Name: Hennepin

Brewer: Ommegang

Style: Saison

Cellared On: July 2nd, 2007

Original Tasting: July 20th, 2007

My second Belgian-style beer tasting comes from a brewery in my neck of the woods, upstate NY. Hennepin is a very light brew with unexpected complexity. A lemony tart/sour tastes hits you right away. It gradually gives way to a variety of subtle flavors, like honey, yeast, and even some spice. Pretty dry beer.

Other tasters note the presence of fruity, fruity esters, nutty flavors, banana, and clove.

Six Month Tasting: January 18th, 2008

I’m not sure where this beer is going.

I was surprised right for the start when the beer poured an extremely clear golden yellow. It was a big change from the murky golden beer I had back this summer. Still very aromatic, Belgian yeast, bright fruits, and a bit of vanilla were in the air.

The flavor profile hadn’t changed too much, there were still tones of lemon, bananna, and honey present. The intensity of the flavors may have been a tiny bit diminished, however.

One Year Tasting: July 14th, 2008

This one poured more like my fist tasting - it was a murky pale yellow. I’m noticing the grassy hops in the smell, with hints of lemon in the background.

The lemon and honey flavors are still there, but the “earthy” grassy flavors are easily the most noticeble tastes here. There’s a slight bitterness from the hops, and the malt has a very light biscuity feel to it. Complex and still drinking very well.

Cellar Outlook: The saison style of beer was originally brewed in the winter months and then saved and drank in the summer months. The bottle itself notes that the beer is well suited to cellaring. I think this will definitely improve over the next few years, we’ll see for how long.

Six-Month Outlook Notes: Like I said, I’m not sure where this is going now. I think the yeast die-off is more or less complete in this brew, we’ll start to see if we pick up any flavors from autolysis or not.

One Year Outlook Notes: The brew is holding up great, I think it will keep up well for at least another year or so.

Next Tasting: July 2009