Top 100 Beers of 2015 (Issue 22)

World Class (100 to 96)

10.
96
by Josh Weikert
Hennepin
Brewery Ommegang

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Brewer Q & A
 

Judge's Second Opinion
from Josh Weikert

I first got excited about craft beer when I started learning about its impressive variety. Beer is, in many ways, the story of making the same thing in lots of different places using different ingredients and methods based on what was laying around in your particular part of the world.  For example, Czech Pils turns into something else when you try to make it in Munich, and evolves into something else when you make it in Dublin, and although Pils and Octoberfest and Dry Stout are very different beers, they share a common DNA.  

Saison is one of those beers that really brings it home for me, though – as a regional specialty using “found” ingredients and with a seasonal character, it’s the epitome of an authentic style.

So how, then, can a brewery in New York make a Beer of the Year-worthy example of a style that originated in Northeastern France?  Simple: by painting a picture of the place with the flavors that beer produces.  Hennepin creates a mental image as clear as a postcard, and the flavors of grain, pepper, lemon, and a hint of earthy funk call to mind images of the countryside at harvest time.  Now, is this actually what a Wallonian field smells like?  No, probably not.  But it smells like what one might imagine it smells like.  It’s subtle and soft, and it avoids the temptation to overreach (a common feature in beers these days, I find).  Let’s not forget, these beers were, authentically and originally, very light and low-gravity affairs.  Strong flavors or alcohols would be wrong, and would be more like the abbey beers from that region.  Hennepin evokes a sense of scale, place, and time that we can easily use to connect to that original style, and for that reason, it’s a wonderful beer to get your hands on.

For me, beer is like traveling.  It both creates and provokes memories and experiences, which adds to our enjoyment of life and appreciation of variety.  Every bottle is a chance to experience a different place and time, and no two bottles are ever the same.  There’s a lot of fun, learning, and wisdom in that – not that everyone will see it that way, of course.  Some just want it to taste good!  I want that too, of course, but I also appreciate that this is another example of how local conditions and context create something new and different but also consistent and ancient.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go pop the cap on another adventure!

Brewer's Thoughts
from Phil Leinhart

Saisons make for an effervescent and refreshing style. The sweetness and spiciness of the style serves as a fascinating and rewarding detour from the normal hop highways of modern American craft beer. This example from Brewery Ommegang epitomizes the elements that make for an intriguing and delicious brew.

Ommegang brewmaster Phil Leinhart discussed the brewery’s creative employment of standard Belgian ingredients mixed with some more traditional American craft beer elements.

Being one of Ommegang’s flagship beers, this “Belgian-inspired beer has unique spicing and the specialized Ommegang yeast strain, which create a well-blended, balanced, intriguing and endlessly drinkable beer.”

When asked about the beer’s fascinating flavor profile, Phil outlined a few specific ingredients that play a major role in the beer’s taste. “The spiciness of Hennepin comes predominantly from our yeast strain and a unique blend of spices (surprise!). The beer’s sweetness comes from residual non-fermentable sugar – we use corn as an adjunct; extract sources other than barley malt, such as wheat, oats, rye, corn are common in Saisons.”

Despite making different-strength versions of its Saison, like Glimmerglass – Ommegang’s spring seasonal brewed with pink peppercorns – Hennepin remains the brewery’s classic rendition.