Oud Beersel Oude Kriek
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Tasting Notes
The aroma opens with tart cherry, a faint almond-skin note from the pits, and the characteristic barnyard funk of aged lambic — think leather, hay, and a whisper of vinegar. On the palate, sour cherry dominates but never tips into candy; the base lambic brings earthy, lactic complexity that keeps things grounded. The body is dry and lean, closer to a tart wine than a fruit beer in the mainstream sense. The finish is long, mouth-puckering, and cleanly acidic with a subtle woody dryness.
About the Brewery
Oud Beersel is a traditional geuze and lambic producer based in Beersel, in the Pajottenland region southwest of Brussels — the historic heartland of spontaneous fermentation. The brewery dates to 1882 and nearly closed in the early 2000s before being revived under new ownership around 2005. It is regarded as one of the more authentic traditional lambic houses, producing unblended lambic, geuze, and kriek using whole Schaerbeek cherries, a heritage variety that has become increasingly rare.
Food Pairings
Aged goat cheese or a sharp chèvre works well because the lactic acidity in both the beer and cheese run parallel rather than clash. Duck confit or roasted pork belly hold up to the beer's tartness while their fat softens the acidity. Bitter dark chocolate creates an interesting counterpoint, its roast cutting through the sour fruit. A simple charcuterie board with cured meats and grain mustard lets the kriek's complexity do the talking without overwhelming the palate.
Style Guide
Oude Kriek is a traditional Belgian fruit lambic made by referencing whole cherries — historically Schaerbeek sour cherries — in aged lambic, then allowing a secondary fermentation to occur. Unlike modern fruit beers, no sweeteners or fruit extracts are used in authentic versions, so the result is dry, intensely tart, and funky rather than sweet or fruit-forward in a soft-drink sense. It sits within the broader spontaneous-fermentation family alongside geuze and gueuze-lambic blends, but the cherry addition gives it a distinct fruity-acidic character that sets it apart. ABV typically ranges from 5–7%, and the style originates in the Senne Valley and Pajottenland regions of Belgium.