Belgian Beer of the Week

Brouwerij Crombé Oud Kriekenbier

This was one of my first Belgian beer love affairs. It's a pale ale refermented with whole cherries. It's matured in a tank for a year before bottling and is then matured for a year or so in bottle before release. It's sharp, dry, fruity and refreshing. What's not to like?

Well, it's had a chequered history. The brewery dates back to 1758 and is based in the village of Zottegem, south of Ghent. The Crombé family still runs it with the seventh generation now in charge.

The first two editions of Good Beer Guide to Belgium & Holland wax pretty lyrical about this beer - and also tell us that it was a tiny two-man affair producing 1,650hl a year. It also enjoyed "growing affection and respect from Belgian beer lovers for its slightly unusual ales".  That wasn't enough to keep it going though and sadly brewing ceased in 1999.

Luckily, as you may have deduced, that wasn't the end of Crombé beers. They are now contract brewed by another Flemish brewery, Brouwerij Strubbe at Ichtegem, near Ostend. That's also an old-established family concern (founded 1830 with the sixth and seventh generations in charge) and they have tried to stick faithfully to the old Crombé recipes and production methods.

I'd not tried the beer for years. My reluctance was a combination of apprehension as to what might have happened to it, and the fact that I saw it on sale vary rarely, if at all. However I was in Amsterdam in June and there on the shelves of the Bier Koning was Oud Kriekenbier with its distinctive folksy label (similar artwork has been used since at least the 1940s and this looks like it last had a redesign around 1960). 

So, what's it like now? Well memories of past beers can be imperfect and I seem to recall a beer that we perhaps slightly brighter and redder than it is now. I also recollect more of a steely dry edge. However these, as they say, are minor quibbles. It's still pretty red and retains a sharp, dry fruitness with a quenching sour edge to the finish. I'm kicking myself that I only bought two 330ml bottles (it is apparently also available in 750ml) and without doubt I'll be buying rather more if and when I encounter it again.