Ommegang Bangin'

Talk about feeling like you're not worthy to purchase, let alone drink, a beer.  Brewery Ommegang surely is one intimidating brewery.  Their logo is medievil.  Their brew names (Hennepin, 3 Philosophers, Rare Vos) are imposing.  Go ahead, Google image the brewery and prove us wrong.

So, while we've seen Ommegang on the shelf for years the best we could muster was to turn our head low and divert our eyes from the king - well, we assume they're the king because they're always on the top shelf.

The trusty assistant, out on assignment, finally broke the spell and picked up Hennepin for our palette.  Note we pictured it with a red flower to give it an air of comeuppance.  Overall, we like it.  If we didn't - off with our heads.  Hennepin is a Belgian-style saison.  According to Ommegang you "[p]our slowly so as to not disturb the yeast sediment, but with enough vigor to create a luxurious head and realease the rustic bouquet."  Actually, you have little choice but to pour slowly because the head explodes and takes up much of your pint.  If you're not thirsty when you start pouring you will be when you're done.

That said, it is well worth the wait.  Ommegang is right about the "rustic bouquet" upon pouring.  It's a yeasty almost mealy beer.  You could almost call it a bread but the spice is right, which strikes a solid balance with the yeast.  By no means heavy, it's crisp and almost refreshing (even if those words are over-used in the beer world).  It's body is hazy yellow.  Eventually, the head thins out to almost nothing.  That might mean something but not to us.  We find it rather complex - maybe due to our lack of saison experience - but it's smooth and easy to drink with a spicy aftertaste.

Bonus Points: Hennepin is named for Father Hennepin, the Belgian missionary who discovered Niagara Falls.  There is no truth to the rumor that Father Hennepin went over the falls in an old beer barrel.