Hennepin is pretty meh to me. Well, no, its better than that. But I never buy it; there are plenty of other saisons that I greatly prefer.

Sorry to hear about #1 and completely agree about #2, though that usually happens to me when I'm drunk rather than buzzed.

That said, it is an astute observation that one should stop drinking when a buzz occurs. :)

Also, I'm curious if you rate Stouts below Imperial Stouts or just don't like such a broad category as one of your favorite styles.

Other than Tank 7 (which I love) what other Farmhouse Ales do you recommend/would be popular?

Weird, because I absolutely hated Boulevard's Saison. I much prefer the replacement, Tank 7.

Now, having said this about the Hennepin, I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to drink it like I would, say, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Boulevard's Imperial Stout, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, Seeyoulator or a bunch of seasonals from various breweries.

I love Tank 7. Only can grab it when I'm up in KC though as I haven't seen it down here in Texas yet.

Imperial Stouts are usually more complex with a more satisfying mouthfeel. But there are some of regular stouts that I love (Sierra Nevada Stout, Rogue Shakespeare Stout come to mind).

Saisons that you should drink posthaste, available in KC: BLVD Saison-Brett, Saison Dupont, Dupont Floret Organic Saison, Goose Island Sofie, Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere. Outside KC: The Bruery Saison de Lente, The Bruery Saison Rue, Pretty Things Jack d'Or, any beer from Fantome.

Yeah, Rogue's was pretty good and I haven't tried Sierra Nevada's yet. So is Imperial Stout a style to you or a subset of Stouts in general? I just thought it curious you listed your favorite style with Imperial Stout rather than stout being that I thought Imperials were a subset. Which isn't that weird, I guess. Yeah, I'm rambling.

Noted.

Imperial Stout is definitely a style (and some people break it down further. On BeerAdvocate.com they distinguish between Russian Imperial Stout and American Double/Imperial Stout). Just like India Pale and Double/Imperial India Pale Ale are distinct styles and not just simply pale ales.

I haven't had a ton of Saisons, but I really enjoyed the St. Feuillien Saison...

Local beer store was offering a 20% off sale, so went and bought a few things:

- Deschutes Jubel 2010
- Deschutes Black Butte
- Goose Island Night Stalker
- Unibroue Maudite
- New Belgium Eric's Ale
- 21st Century Monk's Blood

Pretty good take, IMHO. I was told to try the last two by a friend, so figured I'd buy them at a discount, lol...

Nice Stouts. I absolutely love the Shakespeare. Harviestoun Old Engine Oil is the bomb. Bell's Expedition holds up very well.
Just recently quaffed a Saison Dupont at the Foundry and was impressed. I'm not a huge Saison fan but the Saison-Brett is special. I like the farmhouse ales such as the Tank 7.
Surprised there isn't any Bell's on the list. My heroin could easily be the Hopslam.
The list obviously ignored the Upper Midwest. New Glarus has several that should be considered. I recently had a buddy from Wisconsin send me a few Sprechers. The Scotch Ale was lovely.
Damn, now I'm thirsty and all I have is Moose Drool.
Great thread BTW.

I agree, but just to clarify Old Engine Oil is not a stout.


Also, Reaper, I'm equally surprised you group Saisons and Farmhouse Ale's together whilst separating the stouts.

That is an awesome name for a beer. I need to get some.

They're grouped together because they're the same style. Technically the style is called "Saison/Farmhouse Ale." If I wanted to go very specific, then I could tell you that there are two different styles of beer that qualify as farmhouse ale - Saison, from Belgium, and Biere de Garde, a more malty farmhouse ale style from France.

And while I'm at it, the distinct stout beer styles as recognized by the BCJP are as follows: American Stout, American Double/Imperial Stout, Foreign/Export Stout, Irish Dry Stout, Milk/Sweet Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Russian Imperial Stout

It's also an awesome beer...

Finally getting around to trying some Boulevard Tank 7 tonight. I have had several of the Smokestack Series and for the most part loved them. Tank 7 is great stuff and I enjoyed it as much as their tripel and quad.

The guy at the beer store was also raving about Lost Abbey Red Barn but the Tank 7 was on sale for $7 so I went with it. Probably try the Lost Abbey next.