Sweet sunshine

Summer is about to commence, and that got me thinking of silly fruit concoctions in the sunshine, which then got me out and buying them. Here's what I found.

No idea why, but I don't have a review of Lindemans Kriek up here, though I've definitely had it on multiple occasions over the years. To rectify that: it's a sesh-friendly 3.5% ABV and a beautiful deep blood-red in the glass. Though inescapably sweet, it uses that to leverage a huge red-cherry flavour, full of real-tasting juice and a slight skin bitterness. The frangipane and almond of Bakewell tarts comes immediately to mind, perhaps only by association, but fun nonetheless. A gently cheek-pinching tartness in the finish is the only reminder that geuze is involved here somewhere. This is no frowny-faced connoisseur's beer but an absolute delight in the sunshine. The extreme sweetness of Boon's Kriek made me reticent to try it, but this is a very different proposition, and all the better for it.

Before lambic brewers started getting adventurous with their fruits, kriek's constant companion was raspberry. Lindemans Framboise doesn't have the same domineering and intense raspberry flavour found in most beers that feature it. Instead it's a more perfumed and candy-like affair, owing presumably to the other sweeteners that accompany it. There's still a tartness at the back which I'm assigning to the base beer, not completely smothered by the additions. The overall effect is like a Double Dip sherbet, which is fun. It is, I think, a little too thick as a warm-day refresher, and though the ABV is a barely-there 2.5%, I think the sweetness would get cloying after more than a couple. 

Lindemans Cassis I have definitely never tried before. The ABV returns to 3.5% here, suggesting it's a closer relative of the Kriek than the Framboise, which is good. Someone has thought about this. It's a beautiful beetroot-purple in the glass, with an electric-pink pillow of foam on top. The aroma has a little oaky spice and a dollop of crème de cassis liqueur. The latter comes through strongly in the flavour. I was expecting Ribena but it's much more a classy French aperitif. This tastes of sunny afternoons, especially on a sunny afternoon. Of course it's sweet, but not jarringly so, and that serves to carry the blackcurrant flavour. There's a certain tartness to the fruit too, accentuated by the beer which is presumably in a higher ratio to the syrup. It's lighter than the others, and more of a class act all round.

Completing this set is Lindemans Strawberry. In defiance of consumer law there's no ABV on the bottle but the Internet tells me this is an outlying 4.1%. A clear ruby colour, it smells of concentrated strawberry. There's a reason strawberry isn't one of the core fruit juices and always needs to be cut with something. Here they haven't really, and the result is very cloying. The concentrate tastes so concentrated that's there's a weird cheesy tang on the end that doesn't belong in any beer. There's no sign of any lambic in here. An extreme thickness doesn't help any of this and it was hard work to get through the whole bottle. This one offers the opposite of refreshment.

With the sun still shining, something more local to get the taste out. I still don't know what the base product of "honey refresher" Beekon Batches is, but there's an Elderflower & Lemon one now. It's rather pleasant too. The honey is still the main feature, with a very real-tasting beeswax tang and a certain floral perfume spice, which I'm guessing is the elderflower, not being as sweet as it normally is in drinks. And then the lemon really helps bring the refreshment, in a gin-and-bitter-lemon sort of way. Even though it's basically an alcopop, this is streets ahead of most of what's out there, and more interesting than the other two Beekons. I recommend drinking it very cold, and ice won't do it any harm as it's quite full bodied and decently strong at 5% ABV.

Finally, a return to Belgium for the postscript. Back in 2010 I reviewed Kasteel's Bacchus Kriek, then supplied in a fancy paper-wrapped bottle. Now it comes in cans, of course, and I thought I'd give another version a spin: Bacchus Frambozenbier. This is surprisingly dark in the glass, a serious brown with no trace of pinkness. It smells of ripe and squashy raspberries and is quite full-bodied, though not as syrupy as the kriek was. The modest 5% ABV may have had a hand in that. It's sweet, it's raspberry flavoured, and there's a certain roasted quality too, as though the base is some sort of brown ale or light dubbel. It certainly isn't built for sunshine the way the others are. It's fine, though, if not terribly exciting.

The Cassis from Lindeman's is my standout from this lot. If you're sceptical about the whole genre I recommend giving it a try next time the weather is up to it.