Notes on beers brewed by
I've been complaining a lot about Ommegang lately, and here's an example of why. In a nutshell, the brewery has hopelessly lost their way in terms of moving away from focussing solely on the greatness of their past, and of late producing a bunch of beers that have nothing to do with their Belgian-styled roots, and everything to do with pandering to a dumb marketplace. Given the potential significance of such a milestone beer, you'd think that Ommegang would dip into the huge depth of great...
This must be a collaboration, right? But no mention of New Belgium being involved other than the obvious text across the front of the bottle. Best before 26 JAN 2024. Honey orange pour with a great head, nice retention and some lace. A little darker than I was expecting TBH. Nose is very Triple-like with plenty of spicy white-pepper on warming. Tastes are a little more bitter than I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, the triple character lives on, but it isn't as sweet as many in the style....
Old bottle (obviously) Oh how the mighty have fallen. Ommegang in 2022 is a shadow of its former self (another conversation altogether), and this beer takes us back to a different time when the brewery was truly a great force in the USA. Tremendous pop on opening which delays my fears of the beer losing its carbonation after this amount of time which is a great thing, BUT if I am totally honest. even though the pour, head, retention and lace are all excellent, it doesn't drink very highly...
One of those absolutely random bottle store finds that keeps me going into just about every beer store that I ever see. I think that I’ve had this before, but I find no notes. A dirty, dubbel-like pour, but the pop on opening is encouraging. The first concern of a beer of any age is always carbonation. We can move on to all of the other problems, but that’s the first port of call and a test that this beer passes. After a little time in the glass it clears to give a much more attractive, dark...
32 oz growler, Cherie Armand, Villa Rica, GA, USA (used the Hop City growler). If anyone can do a Belgian Pale outside of Belgium, Ommegang can. Disappointing appearance if I am honest, a lemon, hazy body and a head that is not great. Fades badly. White pepper nose and initial taste. Follows up by not biting as much as I would like. Alcohol is there, but seems under control. The beer is within style limits but really never works its way up to my expectations. To be honest, that’s a reflection...
Re-branded Art of Darkness? Not much excites me in the beer world these days, but a new Ommegang beer is always something that has the potential to do so. Strong Belgian Dark makes it even better, and I’m anticipating much joy. The pour into the Ommegang chalice is as expected, and after a mild pop on opening, the body is a dark, dark almost black brown, and a huge, pitted, mocha colored head. It looks fantastic. Some lacing too. Nose and tastes deliver exactly what one would expect. Dark...
Nice pop on opening. Reddish, light brown body with a nice, wispy head. Nice funk up front with a serious malt finish - odd paradox. Typical of Ommegang there is a solid base and not a lot of screwing around. Nice, lively mouthfeel. Yeast strain is the backbone and does well. Rich Belgian yeast notes, a really interesting combo of funkiness and malt gives a complex and rich beer. It’s got a lot of angles, and they meld rather nicely. Very nice, quite a complicated beer that brings a lot to the...
750 mL in the usual corked and caged presentation. Head is rocky and significant at first, but fades. Really beautiful garnet color, atypical of Dubbels in general. Nice malty nose with plenty of fruit and alcohol. Caramel notes in nose and initial tastes. The beer is VERY fruity upfront. Drier and more bitterness in the back-end that lends an almost herbal quality. Finish is really quite dry. Fruit and dry notes linger as well, quite complex. Mouthfeel is smooth and the dry, tannin from plum...
12 oz single bottle from Total Wine, Kennesaw, GA, USA. Golden body. Lively, large, dense head. Zesty, hop based twang. Bitterness sits at a good level. Clean and comes with a decent, drying finish. Some herbal character. present, but the beer is never floral or organic in nature. Not much yeasty or Belgian sugar character here, quite dry and that's OK. Good lace. Sharp good clean edges. Nice beer for the season that is both substantial and refreshing.
Darker, and more brown than expected. Solid two-finger head. Appearance turns out to be the strongest feature of this beer. Described as a Red Ale. Head is well maintained. Malty beer without some of the typical, red dryness that one might expect. Frankly, so far Ommegang and Game of Thrones have gone 0 for 3 in terms of impressing me. There is supposed to be some heat here (brewed with Ancho Chiles)? I don't get any. I really don't get any of the rye noted on the label either, other than the...
