Hanssens Artisanal
Beginning in the late 19th century, Hanssens Artisanaal in Dworp, Belgium spent its first several decades brewing and blending (mostly) lambic style beers. Due to the seizure of the brewery by German occupying forces during WWI, owner Bartholome Hanssens was no longer able to sustain production as a lambic brewery, so he refocused attention on lambic blending. He purchased wort – the beer’s sweet unfermented precursor – from other Senne River breweries, matured each acquisition individually, then painstakingly blended the resulting lambics together, and barrel aged the blend.
Today, Hanssens remains a traditional lambic blendery, producing only authentic, unsweetened, and unpasteurized lambics under a fourth generation of the Hanssens family.
Author: Caroline Porsiel
Caroline Porsiel is a master distiller and liqueurist based in East Ellijay, Georgia. She founded House of Applejay, a fine spirits and liqueur distillery, in 2022 with her mother, Sabine, crafting award-winning products like Applejay from Ellijay, Mt. Frozen Knob Vodka, and Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. The distillery won a 2024 Best of Georgia Award and a 2025 Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Winter Cherry Mountain Liqueur. As a founding member of the AMBRU Campaign, launched in 2020, Porsiel advocates for the global recognition of American Brandy and Rum. She continues to drive innovation in the craft spirits industry from her active distillery in the heart of Georgia’s apple country.
