New Belgium Transatlantique Kriek
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Tasting Notes
The aroma leads with tart cherry and a faint barnyard funk from the wild fermentation, underscored by a dry, wine-like oakiness. On the palate, sour cherry dominates — bright and tangy rather than sweet — with a leathery, Brett-driven complexity that builds mid-sip. The body is medium-light, almost sparkling in its effervescence, and the finish is long, dry, and pleasantly astringent. At 8% it carries more weight than many krieks without telegraphing its alcohol.
About the Brewery
New Belgium is based in Fort Collins, Colorado, founded in 1991, and is among the most established craft breweries in the American West. They're best known for Fat Tire Amber Ale, but their wood-cellar sour program — developed under the Lips of Faith banner and later as standalone releases — has earned serious credibility among American wild ale enthusiasts. Transatlantique Kriek is a collaboration with Belgian lambic blender Oud Beersel, which grounds it firmly in traditional production.
Food Pairings
Duck confit works well because the beer's acidity cuts through the rich fat without overpowering the meat's savory depth. A dense dark chocolate dessert — a brownie or flourless torte — plays against the tart cherry in a classic Black Forest flavor pairing. Aged goat cheese brings enough lactic tang to meet the sourness head-on rather than clash with it. Charcuterie, particularly a cured salami with some fennel, picks up the funky, earthy Brett notes in the beer and mirrors them on the plate.
Style Guide
Kriek is a subset of lambic, a Belgian spontaneously fermented wheat-and-barley beer that has cherries — traditionally Schaerbeek sour cherries — added during secondary fermentation so the fruit sugars referment dry. The result is tart, funky, and decidedly unsweetened, which distinguishes traditional kriek from the sweeter fruit beers that borrowed the name commercially. Lambic itself originates in the Pajottenland region southwest of Brussels, where wild airborne yeast and bacteria drive fermentation. ABV typically runs 5–8%, though blended or aged versions like this one sit toward the higher end.