Catalogue no. BBG128
Glasses
Exhibit information
Beer style Kriek A fruit Lambic made with cherries, combining the character of spontaneously fermented beer with distinctive fruit flavour and colour.
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Explainers Glass style Balloon A rounded, stemmed glass with a generous bowl, designed to concentrate aromas while leaving ample room for the beer's head.
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Explainers Curator’s Notes This balloon-shaped glass was produced for Belle-Vue Kriek Extra, a distinct version of the brewery's cherry lambic rather than simply an alternative name for Belle-Vue Kriek. Kriek Extra was made using young lambic with additional cherries, producing a sweeter and fruitier beer than the regular Kriek.
The name is slightly deceptive. At around 4.1% ABV, Kriek Extra was actually weaker than Belle-Vue's regular Kriek: the “Extra” referred to the additional fruit and sweetness rather than additional alcohol.
The glass itself is relatively restrained. A rounded bowl sits on a short, substantial stem and broad foot, with all the decoration confined to the front. The older Belle-Vue barrel emblem appears above large Kriek lettering and the more informal “Extra” script. Other Belle-Vue Kriek glasses in the Museum show how both the glassware and branding of the beer have changed over time.
I bought this example for €1 at a brocante early in the development of the collection. It subsequently became temporarily lost in the Museum's own cataloguing system after its original catalogue number was inadvertently assigned to another Belle-Vue Kriek glass. It has now been rediscovered and returned to the collection under a new number.
