcohol glow ties it all together in the end, while this cherry flavour lingers - again not truly sour as one would expect from anything containing lambic, but nevertheless shining brightly in a kind of rosé-like sweet-tartness. Generally considerably sweeter than I was prepared for - I too expected a much stronger effect from the fruit lambic, so it is quite a surprising combo of flavours, I have to admit. This will probably not work well for those into actual lambic (cherry or other), but in all its gentle, almost 'feminine' power, I think it does an excellent job as a sparkling 'apéritif' of a very distinct and unique kind. Once I got the idea of dominance of lambic out of my head and viewed it as an apéritif beer, I was certainly able to appreciate this oddity...
Tried
on 07 Jan 2026
at 20:03
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Pink head, receding over veiled dark ruby to terra cotta beer; fine shards of lace. Sweet cherries, cherrysyrup, almonds, marzipan. Seems to be very sweet. In the mouth a more natural cherryflavour, if again with almond flavouring. Vanilly, cherrysweets. Bit slick, more than usual for a kriekenlambic. Good carbonation. A tad disappointing; I had expected more from a Lambiek Fabriek kriek, but the perfumey VBDCK Kaishaku is overpowering.
Tried
from Bottle
from
ALBO Drinks
on 04 Jan 2026
at 10:13
5.3/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 5.5
Texture 4
Overall 5
Bottle from a gift.
A: GUSHER! (As expected.) Clear amber, thin, white head.
A: overripe apple, apricot, banana, butter cookies.
T: sweet apricot, sourish green apple, wheat.
F: grassy hops, butter, soap, perfume, spices.
P: light body, slick texture, fizzy carbonation.
Very messy, not really Wit-like; probably past its best, if it was even decent to begin with...
A: GUSHER! (As expected.) Clear amber, thin, white head.
A: overripe apple, apricot, banana, butter cookies.
T: sweet apricot, sourish green apple, wheat.
F: grassy hops, butter, soap, perfume, spices.
P: light body, slick texture, fizzy carbonation.
Very messy, not really Wit-like; probably past its best, if it was even decent to begin with...
Tried
on 31 Dec 2025
at 10:17
7.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
Cloudy gold with a thin, creamy head. Aroma of apricot jam, caramel, grains. Taste is moderate sweet and faint citric. Fruitiness and boozy warmth at the end. Not harsh though given the ABV—maybe the year or so in the cellar helped mellow it. Definitely a slow sipper though. Pleasant.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Dec 2025
at 18:00
6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 9
Overall 5.5
Black with a small tan head. Doughy and malty with anise and malted milk. Long finish. Full body.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Dec 2025
at 21:59
7.3/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Sample at Palace Hall 13/12/2025 Malmö December tasting - tart fruity with notes of cherry, almond marzipan, light to medium body and acidity, tart cherry fruity into the close.
Tried
from Draft
on 13 Dec 2025
at 08:15
5.6/10
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Appearance 5
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 5
Overall 5.5
0.33 l bottle from 'Craftbeershop.com', best before April 2027. Slightly hazy, golden with a medium large, frothy, slowly diminishing, white head. Sweetish, gently grassy-spicy, slightly fruity-floral and a bit yeasty aroma of grains, hay, clove, banana and honey. Slightly sweet, moderately bitter, gently yeasty-spicy, slightly fruity-floral and a bit grassy taste of grains, hay, honey, clove, lemon peel and light banana, followed by a short, moderately bitter, gently dry finish. Almost medium-bodied, fairly effervescent mouthfeel, soft carbonation. Decent.
Tried
from Bottle
from Craftbeer Shop
on 20 Nov 2025
at 19:00