Try?
Here’s my first beer from Normal, Illinois’s Destihl Brewery: Wild Sour Series Cranberry Criek. I know I’ve seen a Facebook ad from Destihl touting the fact thyey were coming to Georgia; that was some months ago and I still have yet to see their beer here. Be that as it may, I did pick up a can of this beer in Tennessee early in 2018, and got around to trying it on a late September evening.
Destihl offers a number of entrants in this series, including a Flanders Red, a Blueberry Gose, and an apricot sour. I look forward to trying them all, and the rest of their lineup, which I am excited about, too. For now, though, I am enjoying the Cranberry Criek, as I do so love a well-made cranberry beer. We can thank good old Boston Beer for bringing us Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic to get that ball rolling.
Destihl says on the can label:
Our non-traditional Cranberry Criek evolved by merging tart cranberries with sweet cherries, normally associated with a traditional Kriek, but in a kettle sour beer that is wonderfully intricate, balanced, fruity and tart. We then dry-hopped this crimson-colored beer for a touch of citrus aroma and flavoring, adding another layer of complexity and a perfect finish.
Ingredients from the website:
caramel malt 60,victory, 2-row malt, cranberry puree, sweet cherry puree
Destihl Wild Sour Series Cranberry has an alcohol content of 5% by volume with 17 IBUs. Total Wine sells it in other states for $9.99 a 4-pack. This is a beer I think should come in 6-packs at that price. Criek, of course, is a play on the classic Belgian Kriek style of cherry beer.
Destihl Wild Sour Series Cranberry Criek pours to a ruddy reddish color with a thick spritzy head and a sour nose full of cranberry and cherry. Taking a sip, the beer is wonderfully, puckeringly sour with vibrant tart cranberry fruit and bright juicy cherry. The beer finishes again very sour and the cranberry fruit predominates there. Wildly acidic., just the way I like it!
Excellent! 4.5 stars though I’ll take a half off for the missing two cans. Still, definitely a beer I would buy again.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled, canned
(D)=Draft
