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A Kriek is a type of fruit lambic made with sour cherries. In Flemish, the word "Kriek" means sour cherry. While some non-lambic beers also use Kriek in their names, this page will refer only to Krieks which are lambics.
Kriek is one of the most common and oldest types of fruit lambic. Clear records of and recipes for Kriek production date at least to the beginning of the 1900s<ref name="Petit Journal du Brasseur 1907"> Petit Journal du Brasseur (1907). p.531-532 & 547-548 </ref> (see also [[Cantillon_Framboise|Cantillon Framboise]]) and documentation of local sour cherries being sold to brewers in the Brussels area dates back to at least the late 1700s, providing strong evidence for a much longer tradition of kriek production<ref>[De Eugène-Joseph-Charles-Gilain-Hubert d'Olmen baron de Poederlé, (1792). Manuel de l'Arboriste et a du Forestier Belgique.]</ref>. Bottled Kriek can be found both carbonated and still, with bottles labeled "Kriek" or "Oude Kriek" generally found carbonated and bottles with labels such as "Kriek lambiek" and "Kriekenlambik" generally uncarbonated.
Kriek terminology receives some legal protection in the EU. For example the terms "Kriek" and "Kriekenlambiek" denote certain specific process requirements (e.g. fermentation, age, cherry content) and final beer characteristics<ref> [http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html?denominationId=376| TSG for Kriek] </ref>. Similarly, the terms "Oude Kriek" and "Vieille Kriek" denote specific process and final beer characteristics as for "Kriek-Lambic", as well as additional final beer parameters, a secondary refermentation in the package and aging on lees<ref> [http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html?denominationId=740| TSG for Oude Kriek] </ref> (see also [[Culture_vs._Chemistry#Regulation|Lambic Regulation]]).