Hanssens Cassis

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

Draught Dark deep burgundy; no head. Acetic acid, fruity aromas. Even more acids in the taste, with quite some aceitc again, plus the necessary fruitacids. Astringent and fiery acidburn. In the aftertaste, I get speculoos (hard gingerbread), which I’m linking more and more with sweetener. Still rewarding, but certainly not for the fainthearted. "Azijnsteek" is unmistakable.

Bottle pours red color with pink head that whisps away very quickly. Aroma is very funky, sour notes with some fruit, and I just can’t stop smelling this. Its real nice. Medium light mouthfeel. Flavor follows the nose and is very tart, puckering, has some fruit, must, and is really tasty. Overall a nice brew. Very drinkable.

12.7 fl oz bottle coaxed from behind the counter at Bierkraft in Brooklyn, NY. Label reads: "Hanssens Lambic Experimental Cassis, Ale brewed with black currents and matured in oak barrels". Pours red/purple kind of like Rote Grutze tea. There’s virtually no head, but an attempt at carbonation along the glass is persistent to the last drop. Currants dominate the flavor, but their minimal sweetness is up against a sourness like rhubarb or young balsamic. The smell gushes with wild yeast funk, and is a lot more sour than the taste. It leaves a pucker from the tip of your tongue all the way to your stomach. But, it’s still a relatively mild experimental lambic. Very drinkable. bottom of the bottle sediment is dark purple to black and very thick.

Bottle courtesy of retorp. Pours a hazy ruby red grapefruit color with a thin bubbly white head. Aroma is woody and sour with notes of ripe fresh berries and tartness. Flavor is also tart with notes of ripe fresh berries, sour candy, some hints of sweet malt toward finish. Light to medium body with a tart finish.

375, capped, IIRC. Thanks, um...BVC? Murky rubied dark brown. Headless. Laceless. Big aggressively forward nose of lemons and rare BBQed poop. Ultra-funky. Thin watery body. Cassis and a little funk on the mid-palate. Not for the beginner. Not for the feint of heart. Not for anyone who doesn’t understand that sometimes beer smells like freshly used toilet paper.

T3. Dirty pink in the glas with serious floaters. Super sour on the taste. Total funkmeister. One of those where the sum of the parts doesn’t add up to the whole. The whole is better.

Pours dark opaque grapefruit – puke in color with no head. The aroma is very berry fruity like with a mild layer of tartness just under the surface. The taste is bug and tart up front with hints of berryness. The nose didn’t lead on that this was going to taste as tart as it does. It ends with more and more tartness without being overwhelmingly tart.

Thanks to Redlight for getting in this rarity. Pours a raspberry color with low carbonation. Aroma of cherries, vinegar and a funky tartness. Flavor is a little more subtle and watery, with light cherries and a less powerful tartness than the aroma would indicate. The tartness picks up as it warms. Very good.