Hanssens Mead the Gueuze

Formerly brewed at Hanssens Artisanaal
Style: Mead
Dworp, Belgium

Cloudy yellow; Nearly took my head off when I removed the cage- this is serious; it left a mark in the ceiling! Skunky and grassy nose. Excellent mouthfeel. Sweetness nicely balanced by the tartness of the Gueze. Very interesting- I could drink a lot of this.

I am suprised that this beer doesn’t have a higher rating. Absolutley fantastic straw colors with some nice yeast haze. Brett predominantly shines through in the aroma. Nice bacterial sourness with lots of grass in the back of the mouth. Some sweetness from the honey although I can’r really isolate any apiatic notes. Some hopiness -- a little more than anticipated. A wonderful artisinal brew.

Intesting beer. A very fizzy like head. Sour and fruity. Very nicley put together. Very Different I will have to try it again!

12oz bottle, last bottle on the shelves at Knightly. Amazing amazing beer this is. Pours a ugly amber with big blackish yeast chunks. Nose is crazy. Tons of sour lemon, funky yeast and horseradish and definite notes of honey. Flavor up front is very guezelike with sulfur, sour lemon and apple, big acidity and tartness. The sourness is pretty mellow and before it gets to strong the mead component kicks in and the point where the two meet gives a very cool horesradish like flavor that I have never quite tasted before. It ends on a slightly sweet tart note dominated by notes of honey and lemon. So crazy complex and insanely good.

Head is initially huge, fizzy, white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy medium yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately yeasty (barnyard, horseblanket), lightly hoppy (flowers), with notes of sour apple, lemon, honey, grape, honeydew, grass, etc. Flavor is moderately sweet, heavily acidic, slightly acetic. Finish is lightly sweet, heavily acidic, lightly bitter, slightly acetic. Medium body, watery texture, fizzy carbonation. Wow, is this ever different than the first bottle I reviewed back in the summer of '02! Geez. Um, yeah...this is really really funky/horsey, sour, and gueuze-like, in true Hanssens fashion. Quite fruity and complex aroma. A little bit of honey character is evident, but it's minor. Some vinegary sourness lurks behind the huge acidity, otherwise this would probably get a 10 for flavor balance. I certainly prefer the straight gueuze, but this is very similar and extremely enjoyable.

Aroma: strong floral scents, like a rose garden. slight honey, pear, medicine, and spices
Appearance: golden yellow, lots of bubblies
Flavor: honey, sweet-bitterness. sweet apple juice flavors
Palate: aftertaste of honey, very smooth
Overall: different kind of gueuze--the honey sweetness cuts the usual tartness of a normal gueuze. quite different but quite good.

Bottle at Reading BF 06. You could hear these bottles being opened clear across the tent. I told the barmaid to be careful, but she didn’t listen and therefore she gave a heart attack to everyone else stood at the bar when the cork hit the tent roof. Gold cloudy beer with bubbly off white head. Sour aroma typical of gueuze. Bit of farmyard. Slight sweet edge. This is wonderful though.

Bottle at Rich O’s Publick House during RBSG Road Trip 2007. Cloudy orange body with a rapidly diminishing frothy white head. Very sweet honey aroma with a sour background. Sweet puckering sour fruit flavor with a light honey background. Fairly high carbonation with a fizzy mouthfeel. Kinda a gimmick brew, but certainly makes a tasty combination.