Tag Archives: Lambic

Monomoy Kriek – Cisco Brewers Inc. – The Woods – Nantucket, MA

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IMG_2080-2Brew: Monomoy Kriek

Brewery: Cisco Brewers Inc.

Style: Sour/Wild Ale

Pours a beautiful crimson violet that permeates the head creating a rosy tint.  The nose is packed with tart cherry.  The cherry flavor has a broad spectrum ranging from crisp and ripe to sweet and sour.  The barrel aging adds an oaky edge to this impressive creation.   The tartness is mouthwatering and epitomizes a great sour.  The acid adds a fine balance to the fruit flavors. This kriek* is an undeniable testament to the style.  I was pleased to find a serendipitously fresh batch of this in Northampton, MA at a bar called the Dirty Truth.  Lambics and associated fruity sour beers tend to have low ABV but this beer registers at an honorable 6.7%.   This kriek is a great choice for a night out or as a morning companion for a plate of chicken and waffles.  According to the seller this cherried Flemish sour was aged for 2 years, 10 months on sour cherries, I must say it was worth the wait.

* Kriek is a word of Flemish origin that refers to a cherry-infused style of Belgian beer, fermenting a Lambic (Belgian fruit style) with sour Morello cherries.

La Luna Rossa – Birrificio Del Ducato – Italy

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IMG_1724Brew: La Luna Rossa

Brewery: Birrificio Del Ducato

Style: Sour/Wild Ale ABV 8%

Pours a violet amber with a nose of cherry, dark fruit and berries. This beer comes in at 8% and is a refreshing reminder that sour beers reminiscent of lambics can be more than fruity and light. La luna rosa has depth and a mouthwatering tartness to support the claim. Notes of black cherry, cherry, and raspberry permeate this libation yielding to that puckering thought-provoking taste only great beers can achieve. If you desire a brew that is not only authentic and unique but one that can satisfy your palate, seek out La Luna Rossa barrificio del ducato. It might be hard to find because it is produced in small batches with painstaking precision. It can also be expensive but keep searching if you find an absurd price tag, good carriers will have no trouble moving this exceptional product at a fair price, except no imitations, especially in the face of the sour beer connoisseur. Long live lactobacillus.

Seller Description:  The start is a sour base which has undergone at least 2 years of mixed fermentation with acetic and lactic bacteria as well as Brettanomyces strains. Amarena and morel cherries are then added for additional flavor for at least 6 months. The beer is then blended with part L’Ultima Luna and part young beer and poured into numbered bottles indicating the year of the curvee. 12 more months of maturation in bottle are required before entering the market.  La Luna Rossa resembles a Flemish red based kriek beer and is extraordinarily complex and elegant. Lovers of this blend find it hard to forget.

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