Kriek is a style of Belgian beer

Belgian beer

Beer in Belgium varies from pale lager to lambic beer and Flemish red. There are approximately 178 breweries in the country, ranging from international giants to microbreweries..-History:...

, made by fermenting lambic

Lambic

Lambic is a very distinctive type of beer brewed only in the Pajottenland region of Belgium and in Brussels itself at the Cantillon Brewery and museum...

 with sour Morello cherries

Sour Cherry

Prunus cerasus, or the sour cherry, is a species of Prunus in the subgenus Cerasus , native to much of Europe and southwest Asia. It is closely related to the wild cherry Prunus cerasus, or the sour cherry, is a species of Prunus in the subgenus Cerasus (cherries), native to much of Europe and...

. The name is derived from the Dutch

Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

 word for this type of cherry (kriek). Traditionally "Schaarbeekse krieken" (a rare Belgian Morello variety) from the area around Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

 are used. As the Schaarbeek type cherries have become more difficult to find, some brewers have replaced these (partly or completely) with other varieties of sour cherries, sometimes imported.

Traditionally, kriek is made by breweries in and around Brussels using lambic beer to which sour cherries (with the pits) are added. A lambic is a sour and dry Belgian beer, fermented spontaneously with airborne yeast said to be native to Brussels; the presence of cherries (or raspberries) predates the almost universal use of hops

Hops

Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...

 as a flavoring in beer. A traditional kriek made from a lambic base beer is sour and dry as well. The cherries are left in for a period of several months, causing a refermentation of the additional sugar. Typically no sugar will be left so there will be a fruit flavour without sweetness. There will be a further maturation process after the cherries are removed.

More recently, some lambic brewers have added sugar to the final product of their fruit beers, in order to make them less intense and more approachable to a wider audience. They also use cherry juice rather than whole cherries and are matured for much shorter periods.

Framboise

Framboise

Framboise or Frambozenbier is a Belgian lambic beer that is fermented using raspberries. It is one of many modern fruitbeer types that have been inspired by the more traditional kriek beer, made using sour cherries.Framboise is usually served in a small glass that resembles a champagne glass,...

 or Frambozenbier

Framboise

Framboise or Frambozenbier is a Belgian lambic beer that is fermented using raspberries. It is one of many modern fruitbeer types that have been inspired by the more traditional kriek beer, made using sour cherries.Framboise is usually served in a small glass that resembles a champagne glass,...

 is a related, less traditional Belgian beer

Belgian beer

Beer in Belgium varies from pale lager to lambic beer and Flemish red. There are approximately 178 breweries in the country, ranging from international giants to microbreweries..-History:...

, fermented with raspberries instead of sour cherries. Kriek is also related to geuze, which is not a fruit beer but is also based on refermented lambic beer. Some breweries, like Liefmans, make cherry beers based on oud bruin

Oud bruin

Oud Bruin, also known as Flanders Brown, is a style of beer originating from the Flemish region of Belgium. The name literally translates as "old brown", referring to the long aging process which can take up to a year. It undergoes a secondary fermentation, which takes several weeks to a month,...

 beer instead of lambic.

Commercial examples

Traditional krieks include:

• Boon Kriek
• Cantillon Kriek Lambic
• 3 Fonteinen
  3 Fonteinen
  3 Fonteinen is a Belgian brewery, specialized in geuze and kriek. The brewery is situated in Beersel, near Brussels and produces classic versions of both kriek and geuze.- Geuzestekerij :...
  
   Kriek
• Girardin Kriek 1882
• Hanssens Kriek Lambic
• Oud Beersel
  Oud Beersel
  -History:Oud Beersel is an artisanal Lambic brewery, based in Beersel and founded in 1882 by Henri Vandervelden. His son Louis, and then his grandson Henri, subsequently took over. The brewery remained in the same family until 2002. In 1991, it was taken over by Henri's nephew Danny Draps. In 2002,...
  
   Oude Kriek Vieille
• Timmermans Traditional Kriek Lambic

Sweetened krieks include:

• Belle-Vue Kriek Lambic
• Chapeau
  Chapeau
  -Mainland Europe:"Chapeau" is a French term signifying a hat or other covering for the head. In mainland European heraldry, it is used as a mark of ecclesiastical dignity, especially that of cardinals, which is called the red chapeau...
  
   Kriek Lambic
• Lindemans
  Lindemans Brewery
  Lindemans Brewery is a Belgian family brewery based in Vlezenbeek, a small town in the Flemish Brabant southwest of Brussels. It produces lambics.-History:...
  
   Kriek Lambic
• Mort Subite Kriek Lambic
• Timmermans Kriek Lambic
• St. Louis Kriek Lambic
• La Sultane Halal Kriek

'Kriek' based on Oud Bruin include:

• De Ryck Kriek Fantastiek
• Liefmans Kriek
• Kasteel Kriek
• Verhaeghe Echt Kriekenbier