Hanssens Oudbeitje

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

A hazy very light colored lambic without head. Taste is very acidic with only a very slight touch of strawberry.

375 ml bottle (2000) but the store put an 02 sticker on it so not sure. Hazy yellow light orange that has a glow to it. Particles throughout and when looking close before all settles, it has a trippy lava lamp/milky wayish thing happening. No head, just whispers of dying foam here and there. Acidic nose, strawberry for sure, barnyard, sour apple and others. Medium bodied, moderate sweetness up front, fairly soft in mouth, very little carbonation. Strawberry rides all the way through but can be missed if not attentive, balanced by the acid sourness which is not oppressive but gets your attention quickly. Oaky and lemon notes show up as well. Nice brew.

Bottle. White quickly disappearing head. Hazy orange body with lots bubbles. Fruity acidic sweet, in other words, complex aroma. Flavor sweeter than expected but still acidic grapefruit like freshness. Pleasant surprise.

375ml bottle year 2000, tasted summer 2006.

This is a very special beer. The cork releases with a soft whisper; the beer pours like golden-amber apple juice with virtually no head. The aroma is wonderfully rich in everything a lambic should be - leather, heavy musty, barnyard and a sweet Flemish-sour sort of vinegar and the faintest hint of strawberries - without being aggressive or biting in any way. I can’t wait to taste it, and I force myself to savor instead.

The flavors have melded together beautifully, a lovely tartness accented by the smallest strawberry flavor, sweet on the front and sour right after is laid down above a beautiful leather-and-horseblanket lambic base, lemon but more grapefruit (grapefruit sour, not as in c-hops) in the tartness, a small hint of butter as well, beautifully balanced through. The aftertaste is exceptional; instead of turning bitter, the beer sweetens on the tongue a few minutes after a sip, and one gets a lovely blend of caramel and - finally - soft strawberries.

The beer is almost uncarbonated, and I guess I would appreciate a bit more sparkle on this very hot (for Seattle) Friday evening. But it makes up for any deficiencies in the smooth, rich-without-being-syrupy mouthfeel.

I am extremely impressed with this one; at six years old, it’s marvellous.

Bottle. Orange colour with no head. Aroma is fruity yeast and srrawberry. Flavour is strawberry, yeast, citrus and cellar.

Sampled from 37.5 cl bottle, courtesy of rickgordon. (From Swedish Systembolaget.) Shady orange color, no head what so ever, part from a few bubbles. Extremely complex scent. Sour, fruity, sweet chewing gum, it just goes on. Taste is sour, metallic, sweet chewing gum. Sour and sweet after taste. Very high palate. Very mature, most likely stored for a long time. It feels balanced in the taste.

[Bottled. 2018] Knowing Hanssen as big, chewy beers I was pretty amazed by this lifeless, thin-ish Oudbeitje - with strawberries. This has to be more than 5 years old since the bottling. Did this ferment in stored Italian Cheese? The aroma is fantastic. A stunning aroma from old cheese hits you, behind that - a vague suggested strawberry touch. No foam whatsoever. Completely still (or lifeless) in texture. Not as sour as expected, yet acidic. Loads of sauerkraut in the finish.

Aroma: sourish, vinous, strawberries, summer, vaguely limestone, cask. Appearance: dim, winegum orange, no foam. Flavor: sour, acrid, some sweetness, oxalic acid, slightly soapy, berryish, afterharshness in the throat. Palate: slender, soft, SMOOTH, almost lacking carbonation, soapy. Nice.