Hennepin (Farmhouse Saison) - Brewery Ommegang

Lnedrive14

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

750 ml bottle. Poured into a flute, which seemed appropriate.

Not sure if it was the glassware choice, but this really looked like champagne. Light in color with a large white head. Extrememely effervescent - again, like champagne. Smells nice - very rustic.

I admit to not being such a fan of the saison style, but I will do my best to rate this beer objectively. It went down very easy, but I felt the fruit was a bit too tart for my taste. Pears, pineapple, bananas, etc. are all very apparant, however I felt none of the sweetness of the fruit was incorporated. The aftertaste was very much like a dry champagne. Goes down very easy.

All in all, I think it is a fine example of the style, but certainly not my thing. But if you love saisons, you have to give this one a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2005 00:34:41 | More by Lnedrive14

skizziks

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml into a Duvel tulip. Pour produces a huge head of offwhite big bubbles reaching about 4" and slowly dying down leaving a rocky cap as it goes. The beer is an expected hazy orange-gold.

Aroma is full of fresh sweet malt, husk, and apple with herbal and floral hops seamlessly blended in. Perfume like.

The flavor is immediately sweet, but not overpoweringly so, quickly followed by big banana and plenty of carbonation bite. Finish is quick and dry. Not much depth to the flavor.

Mouthfeel is light to medium, somewhat slick but with plenty of fizz to keep it from sticking. Very easy to drink and refreshing. Easy to put back a little too fast, but it's a quencher of a style and it does the job well.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2006 15:28:13 | More by skizziks

GooberMcNutly

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml. Poured with a nice head, but not too big, as many Saisons are. Fell kind of quickly as well. Golden color with poor clarity and lots of suspended yeast. Not very floculent. Light aroma with hints of lemon and cherry with a persimmon note. Palate was uncomplicated with a light but distinct sour ale taste and quick finish. Plenty of carbonation left on palate for an active mouthfeel. I didn’t get the alcohol notes until about 1/2 way through the glass, then my palate opened to it and I could taste it then. My favorite Ommegang product so far.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2006 16:10:42 | More by GooberMcNutly

steelcutoats

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is the third installment of the Ommegang tasting that I am offering to Beer Advocate. I have had this beer several times before and now have decided to review it. The beer poured into my 211/8th fl. Oz. snifter with an enormous head. It shortly subsided with massive lacing on the inside of the glass. The nose was heavy with hints of yeast and sweet grass. The taste is light and sweet with apples. Ommegang has hit another homerun with Hennepin...kudos Brewery Ommegang!

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2008 05:12:13 | More by steelcutoats

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

First had: on tap at Johnny Brenda's, Philly, PA

I first had this on tap, not knowing it was an Ommegang brew until I looked it up later. It's a tasty saison. Pretty smooth and flavorful but nothing to get overwhelmed about.

Pours a hazy golden color with a nice white head that retains and laces well. Yeasty aroma, with hints of citrus, grass, and light spice. Biscuity taste, with flavors of orange zest, apple, banana; grassy with notes of spice. Light-medium mouthfeel, and easily drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2011 19:04:47 | More by Rifugium

Drew966

Florida

3.48/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Ommegang Hennepin pours a hazy golden color with a thin white head from a brown twelve ounce bottle. I'm not getting a lot from the aroma, its fairly mild. Taste is heavy on the horse blanket aspect of Belgian beer. Some hops are noticeable as well. Heavily carbonated, like seltzer, which seems to be appropriate for the style. Interesting. Worth a try, not my favorite style, but probably a pretty decent example of it.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2006 23:04:12 | More by Drew966

mjc410

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A bar pour yields no head in the straight edge pint glass. The beer is only slightly hazy. It's mostly a clear light gold. The nose is much lighter than the bottle, with just hints of the grassy funk I expect. The taste follows suit, being more mellow, less grassy and bitter than the bottle. Suffers a bit due to the loss of complexity. The mouthfeel tells you that this is a lively beer, with huge carbonation pushing through the medium body. A good beer on tap, but much better bottle-conditioned.

A note: the brewer at the State College BrewExpo said they recently stopped keg conditioning, so perhaps this could explain a bit...?

