The presented beer was a hazy orange / golden body without much remaining head. The retention was really nice for a Lambic and formed a thin, pure white ring around the glass. Some carbonation bubbles can be seen clinging to the glass walls for a second, then releasing. The aromas are powerful, fruity and invigorating. Notes of apricot, tart strawberry candy, peach and pucker mix come through in a masterful blending of flavors.

On first sip, the evidence you’re drinking a Lambic comes to light. Tart, ripe fruits – namely apricot and peach – wash the palate with a seriously bubbly character. A slight grain notes comes through, adding a nice base and balance to the beer from being nothing but a funk show. The finish is extremely dry, a bit unpleasantly so, and brings in some pear elements with a caramel twist.

It was a pleasure to sample the iconic Fou’ Foune from Cantillon, despite it’s rather hefty price tag for the pour. Nonetheless, the complex flavors were all blended and balanced extremely well, with seemingly immense care. It’s beers like this that show the brewers love for their craft. If there’s one beer not to miss that I’ve sampled from Cantillon so far, this is it.

Rating

93
out of 100

The Friek pours out with a rich dark and murky ruby colored body with virtually no head. There’s some noticeable carbonation, but not enough to give this a good head which led to poor lacing and retention. Aromas are invigorating and mimic the classic Belgian-style quite well. Notably, sour and tart fresh cherries dominate, with a hint of raspberry for a bit more depth and complexity. A little bit of funk and oak round out a puckering nose.

Let me be clear when I say this beer is sour. The initial tartness of the beer is puckering as in the nose but it’s balanced and not overwhelming by any means. The tartness draws on those cherry and dark fruit flavors – more raspberry and plum – while oak notes start to shine through in the finish. The mouth feel on the Friek is light-bodied and well carbonated, traditional for the style.

Odell has done a stellar job with their limited release Kriek Lambic and hopefully continue down this path. If you have the opportunity to pick up Friek, I highly suggest you do. Usually I don’t go out of my way for any “sours” – Belgian or American – but this would be one worth hunting down or trading for.

Rating

93
out of 100

I knew that I was in for some sort of weird tea and alcohol fueled psychedelic trip from the moment I opened the beer. The Lambrucha is very carbonated, so much so that it pushed a large yeast deposit out of the mouth of the bottle. It kind of freaked me out a bit, but after a quick phone call to Shane I decided that all was well and it was time to sample the beer.

Very carefully pouring this highly carbonated drink into my pint glass I was able to keep the head under control (hard to do with something this carbonated) and got it to around two fingers in height. The beer itself is a hazy yellowed orange. The smell is interesting and not like anything I have smelled in a beer before. It is musky, crisp, slightly citrusy, sour, but still a little grassy. Interesting, weird, and intriguing…

The Lambrucha’s interesting and trippyness continues into the flavor. Even as I write this I’m trying to decide if I like it or not. The taste is sour, what you would expect from a lambic, and a bit tart tasting of lemons (lemons especially towards the end). As the beer warms more fruit flavors start to come out including grapefruit and orange. Overall the flavors can be a bit thin, but some do stand out a bit more. There is also a holdover musky/funkyness from the nose that is present in the taste. It is a bit off putting at first.

Overall I consider Lambrucha to be more of a tea drink with some alcohol than a beer. It is interesting and worth a shot, just don’t expect many similarities between it and your favorite brew. I did enjoy the beer, it was refreshing and crisp, but not my favorite.

Overall: 6.5/10