Ales: What are the differences between a kriek, a gueuze, and a lambic?

Question

Which ones are more sour, which ones are blends and which not, and which one is more sweet? I tried some gueuze recently and really loved its tart flavor.

Answer 1

Lambics are double fermented Belgian beers. The second fermentation adds a fruit flavor and most of the "tart" flavor you said you liked. Here is a list of the various flavors you can find.

Fraboise - Raspberry (by far the mosy popular of all the flavors)

Peche - Peach

Kriek - Cherry

Pomme - Apple

Cassis - Black Currant

There are others, but these are the most widely spread

A Geuze is the ultimate lambic, blending new (1 year) and old (3 year) lambics together and often combining various different flavors. If you can find it, try the Boon Geuze Marriage Parfait. It has a lot of tartness to it and you get notes of every single flavor I mentioned above.

Answer 2

Lambic - A spontaneously fermented beer commonly associated with Belgium. Lambics are a wheat based beer, that is traditionally fermented in open top barrels using wild yeast for up to three years.

Kriek - Cherry. Specifically, it is the Belgian word for cherry.

Gueuze - Is a style of lambic. It is defined as the blending of new (1-2 year) and old (3 year) lambics.

Lambics are personal favorite of mine. I've been debating making one...but do I want to invest 3 years in one beer? One year for my Imperial Stout is enough.

Answer 3

Lambic is an ale that is twice fermented.  The first fermentation is of the regular ale ingredients.  The second takes place after fruit has been added to the mix.  Kriek is a type of lambic to which black cherry has been added.  It's a favorite of mine.  Tastes a little sweet and has a nice red color.  There is also apple (tastes a little like hard cider), peachn (sweet), and other flavors of lambic (generally sweet).

Gueuze is also a form of lambic.  Here's all about this tasty brew: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geuze

Lambics are distinctively Belgian.  Belgian beer and ale are second to none in the whole world.  I love them.