Ommegang
Ommegang’s first fruity, tropical beer ‘Fruition’
There’s a new fruity year-round offering hitting shelves nationally – Ommegang Fruition.
The base beer begins as Witte, an award-winning year-round offering. The wheat ale is dry-hopped, and turned tropical with the addition of mango, kiwi, and passionfruit. Ommegang touts this new release as “a tart, fruity, and hop-forward beer that is exceptionally drinkable”.
“As with every beer we brew, we strive to make all the elements blend together, and we think we’re succeeded in that quest with Fruition. Fruition is our first foray into the tropical fruit flavors that consumers find so appealing with New World hop varieties, and we look forward to feedback from fans.” – Phil Leinheart, brewmaster
Ommegang Fruition also features malted and unsalted wheat, oak flakes, sweet orange peel and coriander. Available in 12 ounces bottles and draft, year-round.
Style: Fruit Beer (w/ Passionfruit. Kiwi. Mango. Sweet Orange Peel. Coriander.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. Year-round.
Distribution: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CT, CO, DE, FL, GA, IL, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VI, VT, WA, WI, and Washington D.C.
Debut: June, 2017
5.3% ABV
Celebrating two decades with bourbon: Ommegang 20th Anniversary
Soon to be marking 20 years of dedicated craft brewing will be a celebratory release, Ommegang 20th Anniversary.
Brewery Ommegang was founded in 1997 in Cooperstown, New York (home of the the Baseball Hall of Fame). The Belgian inspired brewery sits on 136 acres that was once a hop farm. Apparently in the 1800’s, Cooperstown was the hub for hop production in the U.S. In two decades, Ommegang has gone from humble beginnings, to national status and a name synonymous with quality.
Ommegang 20th Anniversary is slated to be a Belgian-style strong dark ale, aged in bourbon barrels.
Aging in bourbon barrels has created a deep mahogany hue, with aromas of oak, bourbon, caramel, toffee, molasses, and chocolate. Mouthfeel is smooth and Lucious with a bit of weight. The drying finish helps balance the sweetness.
Ommegang 20th Anniversary will be available in 750 milliliter bottles and draft. The brewery has not yet announced this release.
Style: Belgian-style Strong Dark Ale (Barrel-Aged. Bourbon)
Availability: 750ml Bottles, Draft.
Debut: TBA
?? ABV
Ommegang Bend the Knee may be the best Game of Thrones release yet
One day there will another Game of Thrones book. Perhaps sooner than that, the next season on HBO. In the mean time, Game of Thrones fans will sip Ommegang Bend the Knee and wait.
Commemorating the seventh season of the game changing series, Ommegang Bend the Knee is golden ale. The 9% alcohol by volume beer will debut in three different collector bottles, each with the house seals for each family vying for the Iron Throne.
Each of the 750 mililter bottles will sport House Stark, House Targaryen, and House Lannister, retailing around $10.99 per bottle. The brewery chose Saaz, Bravo, and Stryian Golding hops for the golden ale, with a malt base of pilsner and flaked oats.
This may be our favorite release to date. The throne may be iron, but this beer sports a beautiful golden hue, with a touch of citrus hop flavor. The wildflower honey addition cuts the bitterness like a sharp sword passing through your enemy. The Song of Ice & Fire may be complex, but this beer is a beautiful as the Mother of Dragons.
Bend the Knee is brewed with pils malt and flaked oats and hopped with Saaz, Bravo, and Styrian Golding hops. It pours a golden hue with a large, frothy head. Both the aroma and flavor mix maltiness and citrus from the hops, while Ommegang’s signature house yeast produces prominent fruitiness. Wildflower honey added during fermentation provides light sweetness to the beer, which finishes dry and with firm hop bitterness.
“With this next Game of Thrones-inspired release, we wanted a beer and a pack that was fit for a king… or a queen. Drawing from a rich Belgian brewing tradition, Golden Strong Ales are deceptive due to their unique combination of extreme drinkability and relatively high alcohol content. Bend the Knee walks that line, while also incorporating the delicate flavors of honey into the mix. The subtle noble and floral hop contribution adds to its delicateness, and the beer finishes smooth and dry.” Brewery Ommegang President, Doug Campbell.
Unlike the book or the tv season, Ommegang Bend the Knee has arrived right on time, Memorial Day Weekend 2017.
Style: Golden Ale (w/ Honey)
Hops: Saaz, Bravo, Stryian Golding
Malts: Pilsner, Flaked Oats
Availability: 750ml Bottles
Debut: Memorial Day, 2017
9% ABV
PIC: Beer Street Journal
Ommegang Valar Dohaeris is up next in Game of Thrones Series
Ommegang Valar Dohaeris Tripel Ale is next up in the brewery’s Game of Thrones series.
This latest edition is a Belgian-style tripel ale, centering around Arya Stark’s Season 6 struggles in the House of Black and White. Ommegang Valar Dohaeris, which means all men must serve, follows Ommegang Valar Morgulis in the ongoing series.
