Byrons Liquor

Hennepin Farmhouse

By: Gordon Jones

New York offers its best version of the Saison style brew. A Saison ale is usually a style which is brewed in the winter, drank in the summer, but due to popular demand, craft breweries are striving to offer the same perfect taste year round. One brewery taking part in this Brew Comeback is Brewery Ommegang from Cooperstown, New York. Ommegang Hennepin pours into a glass a cloudy, light-gold pils. It yields a towering white head which, even when settled, is a generous two fingers tall. It leaves a good bit of clingy lace in its wake as you drink it down. The aromas are of cloves, spices and yeast. The taste runs in parallel with the aroma ... spices and clove right up front, sweet malts in the middle and the finish is a little tangy, tart. Very, very nice. The mouthfeel is delightful, a Belgian all the way; medium, heavy gravity, and A LOT of bubbles.

Hennepin is not only a very drinkable dry brew, but its style and flavor seems to be one of the best. You have to be a fan of the spice/clove taste to love this beer; another delicious offering from the world class brewers at Ommegang. So, with all of that being said...Relax, be careful, and enjoy.

HENNEPIN FARMHOUSE (OCTOBER 2009) REVIEW