#49 Ommegang – Hennepin

Name: Hennepin
Brewery: Ommegang (Coopertown, NY, USA)
Style: Saison
ABV: 8%
Source: Regional Wines

So last night I drank my fourth ever saison, and I must confess to still being completely baffled as to what one of these should taste like. I fell head over heels for that gorgeous floral/candyfloss version by Dupont, but now I’m starting to wonder if I’ll be forever chasing the dragon.

This one poured a glorious colour, hazy marmalade with a stiff foamy head. I sniffed and swirled and sniffed some more (almost inhaling some of the foam), but couldn’t get much of an aroma beyond some faint citrus and a whisper of Belgian yeast.

The taste was similar, but with a hoppiness that seemed spicy (ginger, pepper?) rather than bitter, and a hint of acidity. The mouthfeel was light and dry, with spritzy carbonation that seemed to enhance the spiciness.

I started to eat a pack of chips halfway through it (Ready Salted Kettles – what else), and I can confirm the beer cut through the grease like a charm. Actually I’m out of dishwashing liquid at the moment, so had this tasted really terrible I might have been tempted to use a bit on my frying pans…

Overall I thought this beer was nice and refreshing, but not terribly interesting, and when I’m drinking an 8% beer I feel like I need lots of flavour to match the booze. If this were three of four percent then it would make a lovely midday drink – the kind of thing you cool off with after a hard morning ploughing fields in the sun – but at 8% you’d probably go back and crash your tractor. (Yeah, I know all about farming, can you tell?)

DISCLAIMER: I’m sick of saying this, but I should add that I do have a sinus infection at the moment which means I’m not really tasting things properly. That means you should probably disregard everything I’ve said about this beer and all posts in the few days hereafter.