Score
7.73
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3 Fonteinen’s classic Intense Red cherry lambic in “PX” form, so with a portion having been aged in sherry barrels – the ones that will be used for the next Zenne y Frontera. Bottle from a trade, cheers Bart! Medium thick, off-pinkish-white, tiny-bubbled, open head, initially clear deep glowing ruby red colour, deep hazy cherry red with sediment. Aroma of sour cherries in a very intense way (as with, obviously, the regular version), vanilla-scenting oak wood, sour yoghurt, redcurrant, stale lemon juice, sour plums, old red wine and even red wine vinegar, subtle background tawny port rather than actual sherry. Lots of juicy sour cherry in the mouth, fleshy with even a sweeter plum- or red apple-like aspect, but in a overall tart context which avoids becoming harshly puckering; medium carb, drying lactic sourness strongly enhanced by the fruit’s acidity. Tannic woodiness helps to establish dryness over a bready malt soil, alongside this rich texture of sour cherry tartness and vinosity and funky Brett highlights. A very slight touch of oloroso sherry is noticeable towards the finish, more so than was ‘orthonasally’ the case, but still it remains too subtle to truly make a difference with the original in my view – so the final conclusion here should be the same as with the Oude Kriek version: rich, complex, lovely cherry lambic, but the ‘PX’ element should have been stronger and make it more distinct from the basic version.
29/I/22 - 75cl bottle @ Alengrin’s place, BB: 26/X/40, bottled: 7/X/20 (2022-130) Thanks to Alengrin for sharing the bottle!
Pretty cloudy deep red brown beer, small creamy off-white head, unstable, non adhesive. Aroma: very fruity, lots of cherries, somewhat spicy, dry and dusty impression, some alcohol. MF: ok carbon, medium body. Taste: very dry start, lots and lots of cherries, bitter touch, dry, good stuff. Aftertaste: nice acidity, fruity, lots and lots of ripe cherries, overripe cherries, cherry pits, some almonds, very nice, lovely!
0,75l bottle at home shared by me. deep red color, small white head. smells of cherries, subtle smoke more like a leathery smell, marzipan, stone fruits, rather funky. nice to very nice smell. full body, soft carbonation. tastes of cherries, funky, cheesy, citric, subtle leather, subtle sweet sherry notes. finishes dry and light to medium sour with notes of cherries, funk and some lactic sourness. very nice one, peated notes are very very subtle, for me more noticeable in the smell with some leathery notes. had some sweet sherry notes at first, but cherries take over after a while, also gets more lactic sour with warmth. wishing for some more peated or sherry notes, cherries too dominant.
Hapu, puuviljane, kirss, nats sõnnikune, happeline, veits mineraalne. Hea, aga liialt happeline. 3.6
Very woody, intense cherries, hint of Sherry. Will be more amazing in a few years.
One of the things I was looking forward to was this sherry IR. And it paid off. Incredibly juicy cherries, rich and lightly tart, marred with sweet sherry and funky lambic. Super bright and intense flavours, absolutely lovely.