Serving type: on-tap

08-13-2006 14:01:40 | More by mjc410

timtim

District of Columbia

3.48/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

slightly hazy golden honey peach with white head that holds well and leaves nice lace. smells of yeasty spice (clove, pepper, etc.), - like a saison should, but not quite as strong or authentic as i am used to in my favorite saisons - lemon, pils malt, a little barnyard, and mildly sweet bread. taste is the same. the pepper/clove thing really hits the roof of my mouth and top/back of my throat, creating a dry/bitter (but only mildly so) finish. medium full body with a good carb level. okay beer. good saison representation for an american made brew. what amazes me is that saison dupont and it's sister beer foret don't rank anywhere close to this one, and they seem more true to the style for me. i guess that part of that has to do with the fact that a lot of these reviews are by people whom for which this is their first saison. when i think saison, i think super earthy, even horsey - like i'm smelling the beauty of a horse barn on a farm way out in the mountains somewhere. hennepin comes close, but doesn't do it for me. i rated it extra high because it is an american take on a classic belgian style, and they actually do a great job, but i'll take a dupont or de glazen toren, or fantome or southhampton for a few more duckets any day of the week.

edit: okay... i get it. this is a grisette, not a saison. i have tried many many times, but i just can't take this beer. i avoid this beer like the plague. it is the sam adams of belgian-style beer. toned down and dummied up to suit unschooled palates. sorry ommegang, i appreciate what you do for us, i just don't like this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2008 04:43:53 | More by timtim

kingcrowing

Vermont

3.48/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml corked & caged bottle poured into a Duvel tulip.

Purs a cloudy light golden color with a huge white head that slowly fades down to a one finger sticky head with some thick lacing and big bubbles. Nose is dry and yeasty, it's got a bit of breadiness and tartness.

Wow, taste is bursting with citrus and fresh bitterness, lemons and lime are here. There's a good bite of spiciness from the yeast thats nice as well as some cloves and ginger and even a bit of pepper. Mouthfeel is really huge from the carbonation, maks it seem like a Belgian tripel. Overall really solid saison.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2010 22:15:45 | More by kingcrowing

Jef59

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - pours a nice pale golden color with a little haze and a huge rocky head.

S - spicy phenolic cloves, a little metallic, slightly musty, but not a big horse blanket presence I expected.

T - well, doesn't really taste like a saison. How is this ranked higher than dupont? Don't get me wrong, it tastes good - a lot of clove, a nice portion of malt. Tastes extremely similar to Duvel. Where is the funkiness thought? If this was classified as a SBGA then I probably would have given it a 4.5 for taste, but I don't think this is very true to style.

M - really nice carbonation with a little syrupy character to it.

O - I am pretty disappointed by this one. It just played it too safe with the funk. Maybe the bottle was a bit older, and the flavors settled a little?

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2011 14:02:03 | More by Jef59

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.48/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a tulip, aged for over a year

A: Pours a slightly hazy golden color with almost three fingers of active head.

S: Nutmeg, clove, and banana upfront, this beer is quite spicy. I get a bit of prunes as well, if I closed my eyes I might think this is a quad.

T: Similar to aroma, I get spices and dark fruits. Certainly on the sweet side for a Saison, but this beer stays balanced. I also get some lemon. This is different than any Saison I've had. Decent, but odd for the style.

M: Thick for the style with high carbonation.

O: This beer is fairly tasty but really odd for the style. It's also been aged for over a year, so the yeast has really taken over the beer. Decent.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 00:49:29 | More by coreyfmcdonald

deejaydan

Michigan

3.45/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle conditioned saison from New York. Hmm... let's give it a go. It pours a pale clear yellow (almost looks like a pale ale/Macro Lager). Not much head on this. Moderate lacing. Smells slightly funky, like outdoors in the spring. Taste is slightly metallic, and slightly sour at the same time. A hint of grassy hops in there as well. Overcarbonated in my book. Not a hit. Not something I'd look for again.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2005 22:38:25 | More by deejaydan

mrasskicktastic

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a pale straw/amber color with a big frothy white head that takes its time dissappearing and leaves uneven lacing behind.

S - Predominantly wheat, a slight citrus hops and gumball odor underneath.

T - Alcohol is evident. A citrusy pineapple wheat and slight gumball flavor. The flavor is good, but I am dissapointed that the abv shows through so clearly.

M - Very thin and a little foamy, refreshing though.