The label art for each features the two-headed coin, given to Arya Stark by Jaqen H’ghar, which gained her passage to Braavos. The brewery will release a gift pack featuring both Morgulis and Dohaeris, mimicking the aforementioned House of Black & White.
“When we got a sense of the season’s key plot points, we knew right away Valar Dohaeris was the new beer name and that bringing back Valar Morghulis was a must,” says Bill Wetmore, General Manager and Marketing Director for Brewery Ommegang. “And I think HBO’s fantastic idea to have the gift pack mimic the House of Black and White is really going to be a hit with fans. It looks killer and I think fans are going to scoop them up pretty quickly for gifts or for their own collections.”
Ommegang Valar Dohaeris debuts on October 10th, much earlier than when you’ll see season 7 of the show (which was recently cut to 7 episodes, in summer, 2017).
Ommegang re-released Iron Throne Blonde Ale and Take the Black Stout recently, along with Game of Thrones glassware. The series includes features Valar Morghulis Three Eye Raven Saison, and Fire and Blood Red Ale.
Style: Belgian-Style Tripel
Hops: Noble
Malts: Pilsner, Wheat, Oats
Availability: 750ml bottles, Draft
Release: 10/11/16
9% ABV
Spotlight: Ommegang Great Beyond Double IPA
Ommegang Great Beyond Double IPA joins the Cooperstown, New York based brewery’s lineup in June.
The road to hoppy started recently with Ommegang Nirvana that debuted nearly a year ago. That IPA didn’t go very far from the brewery – just New Jersey, Connecticut, and their home state. Now, the beer is the #3 best selling India pale ale in New York.
Taking hoppy a step further, (and further out the the Belgian-style the brewery is known for) is Ommegang Great Beyond. This juicy hop flavored imperial IPA ranks among the many American IPAs that made the style so great. Strong hop nose, strong hop character, bitter finish. Bold.
“Double IPA is a style we were excited to brew – it’s a further exploration beyond the Belgian-styles we are known for historically,” – Phil Leinhart, Brewmaster for Brewery Ommegang.
Ommegang Great Beyond Double IPA just started hitting shelves for a limited time in late June in 12 ounce bottles and draft. Drink now, drink fresh.
Style: Imperial IPA
Availability: 12oz Bottles, Draft. June release
Debut: June, 2016
8.8% ABV
Ommegang Seven Kingdoms is the latest Game of Thrones beer
Ommegang Seven Kingdoms Hoppy Wheat Ale has joined the brewery’s Game of Thrones series.
This edition is a hop-forward marriage of Belgian and American style wheat ales, that finishes strong at 6.9% alcohol by volume. Ommegang touts this beer as “refreshing” (like an episode where a main character doesn’t die some bloody horrible death?)
“With Seven Kingdoms, Ommegang has crafted another excellent brew which we know our fans will love,” said Josh Goodstadt, Vice President of Global Licensing at HBO. “The world of Westeros is varied and complex and this varietal embodies those characteristics while offering a new and unique taste to beer drinkers.”
Ommegang Seven Kingdoms features Bravo, Centennial, Citra, Cascade, and Columbus hops, plus white and red wheat. Available in 750 milliliter bottles in March, just ahead of the April season debut. You’ll have a fresh beer to drink when we hopefully figure out the fate of Jon Snow.
Ommegang recently re-released Iron Throne Blonde Ale and Take the Black Stout recently, along with Game of Thrones glassware. The series also features Valar Morghulis Three Eye Raven Saison, and Fire and Blood Red Ale.
Style: Wheat Ale
Hops: Bravo, Centennial, Citra, Cascade, and Columbus
Malts: White Wheat, Red Wheat, Oats
Availability: 750ml bottles, Draft
Release: March/Early April, 2016
6.9% ABV
Ommegang Rosetta, a New Year-Round Cherry Sour
Ommegang Rosetta has joined the Cooperstown, New York’s year-round lineup. While this isn’t the brewery’s first time using cherries, a year-round beer like this is new.
Ommegang Rosetta actually hails from Belgium. Brewmaster Phil Leinhart has wanted to brew a year-round fruited sour for sometime now, but the climate in Cooperstown, plus production bottlenecks have prevented it from happening. Belgian brewery Liefman’s, part of the Duvel Moortgat family, does make year round fruited sours, and has for centuries.
To create Ommegang Rosetta, Leinhart worked closely with Liefman’s until the recipe was perfect. (That meant a lot of cross ocean samples.)
“I wanted a sour fruit beer that invites you to have another,” said Leinhart, Ommegang’s Brewmaster since 2008. “So many of the ones I find today are either so tart or so fruity, that I think beer lovers struggle to have more than one. Balance and the right blend was the key for me, and I really believe we hit the sweet spot, so to speak. I am looking forward to hearing back from drinkers on what they think and if the response is favorable, consider bringing this beer in draft next year as well.”
Ommegang Rosetta is available in 11.2 ounce bottles year-round in all of the brewery’s 43 states of distribution.
Style: Wild/Sour Ale (w/ Cherries)
Availability: 11.2oz Bottles
Release: October, 2015
5.6% ABV
Image via Ommegang
