Brouwerij De Troch
Ternat-Wambeek, Belgium
Imported by: Noble Union Imports, Houston, TX
The Chapeau Kriek is made on base of Lambic, a artisanal traditional product which ripe on oaken barrels.
ABV: 3.5
ABW: 2.8
COLOR: N/A
BITTERNESS: N/A
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: N/A
AVAILABLE: N/A
Some of you may remember De Troch’s Chapeau as a kind of soda-poppy, kiddy-fruit lambic aimed at people who wanted something sweet and easy. Well, let me tell you … It still is. While the rich cherry aromas promise something quite interesting, the overly fizzy beer just doesn’t deliver. The cherry is uncomplicatedly sweet and trails off into a Kool-Aid finish that’s mercilessly long. Have a pretzel and go get a pilsner.
I’ll state my prejudice right away: I am not a fan of sweetened lambics made with fruit flavors rather than real fruit. And from the looks and smell of this deep red brew, and the “natural cherry flavor” noted on the label, I’d say that’s just what this is. The nose is all cherry pie filling, with vanilla in back, while the taste hits the palate with a slap of fruity sweetness before adding a hint of tartness in the second half and finish. I might pair it with chocolate cake, but not much else.
Lew Bryson writes about beer and whiskey from his home in southeast Pennsylvania. He has a family and two dogs. That’s all you need to know.
Once described as “beerdom’s Brillat-Savarin,” Stephen Beaumont is the co-author of The World Atlas of Beer, five other books, and countless articles on beer, spirits, food, and how it all goes together.
Wed Jul 3rd, 2013
The Young Turks and Old Lions of Breweries
Once a year the whole world of craft brewers, and I do mean the whole world, gathers together for four days of catching up, digesting new ideas, staying up way...
Read the blog