$15.99 for the tin and the corked bottle. Love me some Ommegang, but even before I open the tin or the bottle I feel that the price here is unlikely to be kind in terms of value. We'll see. The corked and caged bottle opens with a modest pop and only a touch of gun-smoke. Pour is a dark chestnut brown that borders on black. There is a lovely mocha head that is deep and pitted, but it doesn't last long at all. A shame, since this was set up to be a real treat on the eye. The nose offers plenty...
OK, what are the differences between this and Duvel? The question really seems as though it should be at the forefront of any discussion of Rustica, since it is being declared as Ommegang's, "American Farmhouse interpretation of Duvel'. Let's just say that Ommegang had better be confident (and careful) about deliberately drawing comparisons in this manner, because they are opening up a whole can of worms if the beer fails to reach those dizzy heights! For me, it's a high risk endeavor. For a...
Curious that a brewery would pay homage to a Bière de Grade by naming the beer after the scene of an EPIC French defeat, but...... Nice pop on opening. Mid amber pour in strong light gives some deeper red tones. Attractive colors. However, head retention is poor, and leaving zero in its wake. Not really too much of a problem given the style, but I would prefer a little more of a nod in the direction of head. Nose has a little yeasty fruit and some alcohol. Fairly reserved. Big rounded tastes...
The usual Ommegang Limited Edition series presentation. Cork pops with modesty. Brewery Ommegang says, 'A spellbinding homage to brewings' dark arts'. Really? Who brewed this? Harry Potter? Nice dark brown color which gives away a slightly olive green hue. Head is pitted and mocha, leaving a thin, spotty film, but not much lace. Perfectly acceptable. Nose is simple. A few dark fruit notes, but mainly simple bread. Tastes do not really give as much Belgian dark character as I was hoping for,...
Additional notes 03/17/23 (pictured) Almost 12 years ago since I last made notes on this. Note the new spelling. This is such a hard, hard beer to review in 2023 given what has happen to it in the 12 years since my initial notes. It’s not really because that much has changed, if indeed anything at all, but this is now brewed by a brewery that has long since lots its way in terms of the beer that it puts out generally, and now, God forbid, it’s in a can. Like most of the canned beer produced...
I always get excited by the prospect of another Ommegang special release and this is no exception. 750mL corked & caged bottle in the usual Ommegang presentation. Beer opens with a slightly disappointing lack of pop, but the pour is better than the lack of gas might suggest. Although the color is that slightly clouded, not particularly attractive mid-brown, Dubbel like affair, it is pretty much as I expected. The head and lace are much better, and the creamy residue that sticks to the side...
Apparently the house beer brewed by Ommegang for BXL in NYC, NY is actually not a new beer at all, but it's actually Rare Vos. Reported as an alias. Consumed today at BXL East on 51st. Pour is a mid-amber one with impressive head and lace. The lace is especially pleasing. A LOT of yeasty, bread notes in this beer that dominate both the nose and the taste. Excellent combination of sweetness and competing dark(er) dry character. Some fruit as well, the beer almost has a plum or other dark fruit...
750mL corked and caged, Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Damaged cork pops out ALARMINGLY quickly. Pour is a resplendent dark brown with a pretty decent amount of carbonation when considering the style. No lace to speak of, but a thin film on the surface of the beer and a nice collar of foam at the extreme edges. Mild, fruity acidity in the nose but nothing too ethanoic acid based. Tastes are very gentle with the beer not really living up to its name. A nice, fruity, sweet and sour taste meets the...
The usual, 750 mL presentation with cork & cage from Ommegang. Purchased from Green's on Buford, Atlanta, GA, USA. Decent pop on opening with some gunsmoke. Body is quite a dark orange considering the style. Head is decent, but fades to a collar and some spotty surface note with no lace on standing. A high level of Belgian yest in the nose. More yeast are the initial tastes. Plenty of alcohol and it warms slightly. Also the requisite white pepper but the alcohol comes back (along with the...
VERY excited to try any new Ommegang beer and the fact that this is pitched in the way it is (as a somewhat potential "single" or "simple" Belgian Ale) makes me even more interested. 750 mL, corked & caged, packaged on 01/19/10, Best By 01/2011. Color on the pour into the Duvel tulip is a little darker and more orange than I was expecting. Head is not well retained and fades to a thin film on the beer and some scant lace. A little disappointed in the color, I wanted something lighter. Nose...
