Ommegang Hennepin and Kirkland Signature Lager, Hefeweizen, and Pale Ale

Time: Evening in April, lower 60's F, light rain

Food: Ethiopian cuisine, lamb and beef, eggplant, cabbage/potatoes, medium spice

Beers: A Ommegang Hennepin Saison
A Kirkland Signature Beers by Gordon Biersch
Draft: NO

Regular disclaimer: Food always tempers a beer, so really I haven't met a beer that should be drunk without food.
One might dislike a little about this beer or that beer in the Ommegang arsenal, but overall, there isn't a more solid American brewed Belgian-styled beer around. The Hennepin is an immensely drinkable saison -- it's not too light, not too hoppy, not too earthy. We drank most of it before the food even arrived! But the little we drank with the food paired very well.


Costco has released their own line of beers and at $18 / case, this is the most drinkable beer for the price -- bar none. Each beer is a classic representation of its type. We didn't get around to drinking the Amber (I like ambers less than the other styles so tend to drink all the others first).

UPDATE: East Coast Costco shoppers beware. Costco has switched to an upstate NY brewery which is a HUGE stepdown. I no longer recommend these beers if living in the East.

In conclusion, drink up any of the beers posted in this review. Repeatedly if given the chance. Specifically for the Kirkland, if you're someone who can't drink Bud, but can't afford microbrew all the time, this is your go to beer. Keep it around the house -- you'll drink all of them (even the styles that aren't your favorite).