D - Goes down extrodinarily easy. Soothing and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2005 07:43:29 | More by mrasskicktastic

Oxymoron

Colorado

3.45/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

The pour is an off orangish yellow color with a cloudy appearance. The head did not pour out too fluffy but did last a good amount of time. The lacing also was good.

The smell is no doubt a Belgium. A sweet malt and sugary aroma. Hints of lighter spice and it reminded me of a Belgian wit more then a saison. Some fruity notes remind me of oranges and lighter citrus notes.

The taste is a light for a saison. There is some lighter tart, almost apple flavor and citrus zest, but not really noticeable for what I would consider for a saison. A good sweet aroma and a Belgian yeast taste are most noticeable. At the back end there is a light candy taste. The tart flavor lasts a while for the aftertaste but is limited. There is some spice flavor, cloves and white pepper. Reminds me of a Belgium wit.

There is a higher then normal carbonation and the body is light. The higher carbonation does bring out more zest in the back end though. One thing to note is there is no hint of the higher alcohol. Sneaky.

Overall I would have liked more of a tart flavor but that taste is good and a very enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2005 03:17:20 | More by Oxymoron

ksimons

New York

3.45/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A-about 2 or 3 fingers worth of white head, a clear pale golden color

S-tart, a little musky, yeast, spicy, and somewhat fruity

T-very light malts, citrus, and spice. As the beer warms a bit of hoppy bitterness comes out which helps make the beer more complex

M-light to medium body, moderate carbonation, very light and airy

Overall the taste is too light. It has a nice powerful smell but then the taste is just underwhelming, especially for the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 22:12:17 | More by ksimons

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A-pale straw cloudy yellow with a lot of frothy white head

S-fresh and spicy belgian that reminds me of wheat. very good, strong scent with some funkiness. almost ideal for a saison

T-a very short experience. comes in with the Belgian spices and some banana. there's a slight breadiness taste with some bitterness for the after-taste. the bitterness is odd and not completely likeable. its an okay taste, but definitely nothing special.

M-medium creamy carbonation with a dry finish

O-i found that the belgian spiciness makes this not very drinkable. I like it in other belgians, but in this the taste gets tiring. this is pretty much an average saison that i don't feel is great for the style. i wouldn't recommend this to people more accustomed to the style, but that's just me.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 06:58:24 | More by AdamBear

CraftBeerTastic

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Ba Review #196
Served On: 07/23/2012
Glassware: Pilsner Glass
Labeled ABV: -
Date/ Code: -

Had this at Finbars (Rehoboth) while visiting Coastal Delaware on summer vacation.

Look: Poured a clear yellow. Head was a thin coating of white foam. Some lacing formed on the glass - nothing to write home about though. Carbonation bubbles were minimal.

Smell: A typical Saison aroma. Peppery coriander, clove, some faint banana and wet grass. Nothing real special was in the nose.

Taste: Again, very typical to the style. The coriander and funky Belgian yeast hit first with hints of sweet banana making up the middle. The finish was a long lasting mango or kiwi that faded into a clean aftertaste.

This was a textbook Saison in my opinion. I've had others that were very similar, but the level of quality is probably what sets this beer apart from the others.

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2012 01:34:27 | More by CraftBeerTastic

budsboy

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours cloudy, pale yellow with a big fluffy, sticky white head.

Malty, spicy smell. Grassy and citrussy. Altogether inviting.

Eh. Flavorful in a sense. Just-ripe citrus, a dash of cough syrup, clean pale male. That medicinal quality I find in every Ommegang I've tasted is really a turn-off. I must be hypersensitive to it.

Soft on the palate. Cool and clean.

Not my cup of beer. The medicinal taste is just a bit too much. Maybe I need to grow in that direction. You should try it for yourself.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2005 23:44:32 | More by budsboy

Chaz

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Koningshoeven chalice. Pours a golden straw in color, with a slight amount of chill-haze. Solid, densely-packed white head of good duration and with fine lacing, a full finger easily. The nose here is worth the price of admission, with the rare spiciness of the yeast verily prickling at the nasal passages, inviting wet horseblankets and dull fruity malt components up for drinks in the wee hours. Better than I remember in this regard. Equal parts tangy and sweet on the first sip, coating the tongue and promoting a sense of degustation; where's that sampler platter at? Pale malts sing the high notes in the background as the middle is cajoled through the wheaty-meaty bits, and the zest of the yeast parying a bit in the foreground, but not quite asI remembered from my last go-round some years back. Dry around the finish and with enough hop aromatics to make you notice them, but even for the stylistic interpretation that is Hennepin this is a rather tame component. Not a small beer by any means, it drinks so easily you'll forget where you left your car keys if you're not lucky. Some lemon rind peaking through here and there, but nothing to be overly offended by, and in the end this feels a bit tame overall. Still, this is the first time I've had it on draught, and seeing as how it's back it won't be the last. I look forward to another go . . .

