Brewery Ommegang: Abbey Ale

Back in November I sampled two Brewery Ommegang beers and found myself savoring one (Hennipen) and ready to pass on the other (Rare Vos). After a mini mental debate at the store on what brew to purchase, I thought I should go back to the Ommegang well. Since I enjoyed their Belgian Saison so much, I figured I should try another Ommegang offering in hopes of finding a second great American recreation of a Belgian classic.

This time around, I sampled the Abbey Ale. This abbey is a Belgian dubbel that bubbles like champagne. If you zoom in on the picture you'll notice some overflow around the base of the glass. I poured this brew, nice and slow with a slight tilt at the begging but it bubbled up quick and way past the rim. Even after letting the open bottle sit for 15 minutes, when I refilled my half drank glass, the head again bubbled over the top. Trying to sip down the foam, there are two immediate features you notice about this dubbel: One, this beer is very aromatic. And two, the foam doesn't taste all that great. The aroma shouldn't come as a surprise because the label reads: "rich, fruity, and aromatic". But the marketing department at Brewery Ommegang is not kidding. This might have been the most pungent beer I've ever sampled. Even while sipping I found the nose of this beer dominating and influencing the taste. Even without the proper wide-mouthed glassware, sweet brown sugar and yeast smells fill the air. Moving back to the thick head, while sorta of unfufilling and tongue smacking, once you get past the foam the beer is quite tasty. Again the label does not lie as the brew is very thick and rich and full of fruit flavors. The fruits are very sweet and taste like sugar coated cherries and plums. While similar fruit flavors are exhibited in Rare Vos, I found the strong aroma and thick body of this Abbey Ale to alter the taste a little and better compliment the brew.

Overall this was a fun tasting. I found the incredible carbonation and powerful aroma very interesting and unique for most bottle tasting experiences. Add in 750 ml of rich ale at 8.5% abv and you have a good hour of drinking ahead of you. While not as good as Hennipen in my opinion, an unique offering that is worth the try. Cheers.

Brewery Ommegang: Hennepin

As promised here is the second review of the Brewery Ommegang offerings I sampled. I started with the Rare Vos and then moved onto the Hennepin. If you read my review of Rare Vos you probably assumed that I have a American, and specifically, a West Coast bias when it comes to beer. And you know what? If you thought that, you're probably right. That being said, I feel like I can give any beer a fair taste. While the dark fruit flavors of Rare Vos didn't tantalize my pallate, I'll tell you that I really enjoyed this Belgian style Saison.

As expected, this Belgian style beer also exhibits prominent yeast flavors and smell. However, as a Saison, Hennepin is not as earthy or grainy as I expected. Rather it has a crisp hop taste to compliment the yeast flavors. The hops have a touch of citrus and also blend nicely with a light white spice floating around the beer.

I should also note that this brew tops out at 7.7% abv. And at no point in the drinking experience does it show. The crisp hop and citrus flavors nicely mask any alcohol taste and the Saison is quite refreshing despite its high alcohol content.

In sum, this is a fine beer. So while I generally prefer West Coast style brews, I'll give praise where praise is due and this East Coast Belgian style brew is good. Cheers.

Brewery Ommegang: Rare Vos

As mentioned in prior posts this summer, I was recently visiting Massachusetts and New York and had a blast trying east coast breweries. Fellow blogger Maxwell just made the trek out east for vacation and 801onTap featured writer Hofer is firmly planted on the right coast for a while. I started becoming nostalgic and then jealous of their opportunities to try East coast beers; so I went out to find some of my own.

While not that many New York breweries are out in California, I remember Hof use to get Brewery Ommegang beer out here. After a quick search, I had no trouble finding some of their brews. I went with Rare Vos Belgian Style Amber Ale and Hennepin Belgian Style Saison (second review to come later).

Rare Vos reminds me of some beers that I sampled in Brussels: Strong yeast flavors dominate even though its a darker brew. After the typical Belgian yeast tastes dwindle, strong fruit flavors quickly emerge. Mostly prune/plum flavors. The fruits really begin to dominate, and in my opinion are a far too prominent part of the beer's taste. There is a touch of pepper spice but it doesn't quite seem to fit with the yeast and heavy fruit.

As you can tell from my review, this isn't my favorite of beers. But that being said, I did enjoy trying a beer and brewery from NY, that I've never had before. Cheers.

Southampton Publick House: Double White Ale

I had this beer a few days ago when the weather was still nice, and I've been meaning to get a post up. Despite its name, Southampton is not just a brew pub--they're a full scale craft brewery shipping beers all around the Mid-Atlantic region. The idea of a double white ale particularly intrigued me. Wits are generally so mild; I didn't really have any clue what a double would taste like.

The answer is oranges. As my friend remarked after taking a sip, it's as if instead of putting a slice of orange on the rim a la Blue Moon, they just squeezed an entire orange directly into the glass. So be ready for a very sweet, very citric beer. Fortunately, the sweetness is tempered by a hefty dose of coriander and some cloves. Having doubled up on the fruit and the spices, an increased ABV would be only too appropriate, though at 7% it's not going to knock you on your ass. Despite all this, the beer is pretty light bodied, and as a result it manages to pull off a crisp finish.

It's a unique offering, to be sure. I couldn't really make up my mind how much I liked it, nor could I figure out what the appropriate occaision is for this brew. Is it a best suited for the heat of summer or a cool spring day? Would it go well with a meal or is it more of an after-dinner beer? Will girls like the increased sweetness or be put off by the bolder flavors?

