Hanssens Cassis

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

Wow. I’ve been very much looking forward to this beer. Tasted at toncatcher T3? Bottle from Wee Heavy? Cloudy red color. Sourness is light. Very easy to drink. Excellent.

375 ml corked and caged bottle. The first pour is mostly clear, though the subsequent glass shows a nice haze. Ruby red in color, the lightly carbonated body has just a thin rim of foam that circles the surface. Thin sheeting shows on the glass, though no lacing remains behind. The aroma is musty and very woody, with old, wet, cave aged oak asserting itself considerably. Cassis lends fruitiness, while dusty wildflowers and stone-like minerals bring a distinct earthiness. Flavors are similarly wild, with sharp citric acidity and bold cassis, with minerals at the midpoint and a lemony, oaky finish. The palate is semi-dry and very lightly carbonated, refreshing but lacking the little bit of fizz that I like in a lambic. Overall, it’s quite the tasty brew. Great little rarity here.

Bottle @ SDBF’09. Ruby reddish brownish pour with little carbonation. Very sour flavor, funky slightly acidic of black currants, and finishes nice. Nice beer

375mL bottle shared by jw77. Pours a murky ruby with an off-white head. Tart currant, some funk and acetic acid hints. Fruity, tart puckering, more light acetic in the mouth, with a long dry finish.

Bottle - Extremely beautiful deep deep black red body, with a very right big bubbled beautiful head; Extremely beautiful, very deep and clear nose, the very ripe sweet black currant notes mixes perfectly with the drier deeper baking yeast, dry oak notes, big and strict; Very very sour body, a strange mix that I have never experienced before, a strange mix of malic warm and tartaric acids, velvet soft textured and actually quite full, very interesting; The very long finish starts with this strange acid mix as well, here quite biting almost warm acetic and then not acetic at all, not the acid of sour currant either but properly an interesting mix of them all, the aromas lasts to and changes pleasantly from dry fresh oak to ink later with the ripe black currant added. Very interesting beer. Thanks!

12.7oz bottle, courtesy of ryan (who trucked this all the way down to Costa Rica!). Thanks, dude. Pours a very murky, red-raspberry color with oddly white edges; small head formation. Lots of tart red fruits, acidic citrus, touches of vinegar in the nose; definitely shows fresh fruit notes. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: loads of vinegar, sour dark fruits, citric acid, and lemon juice; good fresh fruit, pitty and pulpy, but slightly odd and overly vinegary; reminiscent of DDC’s lambic experiments, but better.

I’m not quite sure what cassis tastes like because I have never had it before, which makes tasting a cassis brew a bit of a challenge. But then again, not really. What I taste will be what I taste which, ironically, may be very much like cassis. Until I get my hands on some unadulterated cassis though, aka blackcurrant, I shall simply have confidence in myself and in my palate.

I am smitten right off the bat. She glows softly with gentle white tips above a soft, rose tinged body with a gentle haze to keep the peepers out. As a lambic should be, there is no discernable head and little bubbly carbonation to speak of. In a lambic, lack of carbonation is compensated by naturally brisk acidity and a clean body. Before I am able to confirm her body though, I must first become intimately familiar with every curve of her sensuous aroma. Tart, freshly squeezed, grove picked pink grapefruit sports delicious acidity with flare while vanilla sprinkles atop blueberries and cream seduces. There is a hint of pie crust that mingles with a dry background that speaks of worn leather and wood. If this is cassis, then may I have some more, please. Is she all talk and no follow through? She thinks not. My first sup is brightly sour and mouth-puckering with fresh acidic delights. My mouth dries and waters at the same time; a blissful quandary of opposites attract. Blueberries and cream continue to soften her edge, further allowing pink grapefruits and berry skins to shine their brightest. As the top of my tongue tingles and tickles, supple support is provided by soft worn leather and old, porous wood. To summarize: her menagerie starts with tart, bright pink grapefruits and grape skin acidity while blueberries and cream atop a warm pie crust sweeps in for the main dish and supple leather and wood cleans up. Sup and repeat.

Again, I’ve never had cassis, but I really want to now considering how much I enjoyed the Experimental Cassis Lambic from Hanssens. Not overly complex, but bright, tart, tasty, and thirst-quenching. A lambic for all occasions, feel free to sup her on her lonesome or pair her with some creamy cheeses or garden fresh salad drizzled with homemade vinaigrette.

Bottle courtesy of dkachur on 08/01/2009. Barnyard, horseblanket, dirt, fruit, and cheese aroma. Dry dirt, horseblanket, barnyard and cheese flavor. Medium light body with moderate carbonation.