Is lindemans kriek a quality lambic?

Anybody drink this? Is it a quality kriek lambic?

It's certainly the most ubiquitous. I like it well enough, but I think it's kind of middle of the road. A good jumping off point.

nothing like a real lambic. it's very, as pelipen puts it, ubiquitous. kinda neutral, "yeah whatever" kinda brew.

lumpher said:

nothing like a real lambic.

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Explain? It is a blend of different aged lambic and "fruited" with unsweetened cherry juice. Not sure how that would make it any less real. The part that would however make it less real, is the fact that they backsweeten it. They're not the only ones though.

I personally don't like it as much as other Krieks, but it is not bad. It's a bit sweet and too "pie cherry" tasting. It's a good beer for people who don't like beer and ladies though. My mother loves it. Especially the Cassis.

But "nothing like a real lambic"? That's a bit of a stretch given the market for lambics have been closer to Lindemanns for a great while longer than what we as beer snobs would consider a GOOD lambic. Sorry if this came off as argumentative, just playing Devil's Advocate for this commonly misunderstood style.

Its not a good lambic because it doesn't fall into the style. Its more of a fruit beer than anything else, its the only flavor that comes through. It is a terrible beer, very overpowering fake fruit flavor. I would agree that its nothing like a real lambic, why do you think it sells so well?

You have to think of it as the cherry coke of the beer world. It's never going to be the same as what you could get at the local ma&pap shop, but it has it's place. With a slice of death by chocolate cake, you get the kriek cutting through the chocolate, and you don't worry about messing with subtle flavors of the beer.

As a jumping off point for people new to this segment, I usually start here. I have a rule, if you don't like it, I'll finish it and they order something else, or we trade. I'm willing to drink this. Now framboise on the other hand...is only for women after a sunday out shopping.

When I was living in poland, the girls would pump cherry syrup into the local BMC equivalent. While not sour... That there is bottom of the barrel.

We should probably give some good examples. If you can find it, Hanssens Oud Kriek is a good example, and reasonably available without breaking the bank.

Buy it and try it. Then buy a different one and try it. Then another. That's kind of the only way to learn about what is kind of an odd/slightly unavailable style. I like it enough, although I think it is over the top.

I'm sure the quality is fine.

But...

I can't speak for everyone, though usually, most people prefer a sour/acidic kriek, and so most of the brands people talk about are a little more sour. The Lindemanns stuff is well made, but is sweetened, so instead of a sour cherry flavor it has a candy or like someone said "cherry pie" flavor. You may like it if you like sweet candy cherry flavors.

Lindemanns sells an unsweetened gueuze called cuvee rene. That is pretty easy to find and is a nice sour gueuze. Try both and see what you like. you might be able to blend them together in the glass.

BryanJ said:

Its not a good lambic because it doesn't fall into the style. Its more of a fruit beer than anything else, its the only flavor that comes through. It is a terrible beer, very overpowering fake fruit flavor. I would agree that its nothing like a real lambic, why do you think it sells so well?

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Why does it say lambic on the label?

Are there others more true to style? Yes.
Does that really matter if you like the way it tastes? No.
I personally like it. I take it for what it is, and don't worry if its not completely true to traditional lambics. Some people will tell you it's complete crap because of that fact, but that's a personal opinion. Don't listen to others. Try it for yourself and let your tastes give you the answer.

For those of you arguing about styles - I think the distinction here is between oud kriek and the more ubiquitous modern back sweetened krieks.

Lindemans fruit beers are certainly lambics (spontaneously fermented in Pajottenland, wheat + pils malt, etc, etc.) but they are stylistically not "oud" or traditional representations of the style because they are back sweetened. Exceptions to this would be their Cuvee Rene series geuze and kriek.

Is their regular kriek a good representation of the modern belgian kriek style? One of the best. Is it a good representation of a traditional oud kriek? No, and it's not trying to be. For that, see Drie Fonteinen, Oud Beersel, Cantillon, etc,

suprchunk said:

But "nothing like a real lambic"? That's a bit of a stretch given the market for lambics have been closer to Lindemanns for a great while longer than what we as beer snobs would consider a GOOD lambic. Sorry if this came off as argumentative, just playing Devil's Advocate for this commonly misunderstood style.

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not saying it isn't a decent beer, my friend; just saying not right. you're correct: it's what we're used to, as the consumers

lumpher said:

not saying it isn't a decent beer, my friend; just saying not right. you're correct: it's what we're used to, as the consumers

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it's a slippery slope. if consumer perception is the primary driver of what constitutes a beer style, then miller lite is a pilsner.... putting something on a label doesn't necessarily make it so.

i work in the retail beer business and explaining the difference between lindemans and a traditional lambic is a challenge because they so often do not have the same customer groups. personally i tend to think of the lindemans products as "fruit beers". there's nothing wrong with fruit beers, but they don't have the characteristics i normally associate with a lambic.