As you may or may not know, I’m a big fan of the Saison style…well, let’s be honest about it, I’m starting to be a big fan of all yeast-forward beers: Wheats, Belgians, Saisons – anything like that.  I mean I do like me hops, but getting hoppiness into your own beers at home is a never-ending and sometimes frustrating task.

So when I was in Ohio the week before last* I found Ommegang Hennepin available, I was very happy indeed…

Hennepin is a great representation of the style, and is accessible too:

Pouring a clearish, straw-yellow with a very virginal-looking white head and bearing a fragrance of bready malt, lemon high-lights and a soft grassy/hay notes with some hoppiness; Hennepin really is a seductive, sensual delight.

The taste is heavenly, being brightly refreshing with a gentle earthy bitterness and a subtle undercurrent of funk.  The finish is champagne like, delicate, clean and has just enough bitterness to balance the whole experience out.

It’s a truly lovely drop and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.  It says spring-time and may-day and everything like that to me and make me think that I should have bottles of Saison just like this ready for those first clean and clear spring afternoons.

I’d better get brewing…

http://www.ommegang.com/#!beer_hennepin

(*oh, yes.  Apologies for the lack of articles: a week’s training course, plus a week in the US visiting my boss and then another week’s frantic cramming for my TOGAF exam left me with little time for the blog.)