Brouwerij Lindemans
Lindemans Kriek
A sweetened cherry lambic, and the form in which most drinkers outside Belgium first meet the tradition.
- Strength
- 3.5% ABV
- Style
- Fruit lambic
- Brewery
- Brouwerij Lindemans
Also called Lindemans Cherry.
Lindemans Kriek is sweetened after fermentation, which makes it approachable and makes it a different proposition from a traditional unsweetened kriek. Cherry fruit leads, the lambic acidity sits underneath, and the finish is sweet rather than dry.
It is worth carrying precisely because it is the commercial end of the category. Somebody who tries this and then a Cantillon gueuze will understand the lambic tradition better than somebody who only ever meets one of them.
What it tastes like
Inherited from Fruit lambic, because this beer sits within the normal range for it. BeerHQ’s comparative scale, not a measurement.
Why BeerHQ carries this beer
| Reason | Carried because it is where many people start |
|---|---|
| Strength | 3.5% ABV — checked 2026-08-16. Strengths differ by market and change without announcement, so this is dated rather than absolute. |
| Record stability | Stable — this product has changed little and is not expected to. |
BeerHQ records no recipe, hop bill, malt bill, yeast strain, IBU or calorie figure for any commercial beer unless it is sourced. Nothing on this page is inferred from what the beer tastes like.
What is distinctive about it
- Sweetened after fermentation, which distinguishes it from traditional unsweetened kriek
- The most widely distributed introduction to spontaneously fermented beer
If you like Lindemans Kriek
Worked out from what this beer actually tastes like rather than from what its style typically does. Three kinds of move, because “what should I try next” is three different questions.
Closest to it
Very similar in structure and flavour. Safe ground rather than discovery.
American wild ale — try Russian River Supplication
A close structural match for Lindemans Kriek — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: noticeably more yeast fruitiness (esters) (none–trace → moderate).
May not suit: Noticeably more yeast fruitiness (esters) than Lindemans Kriek.
Gueuze — try Boon Oude Geuze or Cantillon Classic Gueuze
A close structural match for Lindemans Kriek — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: much less berry (high → none–trace).
May not suit: Noticeably less berry than Lindemans Kriek.
Berliner Weisse — try Berliner Kindl Weisse
A close structural match for Lindemans Kriek — a likely fit if you want more of the same.
Different: much less berry (high → none–trace).
May not suit: Noticeably less berry than Lindemans Kriek.
Similar, but different
Keeps what you probably like about it and changes one or two things. Usually the most useful answer.
Flanders red ale — try Rodenbach Grand Cru or Rodenbach Classic
Keeps most of what Lindemans Kriek does and shifts yeast fruitiness (esters).
Different: noticeably more yeast fruitiness (esters) (none–trace → moderate).
May not suit: Noticeably more yeast fruitiness (esters) than Lindemans Kriek.
Lambic — try Boon Oude Lambiek
Keeps most of what Lindemans Kriek does and shifts carbonation.
Different: much less carbonation (high → none–trace).
May not suit: Noticeably less carbonation than Lindemans Kriek.
Gose — try Ritterguts Gose
Keeps most of what Lindemans Kriek does and shifts berry.
Different: much less berry (high → none–trace).
May not suit: Noticeably less berry than Lindemans Kriek.
A bigger jump
Genuinely different, but connected by something specific — the shared trait is named so you can judge whether the bridge holds.
Both carry real acidity, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Lindemans Kriek.
Different: much less berry (high → none–trace).
May not suit: Noticeably less berry than Lindemans Kriek.
Both carry real carbonation, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Lindemans Kriek.
Different: much less dryness (high–very high → none–trace).
May not suit: Noticeably less dryness than Lindemans Kriek.
International pale lager — try Heineken Original or Asahi Super Dry
Both carry real dryness, which is the thread to follow if that is what you like about Lindemans Kriek.
Different: much less acidity (high–very high → none–trace).
May not suit: Acidity is a long way from Lindemans Kriek, and that is the most likely thing to put you off.
Likely fits rather than promises. Taste varies, and a recommendation engine that claims certainty is claiming something it cannot know.
What to eat with it
Inherited from Fruit lambic. BeerHQ does not duplicate pairings onto individual products unless the product genuinely differs from its style.
- Cheesecake
Sharp fruit acidity against dense, fatty sweetness — the beer equivalent of the fruit compote a cheesecake is usually served with, and considerably drier.
- Lemon tart
A dessert whose problem is acidity rather than sweetness, which inverts the usual advice. Putting a beer with its own fruit and sharpness beside it means the two sit on the same side; a rich stout, the reflex answer for pudding, argues with the citrus instead.
- Pavlova
Meringue is close to pure sugar and the fruit is there to make it bearable — the dessert is already playing the trick a beer would otherwise have to play. Joining the fruit rather than the sugar puts the beer on the side that is winning, which is the same move a lemon tart wants.
- Dim sum
Bitterness, carbonation and a dry finish scrub the fat off the palate, so each mouthful of food tastes as good as the first.
Keeping it
Fruit lambic is typically at its best 6–60 months after packaging, and time is working for it rather than against it.
Needs age. Time is part of how this beer is made. Young examples are not a lesser version of the same thing — they are unfinished.
Derived from Fruit lambic. See storage and freshness for the full model.
BeerHQ carries a small set of reference beers to anchor styles, not a catalogue. There is no rating here and there will not be one. Last reviewed 2026-08-16.