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1.24.2012

Smart People Like Good Beer: #7 Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Saison

We're going with another good beer this time on the review. This time it's Ommegang Hennepin. Ommegang gives you one more reason besides the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Farmers' Museum to visit the great town of Cooperstown, NY.
Ommegang brewery opened up in 1997 with the goal to brew fine Belgian style beers. Very successful out of the gate they sold the brewery to Duvel Moortgat Brewery, a fine family-owned brewery that's been operating since 1871. If you can, try and visit Cooperstown and Ommegang in July for the Belgium Comes to Cooperstown event to taste some of the over 200 belgian style beers.  

Saison originally refers to a pale ale style that was originally brewed in farmhouses in Wallonia. Also from Wallonia, the guy who proposed the Big Bang Theory. No, not the show, the far less humorous theory of the origin of the Universe. Modern-day Saison brews are generally bottle conditioned, as is the Hennepin, for an extra fermentation process while still in the bottle.

Hennepin pours a clearish orangey-yellow with a thick white head. It's approximately 7.7% ABV. The aroma is clear with hops with a hint of honey and some spices. There's also a grainy smell that reminds me of a barn, typical of most belgians, the people and the beer. The taste is a little tart on the tip of your tongue at first. It's got a nice earthy flavor with a hint of clove taste. Very drinkable beer, and you should definitely let it warm up slightly out of the fridge (about 50-ish degrees) to enjoy it at its best.

I'm going to give Hennepin Farmhouse Saison a 96. Slightly better than La Fin Du Monde in my book, but very close.

Beer Advocate readers rate it at 93 with 1875 ratings while the experts give it a 96. Pair it with some curried Thai food they recommend, I can get on board with that.

Over at Ratebeer they give it an adjusted rating of 97 from 1700 ratings.

All in all I was pretty spot on with other ratings this time. Remember folks, throw me a recommendation for beer and I will try it out as long as I can get my hands on it reasonably. This goes for any kind. As you saw last week, I'm willing to review pretty much anything. Except Mad Dog 20/20. Never again. Bum wines are generally excluded from review unless I have a damn good reason.. 

This post originally appeared on Stuff Smart People Like. Subscribe to the Podcast.

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