Hanssens Artisanaal
Dworp, 1653 Dworp
One of the last true gueuze blenders. Hanssens brews no beer of its own: it buys wort from lambic brewers, matures it in its own oak casks and blends the result, an operation run by just two people.
8 other breweries within 25 km. Nearest is Brouwerij Oud Beersel, 3 km.
Lambic is the oldest surviving brewing method in the western world, and it is made almost nowhere else on earth.
- No yeast addedFermented by wild microflora carried on the open air.
- Senne valleyOnly the air of this one river valley reliably works.
- Aged in oakMatured in barrels for months or years before blending.
The story of Hanssens Artisanaal
The Hanssens family has been blending lambic at Dworp since the late nineteenth century, and the house has never brewed a drop of its own beer. It buys wort from lambic brewers, ages it in its own oak casks and blends the result, which is the older meaning of a geuzestekerij. Sidy and John Matthys took it on from Sidy's father Jean in 1988.
It is one of the last blenderies working the traditional way, buying wort rather than brewing, and it is run by two people.
2 beers in our cellar
Hanssens Oude Gueuze
Gueuze · 6% ABVOne of the last true blenders. Hanssens brews nothing: it buys wort from lambic brewers, ages it in its own oak casks in Dworp and blends the result. The operation is two people, Sidy and John Matthys, who took it on from Sidy's father in 1988. Uncompromisingly acidic and rustic.
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