1) Hanssens Lambics

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Hanssens 

The treasure trove has been exhumed from the cellars of Hanssens of Dworp, Belgium and its booty is now available at Taco Mac in both Sandy Springs and Snellville in 750 ml bottles.  Hanssens is the last blender of negociant left in Belgium.  Monsieur Hanssen, who at age eighty-four, buys lambics of various ages made to his specifications from such esteemed houses as Boon, Lindemans, and Girardin.  Like a cognac negociant, M. Hanssen blends the various breweries' lambics into his own house style.  The determining factor in Hanssens's products is the small proportion of young lambics to old lambics.   The older lambics create a drier, more bitter product.  In fact, Hanssens lambics are a blend of forty to fifty differently aged beers.  After being blended, the product is bottled and aged at the brewery.  The current inventory of Hanssens at Taco Mac is three years old.  Traditionally,  Hanssens didn't put a label on their bottles, just a white stripe for Gueuze and a pink stripe for Kriek.  To satisfy B.A.T.F. and the State of Georgia  Hanssens has affixed a simple black & white label to their bottles.  

Hanssens Kriek is an unfiltered cherry lambic.  It is less sweet than the Lindemans and the Bellevue.  The fruit balances the characteristically sour background of the base gueuze.  The Hanssens Gueuze is wonderful.  In my opinion, this superbly traditional Gueuze is a world classic and a "must try" beer.  However, the first encounter can be astonishingly awful.   It makes you want to send it back immediately, but persuade yourself to hold on for just another mouthful.  It is not "infected" or "gone bad", rather it is a traditional Gueuze, the oldest style of beer in Belgium.  Among Gueuze connoisseurs the more bitter and lip pursing the liquid, the sweeter the experience.  Having soldiered yourself a bottle, award yourself with the knowledge that the taste experience gained through the Passport Club does not end with one hundred drafts.  Remember we have coolers stocked full of beers not available on draft that are every bit as good !

P.S. We won't forget to add Hanssens to your list.