Hanssens Oude Kriek
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Tasting Notes
The aroma leads with tart cherry, a touch of almond from the pits, and the underlying barnyard funk characteristic of aged lambic. On the palate, fruit and acidity dominate — sour cherries with very little residual sweetness, layered over the dry, leathery complexity of the base lambic. The body is lean, almost austere, and the finish is long and bone-dry with a persistent tannic grip. This is an uncompromising, traditional kriek, not a fruit beer sweetened for approachability.
About the Brewery
Hanssens is a geuzestekerij — a blender rather than a brewer — based in Dworp, in the Pajottenland region of Belgium, the historic heartland of spontaneous fermentation. They source lambic from neighboring traditional producers and blend or macerate it themselves, a practice with roots going back to the late 19th century. The operation remains small and family-run, with minimal intervention and a firm commitment to the unsweetened, traditional style. Their output is limited, and their beers are considered benchmarks among lambic enthusiasts.
Food Pairings
The sharp acidity and dry cherry character work well with duck breast or other fatty poultry, where the tartness cuts through the richness. Aged goat cheese pairs naturally because its own lactic tang mirrors the beer's sourness without fighting it. Dark chocolate with high cocoa content complements the fruit and tannins rather than clashing with the acidity. A simple charcuterie board — cured meats, hard cheeses, cornichons — gives the beer enough savory contrast to show its complexity without overwhelming it.
Style Guide
Fruit lambic is spontaneously fermented wheat beer — lambic — that has been refermented on whole fruit, most traditionally Schaerbeek cherries in the case of kriek. The style originates in the Senne valley and Pajottenland outside Brussels, where wild Brettanomyces and Pediococcus-driven fermentation produces a base beer of pronounced acidity and barnyard complexity before any fruit is added. Traditional versions are dry and funky, distinct from the sweetened, filtered fruit beers often marketed under the same name. The difference between a traditional kriek and a commercial one is roughly the difference between a wine and a wine cooler.