Kriek

Kriek is our PNW version of the classic lambic style. Aged on Oregon cherries and vanilla beans, this beer is a perfect example of our brewing and blending philosophy: Reverence for legendary beer styles meets culinary experimentation. Our version of Kriek is bright and fruity, tart, and well rounded by subtle, silky vanilla tones

The historic beer styles and brewing techniques of Belgium are foundational to our craft. Our Kriek, like many brewed in the U.S., is modeled after the great Belgian lambics made with Schaerbeek cherries and inoculated by wild yeast gliding through the open skies of edenic European pastures. 

Imagine the farmhouse brewer, in 13th century Belgium, adding cherries from the summer orchard to their barrels of beer. It’s a seasonal duty, done in small batches with great care. This inspires us.

When we added organic Oregon cherries to our beer and let it age in oak barrels and foeders, we were imagining that brewer, guided by the landscape surrounding them. Taking many more months to allow this tart and fruity beer to develop and balance its flavors is yet another page out of the Belgian textbook.

Tasting our Kriek about nine months into aging, it was seeming, well, traditional. The aroma was full of fruit with a rustic quality from wild yeast. Its time in oak had allowed its acidity to mellow nicely, but there was something that felt unfinished to us.

While striving to maintain its complex layers of fruit, earthy notes and light tannic structure, we could not resist adding just a touch of hand-sliced vanilla beans to smooth out its body and harmonize some of the flavors.

Blasphemous! How could we! We know, we know, but we just had to see how it would turn out! This restrained addition of vanilla is our modern imprint on the style, bringing a soft, lovely mouthfeel and rounding out the fruit’s acidity. It’s like fresh, perfectly ripe cherries, with a hush of indulgence. The aroma is a soft berry cream, with hints of oak

This is the beer you want with angel food cake and cherry compote, salmon and grilled seasonal vegetables, or with creamy cheeses. The acidity is there to lift off some of the buttery, rich flavors of your dish, and the bright fruity character helps it complete a meal, bringing in the breadth of characters you want in a well-crafted dish.

We hope you enjoy Kriek. Cheers!