»In which I put on my Saturday suit

In the past few days I have been walking about, enjoying the mild weather in the form of a leisurely stroll punctuated with refreshing pints. Standing out amongst the pints is O'Reilly's Stout, from Sly Fox. This Excellent! Spectacular! Irish stout has a mild, toasty taste tempered with slight sweetness. With 3.6% ABV, it certainly goes down easily; it suits a meal wonderfully. I also enjoyed the Riggwelter Yorkshire Ale, heavier but also pleasantly sweet on the tongue; the barrel-aged Allagash Curieux, a tripel aged in a cask with a bourbon heritage; and a "Winter" Scotch Ale, probably from Canaster. This mysterious, heavy, and dark ale had more than a touch of sweetness, but is a very well-balanced beer.

I had several bottles of the Ommegang Hennepin, and found that it improves as it breathes. While keeping the bottle cool, a little air does something quite nice to this saison-style farmhouse ale. Wheaty in complection and flavour, the sparkling taste of the hops fades as the bottle remains open; this results in a very pleasing taste on the tongue. The Hennepin is a bottle-aged ale, and pours with a thick frothy head that would make a Belgian bartender proud.