Brewery Ommegang Hennepin Review

Name: Brewery Ommegang Hennepin
Style: Saison
ABV: 7.7%

It's been a while since I've reviewed a Brewery Ommegang beer, as in over a year ago, so I've decided to make up for that with a review of their Hennepin Saison Ale. I had this beer a few years ago but they have changed the label since I've last had it.

The beer is named after Father Louis Hennepin, a Catholic Missionary from Belgium who was one of the first explorers of the interior of the United States. On a side note, the city of Minneapolis, which is where I'm originally from, is located in Hennepin County which was also named after Louis Hennepin. In fact the area in which Minneapolis is located was one of the areas that Louis Hennepin charted out.

Hennepin pours a hazy yellow color with a very foamy head typically found in most Ommegang beers. The lacing is rather soapy and the visible carbonation is fairly moderate.

The aroma starts out with some healthy Belgian yeasts, along with spices, grassiness, pale & pils malts.

The flavor is fairly identical to the nose but there is less of a focus on the grassiness and more on the Belgian yeasty aspect.

The palate is fairly moderate in terms of body with some moderate carbonation. It's fairly easy to bring with the carbonation bringing out some of the flavor.

Overall, I found Hennepin to be a very good representation of the Saison style. Definitely worth picking up if you get the chance.

Brewery Ommegang Hennepin - 8.5/10

Thirsty Pagan Velo Saison Review

Despite what the growler says, this is indeed a Thirsty Pagan beer.

Name: Thirsty Pagan Velo Saison
Style: Saison
ABV: 6%

I feel that I've been neglecting the local craft beer scene for a while in terms of reviews so I decided to switch it up tonight and review an offering from Thirsty Pagan Brewing, located over in neighboring Superior, Wisconsin. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, Thirsty Pagan is the only brewery located over in Superior, Wisconsin whereas compared to the numerous breweries located over in Duluth. I also think that they serve the best pizza in the area but of course that is just my opinion.

For this review I have their Velo Saison, which is their Saison-style ale and it's usually on their regular line-up whenever I go in. A quick fun fact: Velo is the French word for "Bicycle"

Velo Saison pours a hazy yellow color with a average foamy head with decent retention. The visible carbonation is mild and the lacing is decent.

The aroma starts off with some notes of cloves and Belgian Yeasts backed up by some nice floral hops and a solid malty backbone.

Likewise, the flavor isn't too different from the nose. It starts off with a strong Belgian yeast spiciness/cloveiness before the floral hops make themselves known at as it finishes up. There is also an encompassing malty backbone that helps even everything out. The aftertaste is a light Belgian yeast and floral hoppiness.

The palate as a whole is more moderate in weight but thankfully the carbonation is very mild so you shouldn't have any difficulty trying to drink this.

Velo Saison is a very enjoyable and rather robust Saison-style ale. Usually if I'm not really sure what to get while I'm there (or not feeling like a sour that day), I can always rely on this beer in terms of flavor and quality.

Thirsty Pagan Velo Saison - 8.5/10

Surly CynicAle Review

Name: Surly CynicAle
Style: Saison
ABV: 6.5%

I'm finally making amends with myself by reviewing some of Surly Brewing's lineup which I have been putting off for a while. Tonight we're having a beer from Surly and it's their CynicAle, which is their Saison-Style beer.

This beer is one of the first Belgian/Farmhouse-Style beers that I ever had when a couple years back a friend of mine recommended it to me while I was still reluctant to give Furious a second go. Like Surly Furious, I had never gotten the chance to really sit down and review it as I've had it on tap almost every time that I have it; That is until today!

CynicAle pours a reasonably clear golden color with some visible moderate carbonaion. The head is somewhat fluffy in appearance and the lacing left behind is fairly abundant.

The aroma has a strong yeasty scent to it and some cracked peppers to go along with it. There are also some cloves, floral hops and barley notes in here as well.

The flavor is also pretty yeasty with notes of pepper, mild floral/resin hops, cloves and barley. Pretty much the same as the nose but with more of a hoppy taste. The body is fairly light in weight with some moderate carbonation to boot, which gives it an overall crisp palate.

Being that this is the first Saison that I ever had, it's stood up pretty well since I first had it. It's got a great taste yet it's approachable enough for any newcomers to the style. Overall, you really can't go wrong with this beer.

Surly CynicAle - 8.5/10

Great Divide Colette Review

Name: Great Divide Colette
Style: Saison
ABV: 7.3%

Great Divide Brewing Company is the second craft brewer that I ever tried which was based out of Colorado, the first being Fat Tire. They have a pretty good line-up and I think they have one of the best widely available Barleywines and Scotch Ales out there. However I will be dedicating my first Great Divide review to their Colette Saison Ale, which is their Spring Seasonal release. Perfect type of beer to drink right now considering it's quite rainy out right now.

Colette pours a bright hazy yellow color and a soapy head and with just a slight bit of lacing along the sides.

The aroma has a mildly sweet malty scent to it, along with yeasts and fruity notes. Surprisingly sweet smelling for a Saison, which reminds me of New Holland's Golden Cap Saison. The flavor isn't too different from the nose but it has a very slight lemon sourness to it and some cracked pepper flavors.The sweet maltiness is also in there, along with yeasty and fruity notes. It also finishes quite dry with a slight yeastiness.

It's quite moderate in weight and the carbonation is rather mild and it fits quite well with the other elements of this beer.

Colette strikes a good balance between being earthy and sweet in terms of it's flavor. It's a well rounded Saison that comes off as quite sessionable and is an ideal Spring Seasonal for that purpose.

Great Divide Colette - 8.25/10

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace Review

Name: Brooklyn Sorachi Ace
Style: Saison
ABV: 7.6%

I mentioned before that I'm a fairly big fan of Brooklyn Brewery and it's offerings. This summer I'll be going to New York for a wedding and a tour of the brewery is on my list of things to do. That of course will depend on how long we'll be in Upstate New York for, which where the wedding is being held and whether or not we'll have enough time to do so.

About a week ago, I stopped by one of my local liquor stores and was recommended Sorachi Ace, which is a Saison/Farmhouse style ale. My experience with this style has either been it was really good or too skunky for my liking. Usually it's pretty good, so I can't complain, so I figured I'd give this one a try.

Upon pouring, it has a dark yellow & gold color with a mild haze and quite a bit of carbonation activity. It does, however, get cloudier the further through the bottle you go which I believe comes from the yeasts used in making Sorachi Ace. It also finishes pretty clean too so there's no lacing to be seen.

The nose has consists mainly of lemon zest, pilsner malts, yeast, and a slight floral hop aroma. This saison has more of an earthly aroma to it, as opposed to a sweeter aroma that can be found in other saison ales.

Pilsner Malts & Yeasts are fairly heavy upfront on the flavor; Which is in turn backed by cracked peppers, floral hops and lemon zest. The yeast notes in particular get stronger the further through the bottle you go, correlating with the cloudy appearance you see when drinking this. Again, fairly earthy in taste but not overwhelmingly so. It finishes with a rather dry  but bittersweet Pilsner Malt aftertaste.

The body is fairly lightweight and the carbonation level sits perfectly between light & moderate. This makes it quite crisp and refreshing to drink.

I was surprised by Sorachi Ace because my experience with earthy Saison/Farmhouse Ales have usually been bad ones, but this one changed my mind! Its flavor is nicely balanced, refreshing and it makes for a tasty beer.

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace - 8.5/10