I've never had a Saison/Farmhouse Ale before, which is what BeerAdvocate.com lists this beer at. So I'm excited to try it.
BeerAdvocate.com lists this style as:
Saisons are sturdy farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the US.
This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness.
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It's listed as the best example of the style.
I've only had one other beer from Ommegang before, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was their Witte.
A bit higher ABV (7.7%) in comparison to what I normally have., but lately I've been drinking much higher ABV beers than I normally would.
Side note - I totally forgot until I looked at the cap but Ommegang is located in Cooperstown NY. If I ever go to the Baseball Hall of Fame (which will definitely happen someday), I think a trip here would be totally necessary.
A - Very bright golden color. I'm using the Duvel Tulip Glass, and I don't know if this is directly related to the glass itself, but theres a single file stream of bubbles in the middle of the glass just rising continuously. Pretty neat looking. Pretty cloudy with a large frothy, white head. Very sticky lacing is left on the side of the glass if I give a little swirl.
S - I've never had a Saison before so I wasn't really sure what I was getting into, but the smell was totally not what I expected. Almost smells like a Witbier. There's lots of similar characteristics. It's heavy on coriander and lemon. The smoothness of clove is present. It's also a little spicy and if I'm correctly identifying it, it almost smells like ginger is in there.
T - With the initial taste it was very sweet in the front and very dry bready taste on the back end. Based on the smell, I would have to say the taste is a lot spicier than I anticipated, although that's not a bad thing. It's a good spicy taste. Spices and citrus definitely dominate the overall taste of the beer though. Honestly, it almost has this sour taste to it.. like a green apple sour taste. I definitely like it. That taste seems to be hanging around in the aftertaste.
M - Good carbonation on the tongue, yet so extremely crisp and refreshing at the same time. Light bodied.
D - I type pretty fast to give you an idea of things... and while typing this review I've killed off the entire beer except for a mouthful without really realizing it. I can't get enough of this beer. Very high drinkability obviously... well until the near 8% ABV sneaks up on me. Cheers.
Verdict - It's a good beer. Hands down. I was a little skeptical going into it, which is why I think it got buried in my fridge for 2 months. I'm pretty mad at myself for not having it much sooner. This is solid beer, and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another couple bottles. (Even if I like a beer, I normally will say.. ahhh probably wouldn't go buy it again because it simply didn't just blow me away) Well, this beer blew me away. Two very big thumbs up.
Hennepin is my favorite beer from Ommegang. I've been to the brewery several times, most recently on my birthday this past October, and think the place is awesome. You should really get up there.
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