Cantillon Kriek Lambic 12.7 oz bottle (cap & cork)

Cantillon Kriek 100% Lambic

Brewed by: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium        
Style: Lambic

ABV: 6%
IBU: 25

BeerAdvocate.com rating: 97

Cantillon Kriek is a blend of lambics and sour cherries – 200 g of cherries per liter of beer. The beer has a slightly acidic taste of red fruit complemented with subtle almond flavors. This Kriek has the best flavors when drunk young (this batch is bottled June of 2026). After soaking for two to three months with the cherries, the beer has extracted the full color, fragrance and flavor of the sour cherries. At that point, it is blended with one year old lambic, which contributes the sugars necessary for the secondary fermentation in the bottle. 

The sour cherries are certified organic and come from Turkey. Since sour cherries have a very pronounced taste it is necessary to choose a lambic that has enough character to be a good match for the fruit.

Belgian pubs haven’t always offered so many types of beers to their customers. Many years ago, only local products were sold, and in order to make the drinks list more extensive, brewers came up with recipes based on locally produced fruit – the most famous, the kriek. People drinking kriek in a pub were given two lumps of sugar and a stoemper on a small saucer. This small utensil was used to crush the lumps of sugar at the bottom of the glass of kriek. The customer could then adjust the sweetness to eliminate the slightly sour taste. 

Food Pairings:

Guinea fowl, goat cheese with cranberries or pomegranate, poultry or pork liver pate

Brewery Information:

Cantillon is a family brewer that produces Lambic, Gueuze, Faro and Kriek much the same way it was produced in 1900 when it was founded.  The Van Roy-Cantillon family uses most of the same tools and brewing techniques as it did in the beginning.  There are red copper kettles and barrels in the production building. The Brussels Gueuze Museum is at the Cantillon brewery.