Beer-a-Day #152
“Worth the wheat” proclaims the label, as well as
Ommegang Witte is a traditional Belgian-style white ale. Its light body, frothy head, and quenching taste blend coriander, sweet orange peel and unmalted wheat into a flavor as bright and soft as summer clouds over a Flanders field.
Barely a tint of yellow; cloudy, with a chunky white head. Lots of sweet aroma. Refreshing. This is good stuff.
Ommegang, in Cooperstown, New York, specializes in Belgian-style ales.
For the most part, I haven’t really liked most of the Belgian styles I’ve tried. As a result I haven’t bothered to buy anything from Ommegang, even though I am constantly hearing good things about them.
Well, I’ve been trying to expand my horizons, and my palate, lately, so I decided to take the plunge.
Meditate on this dark ruby elixir. Breathe in its deep emanations of fruit and spice. Is that clove you smell? Licorice? Fig? Sip serenely as revelations of honey, toffee, chocolate and dark dried fruit delight your senses. Can a beer be holy? you wonder, and Where can I get a grail on-line?
Ommegang, our first brew, was inspired by the centuries-old brewing practices of the Belgian Trappist monks. This burgundian brew gives off a variety of aromas, including plum and cinnamon, and packs in flavors such as caramel, toffee, and licorice. At 8.5% abv, it is known to cause spontaneous meditation.
A nice dark amber with red highlights and a decent-sized head. Some nice fruity notes in the aroma. Body is medium and the carbonation, which seems a bit high at first, settles down nicely. A good beer to sip and enjoy.
Brewery Ommegang is a brewery, local to me in Cooperstown, New York, that prides itself on Belgian-style beers brewed with authentic ingredients and methods. Personally, there are Belgian-style beers that I love, and others that I don’t care for. It has been a long time since I’ve sampled a Belgian-style, so it was about time that I corrected that in an attempt to expand the repertoire of my palette.
The weather is starting to warm up in the Northeast so I thought the Hennepin Farmhouse Saison would be appropriate. And, with Easter around the corner, this saison beer might even be appropriate with our brunch that we are planning.
The beer pours opaque gold with a voluminous head of foam. The aroma was just as I expected out of a Belgian-style saison like this, that musty yeasty aroma balanced with a light lemony citrus point. The taste was refreshing and not too sweet; very drinkable. I loved it! But, it really seemed to want to be paired with food. I’ll have to go back for another to figure that out; any suggestions from our readers?
