Ommegang Hennepin Review

Brewery: Brewery Ommegang | Beer: Hennepin
Style: Saison | ABV: 7.7% | IBUs: ~25
Serving Method: 750ml bottle poured into tulip glass

Earlier this week, I posted my first review of an Ommegang beer with their Ommegang Abbey Ale. Now I'm back with Hennepin, another of their year-round offerings. Hennepin is a Saison, and just like earlier with Ommegang, this is the first example of the style I've reviewed here. You know what that means, we get the obligatory "first review of a style breakdown."

Saisons, also known as Belgian Farmhouse Ales, were originally brewed at the end of the winter to be drunk throughout summer. Therefore, the beer had to be fortified enough to last, yet still be refreshing and quenching when it was drunk. Saisons had been fading in popularity, but have enjoyed a comeback recently, especially in the US. Traditionally, the style is a bit of a grab bag of different beers with different brews with different characteristics, but the style is now coming together a bit. The BJCP decribe the style as:

A refreshing, medium to strong fruity/spicy ale with a distinctive yellow-orange color, highly carbonated, well hopped, and dry with a quenching acidity.

Named after Father Hennepin, who discovered Niagara Falls, Ommegang classify Hennepin as a Grisette. From my research, Grissette is an arcane sub-classification of Saison/Farmhouse, though there isn't much out there to go on. Anyway, here's how Ommegang (poetically) describe Hennepin:

As you pour this rich golden ale into your glass, consider your surroundings. Are you in a restaurant? Outside on the deck? Is it hot and humid? Cold and brisk? Take a drink. Feel the way Hennepin is bright and lively in your mouth with a warming mix of spicy gingersnap and citrusy hops. Refreshing. Relaxing. It's true: no matter where you are, Hennepin is the perfect ale for all seasons.

Refreshing and relaxing is just what I'm looking for right now. Let's hope it can deliver.

Appearance: A nicely hazy golden-straw body with three fingers of slightly off-white, bubbly head that sticks around and leaves good lacing.

Aroma: A honeyish malt body with fruity (golden fruit, citrus, and banana), yeasty, and spicy (clove, coriander, and pepper) notes. Some traces of booze, but not much.

Taste: Up front, a sweet pale malt character with fruit, spice, and ever-so-mild molasses twinge towards the end. It's somewhat sour and dries towards the end. Hints of alcohol in the end, in just the right proportion. It may not the most complex flavor profile, but it's quite satisfying.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied and smooth with good carbonation. Crisp with a dry finish.

Drinkability: Generally good, but reined in a little by the moderately-high alcohol content.

Verdict: Hennepin is a great beer to sit down with an enjoy on a peaceful Summer evening. It may not be the most complex Saison out there, but it's still well worth a try.

Grade: A-

Ommegang Abbey Ale Review

Brewery: Brewery Ommegang | Beer: Ommegang Abbey Ale
Style: Dubbel | ABV: 8.5% | IBUs: ~25
Serving Method: 750ml bottle poured into tulip glass

Brewery Ommegang is an American brewery based out of Cooperstown, New York that has really taken the Belgian theme to heart. They brew only Belgian-inspired beers and even designed the brewery to ape traditional Belgian farmhouse architecture. Pitching your American brewery as thoroughly Belgian takes either confidence or madness, so you know the beers are either going to be awesome or terrible. Based on the fact that Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat bought the joint back in 2003, I'm pretty sure they're the former and not the latter.

What better beer to start with than the one that shares the name with the brewery. Like a band's first album being "self-titled," Ommegang named their first beer Ommegang Abbey Ale. A traditional-style Dubbel, Ommegang picked up a gold medal in the Dubbel category at this year's World Beer Cup. Looks like these guys really can walk-the-walk when it comes to their Belgian credentials.

Here's the brewery's description of the beer:

Meditate on this dark ruby elixir. Breathe in its deep emanations of fruit and spice. Is that clove you smell? Licorice? Fig? Sip serenely as revelations of honey, toffee, chocolate and dark dried fruit delight your senses. Can a beer be holy? you wonder, and Where can I get a grail on-line?

This burgundian brew gives off a variety of aromas, including plum and cinnamon, and packs in flavors such as caramel, toffee, and licorice. At 8.5% abv, it is known to cause spontaneous meditation.

My order from GrailsOnline.biz hasn't shown up yet, so it looks like this tulip is just going to have to do.

Appearance: A dark, murky brown body capped by a creamy, tannish head that features brilliant growth, good retention, and little lacing.

Aroma: Burnt sugar dominates over spices, dark fruit, and mild booze. I could stand a little more intensity, but what's here is good.

Taste: A burnt sugar and caramel malt body accompanied by lots of spicy and fruity notes. There's a lovely flourish of alcohol towards the end, but the bulk is hidden masterfully. The aftertaste is spicy and boozy.

Mouthfeel: A slightly fuller than and nicely creamy medium body with moderate carbonation and drying finish. Some slight alcohol burn in the mouth.

Drinkability: About average for the style; a slower beer but rather far from sipper territory.

Verdict: Ommegang Abbey is a thoroughly tasty proposition and nicely authentic for an American brewery's Dubbel. Well worth a try.

Grade: A-