3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek

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Description

3 Fonteinen Schaerbeekse Kriek is a special oude kriek bottling made exclusively with young lambic and wild Belgian Schaerbeekse cherries. The lambic and cherries are aged together for four months before bottling. Though 3 Fonteinen's official website lists Schaerbeekse Kriek as 8% ABV, it is labeled as 6% ABV. Schaerbeekse Kriek is bottled in 750ml bottles and is available both in Europe and North America.

In Europe, the labels read "Oude Kriek van Sckaerbeekse Krieken - 35%". This is not an indication that 35% of the cherries in the beer are Sckaerbeekse cherries. Rather, this is because the beer has 210g/l of cherries (35% of the 600L barrel are cherries).

History / Other Notes

The brewery notes on their website that the production of this beer is often driven by the amount of Schaerbeekse cherries that can be sourced from local residents during the growing season. The Schaerbeekse Kriek cherries come from a tree that grows in the wild which is becoming increasingly scarce.

Unsubstantiated Stories

There are unconfirmed reports that newer batches of Schaerbeekse Kriek will start being released in 375ml bottles. As of February 2015, this has not yet happened.

Label

European Bottle Text (Vintage):
Young lambic with Schaerbeekse cherries added. Unfiltered. Spontaneous refermentation in the bottle. No colors or other additives.

European Bottle Text (Current):
Young lambic with 35% Schaerbeekse cherries added. Unfiltered. Spontaneous refermentation in the bottle. No colors or other additives. Lambic is brewed from 60% malted barley, 40% wheat, hops, and water

US Import Bottle Text:
Made only with malt, wheat, hops, water, and whole ripe cherries, entirely spontaneously fermented with wild yeasts. A rare, completely natural, traditional lambic beer, with no added sugars, syrups, artificial colors or flavors. For ages, very rare Schaerbeek cherries have been prized by brewers for the deep rich color and flavor they give to Kriek beer.

Bottle Log

Bottle Date (mm/dd/yyyy)	Bottle Size	Label / Notes	Image Link
01/18/2003	750ml	Old white/cream label	N/A
04/05/2004	750ml	Old white/cream label	N/A
03/01/2005	750ml		N/A
03/22/2006	750ml	European Label	N/A
10/17/2008	750ml	US Label	N/A
04/28/2010	750ml	US & European Labels	N/A
04/25/2011	750ml	European Label	N/A
04/26/2011	750ml		N/A
12/23/2011	750ml	European Label	N/A

References

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