Hanssens Artisanaal

Back in stock -- 2 vintages

2011 vintage.....

2013 vintage.......

2011 Hanssens Artisanaal Scarenbecca Kriek....$21.99 / 375ml
2013 Hanssens Artisanaal Scarenbecca Kriek....$21.99 / 375ml
Lambic brewed with wild Belgian Schaerbeek Sour cherries and aged in oak barrels.
Rated 97/100 on RateBeer

Hanssens Oudbeitje Lambic...$9.99 / 375ml
Strawberry Lambic
"The strawberries announce themselves in the nose, where they mingle with aromas of earth, sharp cheddar cheese, vanilla, yogurt, and a Riesling-like petrol note. The flavors turn out to be surprising - gentle sweetness quickly followed by fine acidity, and a wonderful fruitiness right through the center." -- Garrett Oliver, The Brewmaster's Table


"Hanssens Artisanaal is the last independent geuze blender in the whole world. At Hanssens, no beer is actually brewed! Instead, they pursue a profession that was very important in the history of lambic style beers, they are solely blenders of beer.

Lambic beers are famous for being "wild fermented". Instead of adding a special yeast strain to cause fermentation, some brewers in the Senne river valley leave the warm, sweet, unfermented beer (called wort) open to the elements. Wild strains of yeast and other micro organisms will then seed the liquid. Normally when brewing beer, a brewers yeast will be used to turn sugar into alcohol and certain flavor elements of the beer. In these wild beers, yeast and others will turn sugar into alcohol, acid, and a huge variety of flavor chemicals.

Since each batch is different, the beer has to be blended with multiple batches to create a consistent product. Most lambics are created from a mixture of aged sour beer and young, sweeter beer. They are then barrel aged to combine the flavors.

Hanssens takes this a step further, and actually blends batches from different breweries in their area. This used to be a very common practice, but Hanssens is now the last remaining blender. They bring to this endeavor a variety of barrels, some up to one hundred years old, and a passion and a love for the tradition of Geuze and Lambics. They will also add whole fruits to some of their beers, to make even more flavorful blends.

Hanssens Bartholomeus, former major of Dworp, started to brew lambic in 1871, in the previous Sint-Antonius brewery. Documents have proven that he continued to brew, from 1896 onwards, in buildings located in the Vroenenbosstraat, Dworp. These premises are still used." -- importer