Hanssens Oudbeitje

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

2000 bottle consumed in ’06. i didn’t expect too much but this left me stunned. rose appearance, huge aroma of tomato vine and a touch of strawberry with a threat of some lambic rancidity. the sourness had mellowed significantly but was still mouth-puckering and showed some tomato juice and blood and suggested strawberry fruit tella and salted lemon. amazing

Golden color. No head (lambic !), just fizzy bobbles - no matter how much you jolt the glass. Cask wood in the aroma, strawberry jam, strawberry bubblegum. 9 on the aroma. Would be 10, if it was a bit more persistent. Strong strawberry feeling as you take a sip and hold it in the mouth. And then a burst, a jolt! Cask wood and vinegar acidity suddenly pervades your body. Makes you shiver. Leaves a dry woody mouthfeel.

Wow. This is an intense amazing lambiek. There is nothing sweet about this beer. It’s almost totally dry. It has the classical lambiek sourness without any sugar candy taste. This is not a beer for taste sissies. It’s a beautiful cider color. The nose is delecate with a slight hint of strawberry. The initial taste is grapefruit sour explosion that travels up your nasal sinus. The aftertaste is all strawberry. I found this in De Bierkoning in 2005. The bottle is, as far as I can tell, undated. Opened to celebrate the start of a new career.

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.

2000 edition.Hazy orange in color with no head.Fruity,strawberries,acidic,sour/tart,musty like grnadma's bsaement,an odd flavor reminscant of Lucky Charms,cidery,strawberry flavor,sweeter finish.

I would call this the beer that changed me. When pouring a Oudbeitje be prepared for the most complex smells and flavours you have ever experienced. The smells begin by reminding me of a barnyard, or a musty basement - but has overtones of fruitness. The taste is more complex than can be described, but the sourness joins hints of strawberry at the finish. The after taste is the best part, I couldn’t drink anything else the rest of the night b/c I wanted the flavour to continue to linger.

Crazy lambic aroma. The taste and aroma are that common horse blanket theme of these beers. The strawberries aren’t too evident, but this has got a great tart bite.

re-rate: This time a younger bottle. And even so much better. This is really wow! Nice strawberries in the aroma and flavor. Flavor starts sweet and strawberry and then suddenly BANG! Very aggressive, sourness going down your throat and up you nose giving goosebumbs all over. I love this one. Bottled, 3.9: Looks like cider instead of a Lambic but this is how this style should look like so I still give it a 4. Aroma of lemon, oak, other fruits with a hint of vinegar, quite complex. Very sweet start but this is hidden by the sourness. The sweetness gets less while the sourness gains strength. Very soft but harsh vinegar in the finish. According to the brewer this doesn’t happen if you drink it fresh within 3 months of bottling. That would make it perfect! Should try that once.