Archive for the 'Hanssens' category
Hanssens Oude Gueuze
I’m obviously a bit out of practice, as can be derived from the complete lack of consistent reviews for the past several months. However, the combination of Dave’s comeback and a stellar beer are leading me to post a quick something regarding this exceptional lambic from Hanssens. I don’t drink a lot of lambics, simply due to the high price point of the good stuff. Even Lindeman’s, which is by many accounts a sellout amongst lambics, costs a pretty penny. So, to find an authentic and properly matured lambic from a brewery like Hanssens is, first of all, difficult to do. Secondly, it’ll probably be expensive. However, I was very pleased to see this bottle of the stuff down at Sam’s Blue Light for $8.95. Pretty expensive for a single beer. But, for a true Belgian Gueuze aged 3 years, it’s a pretty good bargain…
The beer pours a pretty dark golden color with just a hint of ruby red in the light. The head is rocky and stark white, bubbling up quickly, only to then settle to a thin film on the top of the beer. The aroma of this is quite sour, but certainly not overwhelming. The sourness is apparent in the nose, but doesn’t burn the nostrils, displaying a nice mellowness. In the mouth, the Hanssens is sharp, tart, and delicious. To some beer drinkers a gueuze like this is positively unappetizing. In fact, it took me several to begin to appreciate them. However, now that I’m over the hump, I find myself jonesing for the unique flavor of a gueuze every now and again. And, on a list of good examples of the variety, this would certainly be near the top. The tartness of this variety can be a bit overwhelming in a younger beer. However, here, the tartness makes you pucker a bit, but it is overall much mellower and flows along with some buttery hints. The evolution of the beer through the mouth is great, activating what seem to be very different portions of the tastebuds as it flows down the tongue, eventually leaving you with a lightly oily coating in the mouth and a SweeTart type flavor in the mouth.
The only bad thing about this beer is that there isn’t enough of it. Generally, I don’t wish to drink more than a glass of a gueuze lambic. However, this is so much more palatable and complex that I feel I could enjoy several of them. And, at 6% abv, that isn’t entirely out of the question. For even a novice trying to break into this variety, the Hanssens is highly recommended. Slightly expensive, but a great way to put a good face on the genre…
