Hanssens Oudbeitje

Brewed by Hanssens Artisanaal
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Dworp, Belgium

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

Vintage 2000, from an unfathomably generous trader, whose name I cannot recall. Pours a peach/golden colour, no head whatsoever, carbonation? What carbonation?!? Nose is stawbwrries and MASSIVE funk; so sour yet so gorgeous! Prettiest nose on a beer since Southampton Cuvee des Fleurs? Yes! Horseblanket and florals? Together at last? With ripe field strawberries, and great tight, balanced funk. Flavours are acid, dry apples, rich strawberries, so sour, great leather and sweat. Epic!

Pours a hazy peach color with zero head whatsoever. Perfumey sour aroma with lemons and freeze-dried strawberries. It’s got that deep, refreshing tartness that you only smell in the best lambics. Flavor packs a nice sour wallop with ultra-tart strawberry notes and that dried strawberry sweetness. A little unripe stone fruit at times and a bit of hay bale as well. Once the tongue acclimates to the sourness, some honeyed malts come through to provide a touch of balance. A completely still beer, but the sourness acts in place of CO2 to refresh the palate. Very dry despite a body medium in heft.

A hazy golden pour with just the slightest blush of rose, and no head whatsoever; no doubt, there’s no carbonation. Straight from the bottle there’s a wallop of funk, fart and, yup, vomit. But after this has been given a moment to take a breathe it opens its characters of strawberry, lemon, elderflower and those other evocative floral and field-like aromas. However, though lessened, the funk remains throughout. It’s sharp but not overly acidic in the mouth, with enough fragrant, almost honeyed, malts to balance the sourness. It’s medium bodied yet a little oily and has no carbonation, completely flat. It finishes on the elderflower, honey and farmyard. Then there’s a hint of strawberries and a lasting impression of ruby grapefruit. I loved it and thought it a surprising success.

375 mL bottle. Pours a clear gold with the slightest bit of petillance. I catch the scent of strawberries as I’m still pouring... delightful. The aroma also has an assertive musty character with some herbal and acidic notes. Wild, but mellow. The flavor is sharply acidic at first, then there is a long, smooth hay taste. There is a hint of berry fruitiness, but the strawberry isn’t as obvious as it is in the nose. After several sips, the acidity becomes less noticeable and gives way to a light musty sourness. It is a little bit dry toward the finish, but not overly-much, especially not for a lambic. The aftertaste is much like the aftertaste of a hard white cheese. Quite an enjoyable brew.

15th February 2008
An orange looking lambic. The strawberry struggles to be heard in the din of lemon. That said it isn’t too sharp.

Bottle from Craked Kettle cons 2011-01-08 Göteborg AR: heavy horse urine AP: hazy horse urine F: first heavey sourness that transfers in to lovely wild strawberries/strawberry. The Yolk is even more fruity and sweeter!

bottle from Mi-Orge Mi-Houblon, Arlon, Belgium! The beer in the glass is expected to completely different. I was expecting a beer a la Kriek, a little brighter. But it is more like a normal Geuze. Completely without foam, the whole thing. The smell is Geuze-like tart, winey and musty. Starts very winey, subtly fruity and less sour than expected. For Lambic lovers will probably be classified as mild. The aftertaste shows very sour and dry, but more fruity and refreshing. By the finish it’s very hard to taste the nuances of strawberry. Conclusion: Less acidic than expected, more fruit than expected. All in all a delicious Lambic beer!

A tart sour treat. Funk, strawberries, but no real sweetness associated with most fruit lambs. Great!