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2007 03:29:06 | More by Chaz

treehugger02010

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this big bottle at Capone's in Norristown, Pa in a snifter.
Appearance: Pale straw color with lots of carbonation, a bunch of head and suprisingly strong retention and lacing. White head.
Smell: A bit of banana and almost like a pineapple, but everything was pretty mellow.
Taste: Very nice phenolic fruit taste, again banana and pineapple. perhaps some orange or other citrisy fruits. Nice and compex but not standoffish.
Mouthfeel: Nice and crisp.
Drinkability Pretty good, and I'm not to much of a Saison fan.
Don't drink and review.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2007 20:43:34 | More by treehugger02010

mnstorm99

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Nice yellow straw pour with a great white head that stays throughout the glass.
Nice fruity, spicy, hoppy aroma, smells like a typical saison, but nothing special.
Taste, again some hops come out right away, floral and fruity. light carmel sweetness comes through with a touch of toasted grains and spices (corriander?), but all of it is just a little light for my tastes.
mouthfeel is a little thin, but smooth and well carbonated. this is a good beer, but over rated in my opinion, just nothing special going on in this one. I probably wouldn't pick it over most of the other beers available.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2008 14:50:17 | More by mnstorm99

Traquairlover

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle poured into large wine glasses.

A = Hazy deep honey gold, white frothy head with good retention and medium lacing on glass as it recedes.

S = Strong phenolic smell, white pepper, cinnamon, lemon zest.

T = Taste tracks the smell but with a little more malt sweetness, there are strong yeast phenolic notes, some pepperiness, spiciness of more Middle Eastern of possibly Southern Spanish types.

M = Too fizzy in my mouth, hard to make any other judgments, medium bodied, fair mouthcoating.

D = This is an okay beer, but I cannot rate it's drinkability too high. It is both too strong and too weak for me to really want to sit back and enjoy it. On the one hand, it has some potential scents and flavors, but at the same time doesn't seem to quite live up to the those since they are either too soft to really be a great funky beer, or too strong to make it a simple enjoyable beer. I'll have to come back to this again though because I have a sense I may simply not be in the right mood for it.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2008 20:00:01 | More by Traquairlover

JBogan

Nevada

3.43/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a mostly clear yellow/gold with a huge foamy white head which left excellent lacing.

Smelled very musty, along with a bit of citrus and not much else.

Tasted of musty yeast, very much like the smell. Not very sharp or complex. The lemon is in there but it's overpowered by the yeast. No tartness or crispness whatsoever going on here. This was a big letdown from what I'd hoped for.

Mouthfeel was great. Lots of prickly carbonation and generally a nice smoothness to go with a medium body.

This is a fairly drinkable beer, although nothing special. It's cheap though, so it has that going for it.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2008 23:36:48 | More by JBogan

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A= great! Huge head that's pale white and gets really good and lumpy looking thick and frothy. The color is a darker straw color. Great lacing
S= corn, honey and maybe a little hops, and toasted malt I guess nothing cool
T= lotta alcohol, some hops toward the end, small citrus notes
M= lots of carbonation with a medium body
D= ok, the alcohol taste turns me away a little. Too many and you would get pretty drunk so I'm gonna say its just good

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2008 01:24:15 | More by jjanega08

joejost

New York

3.43/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Poured into a pint glass with no visable head. Dissapointed with the pour. The color was a beautiful strawberry blonde.

S- Wasn't sure if it was clove, barn, or flowers.

T- Like drinking a clover cig, in a straw barn in the country.

M- Clean, medium body.

D- Can see how many people would love this in the summer. Not my favorite style, but an excellent Saison from a top notch brewery.

Anyone in upstate NY should make a point to visit the Ommegang Brewery. Wonderful people, scenery, and delicious beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2009 00:57:21 | More by joejost