750 mL corked & caged bottle. Found this at Mac's, Atlanta, GA, USA. Delighted and surprised, wasn't anticipating getting hold of this. Black dot-matrixed on the neck: PKG on 08/28/09, Best by: 08/2014. Pour is a pretty bright, darkish bronze color but at the same time not quite as dark as I was expecting. Head is good and fades to give a lovely, creamy, spotty film on the surface of the brew. Classic look. Nose and tastes give plenty of layered Belgian candy, winter spices and alcohol. The...
Stumbled across this at Summits Wayside, Woodstock, GA, USA last week and was delighted to see it. I thought that I was going to miss out on this brew, but happily got to catch up with it by chance. Served in a Gulden Draak tulip, the beer sits with a brownish-red body and a small head that disappears quickly. Better lace than I was anticipating. Nose and tastes do a great job of replicating the style nicely, but at the same time give a degree of accessibility that is somewhat unusual for this...
Obviously a relatively new entrant to the GA market, I picked this up at Tower on Piedmont, Atlanta, GA, USA. $10.99 (I think) for the corked & caged, typical Ommegang presentation. Batch #2, October 2008. Nice, reserved gunsmoke on opening. Poured into the Ommegang chalice, this beer sits in the glass as a clouded, honey orange brew with significant lace and a nice spotty film on the surface of the beer. Nose has a very mild Brett presence and a little English lemonade. A touch shandy-like in...
Not at all sure what to make of this - a bit odd in many respects. 750 mL corked & caged. First off I bought this several months ago at Minks on Delk Road, Marietta, GA, USA. When I took it to the register the guy tried to convince me that this was the follow-up to Donkey Punch by Sweetwater - Jeeezzz! When challenged he told me, "that's what the distributor told me". Good God, my six year old knows more. Anyway... ....turbid brown pour into the Urthel stemmed tulip. Spotty head and some lace....
750 mL, corked & caged from Green's, Ponce, Atlanta, GA, USA. To be perfectly honest, I was a little wary of this beer. I'm not a huge fan of sour/Brett beers and I was wondering exactly how this would sit with me. On tasting the beer I was delighted that I tried it. Rather light, golden yellow pour with plenty of large head and nice lace. Looks very good. Light, lemon funk in the nose. Taste is super. Nice refeshing combo of Saison funk, with some bitter Brett. A little citrus but it is all...
First time I'd seen this offered as a single 750 mL bottle in GA. Before it was usually only hanging around in the Ommegang, triple sampler packs with Three Philosophers and Hennepin. By no means Ommegang's best offering, in fact I was a little disappointed. That may be because they have set such a high standard with Hennepin, Three Philospohers and Ommegang. The pour is a much more orange/red color than I was expecting with a huge head and lacing too. The overwhelming experience in the taste...
Additional notes: 2008 Usual corked & caged presentation in the 750 mL bottle. Time to re-visit this old friend. Pour is as impressive as ever wih a high, rocky tan colored head and great retention and lace. Brownish, garnet body with perfect carbonation. Smooooth! Drinkability rmeains huge for me and the alcohol seems much easier to handle than the last time I reviewed this. Everytime I drink this I really don't get the cherry notes SPECIFICALLY, but I do love the Belgian dark fruit...
Additional notes 07/28/23 It's great to witness the change over time that this beer has undergone. I bought this for $13.25 from the brewery in July of 2023 (compare prices below). They've done a decent job on the newer label, BUT the old one was just wonderful. This bottle (pictured) is corked and caged like the old one. This beer still feels so very rich. I don't think of it as a Dubbel at all, rarther it feels like a classic BSDA. Cherry notes with marzipan as before. Deep flavors permeate...
Additional notes 07/07/23 12oz bottle with the newer blue and purple color scheme. Head and lace still great, that distinct, mustard color. See, Ommegang can still do this right. Who knew? Pictured 03/20/21 Original notes 08/14/04 $4.69, 750 mL, Greens Beverage, Ponce de Leon, Atlanta, GA, USA and subsequently $6.49 at Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Pours a golden "mustard" color with substantial rocky white head. Looks superb, with an attractive amount of head retention and lacing on the glass....
$4.48, Green's Beverage, Ponce de Leon, Atlanta, GA. Little or no "pop" to the opening of the corked and caged 750 mL bottle, but a lot of effervesence on the pour. Wonderful golden yellow color and decent head with some lacing. Rather thin mouthfeel, but classic clove aroma and taste undertone. (The bottle mentions corriander, and there are certainly spices, but to me they are more clove-like in character) A little prickly in the mouth too, from the carbonation. Somewhat watery feel in the...