Hennepin - Brewery Ommegang (USA - New York - Cooperstown)

Hennepin - Brewery Ommegang (USA - New York - Cooperstown) 7.7%

A big foamy white head with a gold and cloudy body. A lovely and intriguing aroma mix. It taste firstly of citrus, light herbal and honey tones with some nectar. Most of these (though not really the citrus) would fit in a Belgian Golden Ale but there is also an earthy character with spiced aspect (I gather that is the ginger) and a hint of hops. This second grouping of aromas makes it quite clear that this is a Saison not a Belgian Golden Ale.

Hennepin has a strong yeast character as well: herbal and there is a flavour that is close but not quite banana along with some drying hops touches. It is quite bitter actually, nearly tart at times too, and very refreshing as a result. It's also quite carbonated and that would be, I suppose, the "champagne-like effervescence" from the label and it is an apt comparison. The malty body comes out in the finish, lightly roasty, toasty and with biscuit touches. It has a somewhat bitter aftertaste with traces of the nectar, herbal, hops mix that makes me like Hennepin so much.

This would definitely be a good aperitif beer and I think Hennepin would also go well with pasta dishes, barbecue and stir-fry.

Iron Throne Blonde Ale - Brewery Ommegang (USA - New York - Cooperstown) 6.5%

 Iron Throne Blonde Ale - Brewery Ommegang (USA - New York - Cooperstown) 6.5%

Full gold and slightly cloudy in a glass with a big frothy white head. The aroma is yeasty with banana, cloves and is also just a little minty - the latter two traits are from the seeds of paradise the label mentions.

The taste is spicy, lightly bitter (more so it is cold) with a bit of a creamy mouthfeel, from the wheat, and yet it seems a tad thin at times. Some coriander flavours, that also turn out to be accreditable to the seeds of paradise. The slightest bit of lemon. Iron Throne Blonde Ale is a Belgian Blonde Ale that is just a little bit more hoppy than usual and whose mouthfeel come across as a bit attenuated at times but is, overall, pretty nice.

This beer is the first in Ommegang's Game of Thrones series. The next one to be released is a stout by the name of Take the Black.