Unfortunately, I'm in the midst of finals and don't have the time to ponder the subtleties of beer. Somebody else give it a try and report back.

Saranac Bohemian Pilsner

Philly has just started in on its first heat wave of the summer, and with temperatures expected in the high 80s over the next few days, it's a perfect time to move onto summer style beers. I've been meaning to blog one of the beers by Saranac (technically the "Matt Brewing Company"), so here's a way to kill two birds with one stone.

For whatever reason, it seems like American craft breweries aren't all that interested in the pilsner genre. Almost anything in America that gets labeled "Pilsner" is actually an American-style lager--a far cry from the refreshingly hoppy Czech-style brew. Fortunately, Saranac doesn't engage in the same shenanigans. They use genuine Saaz hops, which is what gives a Pilsner its distinctive flavor. Unfortunately, they don't seem to use quite the same strength or quantity that you'll find in Pilsner Urquell, Czechvar, Krusovice, etc. So while I have to give Saranac props for sticking to the true genre, I don't think their brew stands up to any of their old-world counterparts.

Nevertheless, Saranac's pilsner is a satisfying, albeit simple, beer. It's really light bodied and mild tasting, lending it incredible session-ability. And while it isn't Czech-strength, it has enough hop bite to keep your tastebuds interested. Just the thing you might be in the mood for on a 90 degree summer afternoon while you're chilling on the lake.

Brewery Ommegang: Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend

First off: apology, I missed my promise to review five new breweries in five weeks. We're now in week six, and this is only brewery number four. But better late than never.

I've been a bit hostile towards Belgian style beers recently. I had the impression that a lot of the hype surrounding these brews was just that: hype. I still generally think that a lot of the attention that Belgian brews have been receiving is over-the-top, but I can say that I have found one that is deserving of praise (and a spot in your fridge). And I swear it has nothing to do with the name.

Three philosophers is a quadrupel. Traditionally, tripel is the strongest of the Belgian beers, so a quadrupel must think it is something truly mind-blowing. While 9.8% ABV is quite strong, it's not any more alcoholic than your standard high ABV beers. But I will give Ommegang this: they manage to mask the alcohol taste entirely. Yup. entirely.

But that's not really the beer's chief merit. Where it really wins is on taste. The taste here is complex, balanced, satisfying and yet somehow very drinkable. There is a dark maltiness that is faintly earthy, accented by hints of cherries (there are actually cherries in this beer). This beer strikes me as having faintly more in the way of hops than most Belgian ales, which along with the carbonation level gives the beer a fresh and crisp finish.

Cherry beers tend to get a bad rap. Usually, that bad rap is deserved. But here, Ommegang has managed to use the cherry hints in a way that is actually constructive to the beer's taste. Belgians have a very earthy flavor to them, and the cherry flavors do a lot to keep that flavor from lingering on the tongue. The result is that you don't gradually get sick of this beer as you work your way through it (a problem I've noticed with several Belgians). But, apparently aware that it is very easy to overdo the whole cherry thing, the brewers only used the flavor sparingly.

In sum, this is a beer that gives you an idea why Belgian-style brews have attracted so much attention. I recommend it without hesitation.

Brooklyn Brewery: Black Chocolate Stout

It's 82 degrees outside. This isn't really proper "stout" weather. But I'm moving out tomorrow, so all beer must be disposed of, and there's no way in hell I'm giving away the last bottle that's hiding in the back of my fridge, so here's one last east coast post: Brooklyn Brewery's Chocolate Stout.

The stout pours out an almost entirely opaque black with a touch of redness around the edges, and minimal head. The taste is predominantly chocolate-smoky malts. It starts off very very sweet, though it's really more of a straight up malt flavor than chocolate. The hops aren't very strong in this one, but there is enough there to balance out the sweetness as the beer rolls off your tongue.

Overall a solid brew, but not my favorite stout. It's a bit sweeter than I'd like, and the aftertaste lingers too long. On the plus side, Brooklyn has managed to mask the 10.6% ABV pretty well, so you get a pleasant buzz without the accompanying taste of an alcohol kick. Probably best for those who like big malt flavors and don't mind a sweet aftertaste.

Brooklyn Brewery: Brown Ale

I usually go for really hoppy beers: Pales, IPAs, Czech Pilsners. But for whatever reason Brooklyn Brown is my new ale-of-the-moment.

Beers are usually described as either "hoppy" or "malty." If you want to know what malty tastes like, grab a Brooklyn. It has a smooth flavor that rolls over your tongue with caramel and nutty elements. It's also much more satisfying than Newcastle Brown Ale (the first other brown ale to come to mind), having a much fuller and bolder flavor. In fact, Brooklyn is so bold and dark for a brown ale that at first you might mistake the taste for that of a porter. But the taste is much smoother, and in my opinion, much more satisfying.

I owe Rojas credit for introducing this beer to me, and I suspect that as fall wears on in New England and temperatures begin to fall it will become more and more appealing for him (as well as I). It's definitely more of a wintery ale (it's Pyramid analogue would be Snowcap, though Snowcap is much stronger and much less smooth.)

The benefit of a beer as full bodied and full flavored as Brooklyn is that you can serve it right along just about any sort of food without worrying that you'll miss some of the flavors. Go ahead and serve it up alongside the boldest steak, burger, or burrito you can find.