Boon Kriek Mariage Parfait

I picked up a bottle of Kriek Mariage Parfait from Brouweij Boon on my recent trip to DeCicco's on the suggestion of my friend Craig.  I've had the Framboise from them and enjoyed it and this was supposed to be more similar to the traditional style of lambics so I figured why not.

Big pungent nose with some farmhouse hints and big sour cherry nose.  Reminded me of a more traditional version of lambic based on the aroma than their normal kriek.  First sip had a mildly sour cherry flavor but it wasn't anywhere near as sour or funky as the nose presents.  A little sweet cherry candy in the finish.  As it warmed, a little caramel and some sour apple appeared.  I'll admit, I enjoyed it and it was still slightly sour, I just wish the flavor followed from the aroma a bit more than it did.  If so it would have been pretty great.  Still, for $8, totally worth picking up if you see it on the shelves.

Framboise Boon

I had a bottle of Framboise Boon the other night and it was surprisingly delicious.  I say surprisingly because their Kriek was entirely too sweet for me and I expected the same from the Framboise.  I was incorrect.

Smelled of raspberries with lots of tart notes.  No sweetness in the nose at all.  First sip had fruit as expected but the sweetness was balanced by the tartness.  Don't worry though as the tartness isn't overwhelming, just incredibly pleasant.  Really clean finish.  The best part of the finish is, unlike the geuzes, the tartness leaves quite quickly which made drinking it quite easy.  No build up, no palate fatigue, no dry mouth, just a nice tartness with some raspberry.  If you are looking for a Lindemans style framboise, however, keep looking.  But if you want something different, run out and pick up a bottle and tell me if it was as delicious as mine.

Geuze v. Geuze

I did a geuze comparison last night because I picked up a Lindemans Geuze Cuvee Rene and a Boon Oude Geuze.  It was pretty interesting to see the differences the two had in representing the style.