MY FIRST CHERRY
Greetings,
Today I would like to talk about my first Cherry. I remember distinctly. I still have the bottle.
Liefmans Kriek
It was a hot July day back in 1980 or 1981. The place was Brewskis on 7th Street in New York City. This was a place where beer lovers and homebrewers gathered. I had discovered it about six or eight months before and was working my way through the different beers he had on tap, and in the bottle. However, it wasn't until this hot July day, but I tried my first Kriekbier. It was a Liefmans as you can see. Yes, that's the very bottle pictured above.
What do I remember most about the experience? Quite simply, I was amazed at how refreshing the beer was. First of all, it was like nothing I've ever tried before. The aroma of cherries was obvious and very up front. The beer was pink, the glass was a large goblet and it had a creamy white head, if I remember correctly. And as I said before, the aroma of cherries was almost overpowering. The first sip was full of fruit and only slightly bitter. And then I tasted something that I will always remember, it was that slightly sour flavor all Belgian beer. It was like no beer I've ever tasted. (Remember, I had just discovered beer and homebrewing.) I was lucky to be a little naïve and came upon this beer with no preconceived notions. After all the other beers I had tried in the past it was inconceivable to me that someone would want to put cherries and a beer. But after my first cherry, I knew why. And to this day there isn't a July that passes, but don't enjoy at least one bottle of Kriek... in honor of my first Cherry.
Cheers!
Peter LaFrance.
