Very nice head when pourred into glass, almost creamy, did not disapear and left line in the glass; to me this is a very impressive start. Very refreshing taste with a fruity aftertaste (Leifman knows how to add fruity taste to their beer). I'm not sure this a pale ale per say but it is still a good beer.

Dark amber/brown in colour with a fairly thin tan head that subsides quickly. Smells of sour cherries, malt, tart cranberries and a bit of citrus! Medium-Bodied; Tastes initially of malt and a bit of hops with a subtle sourness. Quickly morphs flavour to very sour cherrys, a residual sweetness (from the fruit) and a subtle maltiness. Aftertaste a bit spicey, a bit sour and a bit sweet...quite literally a perfect combination for the style. A pretty good beer, and while not my favourite flemish sour, still very good when compared to other beers! Worth trying, especially if you can regularly find it! I got this 75 cL bottle from fellow ratebeerian and great friend Jon (JonR888710) which he purchased at Lee & Edwards in Roanoke, Virginia and sampled it on 31-August-2003.

Dark brown with clear red shine; thick creamy head with pinkish shine, dissipating. Nose of cherry (ever so slightly syrupy), wood, woodstripper, vinous. Taste of cherygums, syrupy; woody undertones; very, very slightly bitterish-tart. Medium-bodied, refreshing. Acids, bit of vinous alcohol. If only this cherry-chewing gum flavour could be more palatable - this would be quite good still. Go search for the draught unsweetened version.

Drank it fridge-cool, as I did with its Canadian effigy. Very diffuse head, white with pink-brownish glaze; brown beer with reddish shine, very hazy. Vinous nose, estery, spicy (cloves, cinnamon, cardemoms, ginger), but also something reminscent of cola. Vinous and spicy taste, here the cinnamon and cloves overwhelm the rest. There is a metallic acidity retronasal. Bitterish surrounding, and, of course, cherry aroma all over, but it is a natural-appearing aroma. Good. Acidity even develops some acidburn. Strange. Liefmans is the original, but I've liked the Unibroue better from the moment I tasted it - despite it being sweeter. Both the Liefmans as the Quelque Chose seem to benefit from the cooling - something I never did before with this.

The aroma is dominated by cherries with a little sharpness and good portion of sweetness. The color is deep red but it has no head. The flavor is rather sweet with a strong cherry presence and a slight sourness. It ends on a dry cherry note. A good beer - but not the best Kriek I've had.

Vertical tasting between: A; Liefmans Goudenband (375 ml), cork date: 12/2002, points as above; and: B; Liefmans Goudenband (750ml), cork date: 1986, points in [brackets] in text. Colour: A: thick yellow head, dense, lacey; deep brown beer with reddish shine. B: thick dirty yellow head, cringing to a 1 cm thick ring; dark brown, amberish shine [4]. Nose: A: acetone, nuts, Maillard/bread crust, wood; B: earthy, lactic, Rodenbach-like, mushrooms [8] Taste: A: really like a burnt crust of a pretty sweet bread (eggbread and the like). Surrounding sourness (lactic-woody) with always a bitter finish: a bit harsh, not hoppy, licorice; B: Sourish, pretty lactic, acetic is hinted at but below identification treshold. Yet something clear-sweet inside. Very little tartness, more sour-sweet, but lots of fruity, wooden notes. Vague hint of old port, with the suspicion of the Stilton served alongside. When compared to A, A becomes a pale abbey dubbel, even like a German brown beer, and this is the real thing [9] Mouthfeel/aftertaste: A: Full-bodied, but thinner texture. Shame about the finish, the beer is quite OK; B: much more refreshing, lesser bodied but it somehow sits more right with the style. Or is that prejudice? [5] Overall: A is nice and would come out best when drunk as such. In this vertical test, however, it completely fades in front of the 1986 onslaught. One that tastes as if it were brewed last december for a surviving bunch of real Flemish 'potentaten' with flat caps, a mean eye, and a no meaner stomach. Truly great: [18], which would give it 4.4 out of 5!

This seems like the perfect match between champagne, beer and raspberry juice. Good sour taste and very refreshing for those hot summer days