(Photo from boon.be)
Brouwerij Boon is famous for their Oude Geuze and Geuze Mariage Parfait. They’re also rightly known for their fruit Lambics. Their Oude Kriek recently won the reader driven Beer Awards Digital Festival for best Fruit Beer. It’s a Belgian website that runs a yearly poll that lets the people decide the winners. It also recently won the Gold medal at the 2014 World Beer Cup in Denver, CO. While their Oude Kriek isn’t available in the United States, which is highly unfortunate as it’s truly an amazing example of the Kriek art, their Kriek Mariage Parfait is.
Boon Kriek Mariage Parfait, like their Geuze Mariage Parfait, is the top of line for the brewery. Kriek Mariage Parfait is one-year old Lambic that is then mixed with 400 grams of overripe cherries per liter of beer. It is then moved to some of the smaller oak casks at the brewery where it receives additional aging time before being bottled and aged for another 6 months to create the bottle conditioning.
The first time I got to try this beer was at the brewery on my visit in 2012 (You can read more about it at the link below). I was blown away by it. After that, I spent two years trying to get it brought into Oregon, which it now is on occasion. Needless to say, I’ll be returning to Boon on my upcoming trip to see how the brewery looks after it’s construction is finished (I visited mid-construction last time).
Aroma: Tart cherries, chocolate, vanilla, lemon, touches of oak, earthy/funky notes.
Taste: Earthy, bitter/sour cherries, mushrooms, lemon spritz on the finish.
Overall Impression: What a perfect balance between sweet and sour! Cherries are the star of this beer, but they don’t steal the show. They’re balanced against a lot of wood character as well as some great “Lambic” funk. Complex and complete, this sour cherry beer should satisfy even then wonkiest of sour lovers.
Availability: In limited US markets, see their importer, Latis Imports, for more details.
8% ABV
If you’d like to read more reviews of Boon or learn about my adventures at their brewery, you can visit my page dedicated to Brouwerij Boon.
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