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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. Kriek production dates at least to the beginning of the 1900s, if not earlier<ref name="Petit Journal du Brasseur 1907"> Petit Journal du Brasseur (1907). p.531-532 & 547-548 </ref> (see also [[Cantillon_Framboise|Cantillon Framboise]]). 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]]).
==Historic production==
Historic kriek production took place in wooden barrels or fouders. Square openings in the tops of barrels made it easier to get fruit into and out of the barrels. Older barrels with square bungs can still be seen in the cellars of some lambic producers; however, these are much less common than the typical round bung barrels in use today.
A recipe for kriek from 1907 details the following process information to produce a kriek<ref name="Petit Journal du Brasseur 1907"/><ref> [http://www.horscategoriebrewing.com/2018/10/a-recipe-for-kriek-from-1907.html | Hors Catégorie Brewing blog post on Kriek from 1907] </ref>:
Use lambic of roughly 2 years old.
Use 160-200 g cherries (preferably Schaerbeek, but sometimes Cerise du Nord and Schaerbeek were used) per 100 L lambic.
In addition to cherries, a sugar syrup was added along with 10g Ceylon cinnamon per 100 L lambic. Macerate for 4-5 months.
Bottle and condition for roughly 6 months, at a maximum temperature of 15-17° C, after which the beers is carbonated and ready.
The resulting beer would age well for about 5 years.
==Commercial Examples of Kriek==