
The Brewery
Bellegem (Kortrijk)
B-8501
Belgium




Beer Style
Fruit Lambiek (Fruit Lambic)
The Beer
Of all the Belgian fruit beers, cherry-flavoured kriek is the by far the most traditional.
Kriekenbier has all the characteristics of an old gueuze, complemented with a pleasantly fruity taste.
Brewers add krieken cherries (a type of Morello cherry) to lambic beers to improve their flavours.
The addition of fruit has the added benefit of speeding up the fermentation.
Krieken cherries, just like lambic, have a naturally sour taste. Consequently the first artisan-brewed krieken beers were also very sour, which prompted many people to melt sugar into the beer.
These beers are still often on the sour side, with a frothy head that veers between white and pale pink. They are always complex, just like a lambic.
Kriek des Jacobins is a ‘cut’ beer; in other words, a blended, mixed-fermentation beer, created from a basis of 50% uncut lambic and 50% young, top-fermented beer enriched with the natural juice of krieken cherries.
This kriek is not dissimilar to Cuvée des Jacobins, an uncut lambic that has spent 18 months maturing in oak barrels.
By the way, this foeder (a giant wooden vat) beer is the mother beer for all of the sour beers produced by Omer Vander Ghinste, including the VanderGhinste Roodbruin, Gueuze Jacobins, Kriek Max and Rosé Max.
Alcohol
4.5% ABV
Fermentation
Lambic is a spontaneous fermentation beer. The beer turns sour slowly but surely thanks to its exposure to the air and the effect of wild yeasts.
Ingredients
Kriek des Jacobins is brewed with barley malt, wheat, hops and krieken cherry juice.
Colour & Transparency
This beer is a beautiful red colour with little to no transparency beneath a cream-coloured collar of froth.
Serving Temperature
5–8°C / 41-47°F
Serving Glass
Kriek des Jacobins is served in the elegant branded glass on a tall stem.
Character, Tastes & Aromas
This red-brown beer has an aroma of cherry fruits (krieken) with touches of wood. It is balanced, slightly sweet but refreshingly sour at the same time.
This is a great thirst quencher and definitely recommended for drinking on a sun-drenched terrace.
Culinary
Kriek des Jacobins is a pleasant aperitif beer and a good companion to many dishes.
It performs well with vinaigrette salads, goat’s cheese, and blue-veined cheeses, but also with ice cream or a chocolate bake like a brownie, for example.
Keeping and Storage
Kriek des Jacobins is based on lambic and will continue to ferment in the bottle. Its taste is likely to evolve over the years.
The recommended storage period given by the brewery is 18 months in the bottle. Store in a dry, cool and dark environment.
Availability
Bottle ✔ On Tap ✖
Kriek des Jacobins is available in 33cl bottles and can be found around Belgium and abroad via the usual specialised channels.
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