Beer Blog [ADD A NEW ENTRY]
09/23/2008 | 2 new belgians and 1 real old one
Author: Pete Czerpak
One east Coast brewed belgian style, one West Coast brewed belgian style, and one that went wrong and is real old to boot.
Ommegeddon (Brewery Ommegang, NY)
Brewery Ommegang is located roughly in central NY just outside of the town housing the Baseball Hall of Fame. I was lucky enough to participate in a 5K running race that either starts or ends at Ommegang on alternating years. Thankfully, the year I raced, it ended at Ommegang with their Belgian-only styled ales. Ommegang was originally partically owned by Duvel but I think its now fully Duvel owned. At the time, it was still fairly small and distributing really only locally. They now are reasonably large with quite an array of belgian styles including the usuall dubbel, saison, some blends, a sour, and some chocolate beers. Yes, belgian chocolate beer. They always had belgian chocolates and even mustards in their tasting room.
I tasted Ommegedddon last summer at a friends "post-wedding almost beer festival" in Chicago and it was lackluster and almost devoid of the brett-sour character
that it advertised. Fast forward to about a month ago (August 19, '08), and I'm now tasting Batch#2 brewed in March 2008. I think they got the funk right finally.
The beer starts off looking (or rather sounding) pretty dang belgian - big solid cork pop off the 750mL wired on cork so plenty of great carbonation. Its a deep gold color with a thick big bubbled head of pure white foam. Great clarity so she's well aged at 5 months and the yeast (or funk) cake is undisturbed on the first pouring into my glass atleast.
The aroma comes off first as earthy and herbal and then moves more in the estery direction of tropical kiwi-fruit. The first sip tastes of earthy sour. Hops creep in immediately afterwards making me think of a hybrid - crossing Duval rootstock with some Orval rootstock - really drying hops. The hop bitterness is really big and
crisp mint-like. Tons of bubbles keep emerging as I drink and they really help to enhance the dryness and hop bite of of Ommegeddon. I'm not noticing the traditional citrusy sour I get in some blond sour beers so I'm wondering if its the brett strain or just the hops blocking those notes. 8%ABV as well so its one of the
stronger brett beers I've tasted. Most of my homebrew bretts are down around 6-7%ABV.
Vertical Epic 08-08-08 (Stone Brewing, SoCal)
Every year, another beer, and they're never the same in the Epic line-up. I'd really like to see some repeated, but the cool thing is, that Stone Brewing publishes a
recipe every year for the Epic that they just released. Pretty cool, I'd say. I've even used one of the recipes, 06-06-06, as a basis for my own Belgian Strong Dark ale. Go check it out for the ones you've enjoyed. The commentary is great and I think they even give beer ideas and music selections to assist with the brewing ambience.
2008's release weighs in at 8.6%ABV so right up there in trippel or belgian strong golden land. Whats the difference in taste you say - personally, I consider BSGs to be lighter in color and less huge in alcohol and sweetness than trippels.
Its a mint nose this time around so I guess Stone is using hops typically big like they usually do. Antanum hops reportedly are tossed into the whirlpool after the boil is
all but done. A taste reveals some apricot-fruit so I'm guessing some Amarillo hops also in the hop bill. Vertical Epic pours out with a fast fading foam and fills the glass with a brilliantly clear and pale gold belgian-styled treat. There is no fuselly burn so I'd say you could drink it all now without any further aging. But save one or two just for sharing when another release becomes available. The malt really comes across nice and clean. I'm catching some real small spicy bits but not big huge
blasts of phenols or cloviness. Its easy to sip more as the mouthfeel is low and just perfect for a really drinkable belgian beer. The mint that I noticed originally is all but vanished on checking later.
Stone gives away that the yeast is the Duvel strain and that they use 7% sugar in the recipe ,so its clear why the palatability is great. 65 IBU of hops are part of the
balancing to the alcohol as well.
V10 Series - Ruby Richness (Victory Brewing, PA)
First, let me mention this was brewed in fall 2002. My second mention is that the entire batch was actually recalled by Victory because of contamination issues with a
first run on the new (now old) bottling line at Victory. 6 years later, its still in my cellar, so what the heck, lets try it out since it's had 6 years to do it's thing aging and souring and whatever else it does. I guess its a funk brew now - just not purposely.
Taking precautions, I open the bottle in the sink. No gusher, yeah!!!!! How bad could it really be contaminated if it doesn't gush?
Cautiously, I brought my nose to the bottle top. No foam in the nose thankfully and the bottle is dank and sour cherry in aroma. 6 year old carbona dioxide also visibley floats off into my kitchen almost like a blown smoke ring. Using a huge tulip shaped glass for the pour to let all the aroma out, I pour it to find a deep garnet red beer. From its name, its true. The clarity is extra sparkling clear like some real old barleywines show off where tannins and sediment are left compacted in teh
ancient bottles. Beige foam rises quickly on the pour and then fades off.
Like walking into real cold water for a swim, I go for my first taste of recalled V10. The nose is true telling of the taste - tangy sour cherry fruits. Its very raisin-like and almost winey in taste. Definite focus on the fruit side of things with no room for cloves or belgian spices. Hops are nil. Sour apple Jolly Ranchers is another description I'd use. Its not lambicy and its not acetic like Rodenbach either. I guess the combination of many things including the 10% ABV might have kept it from
getting totally out of control crazy. Granny Smiths apples come through later as well.
For all my concern, it was truely enjoyable in unique characteristics for folks with an appreciation for experimental beers with nontraditional fermentative species.. I finished the whole bottle no problem. You probably can't find it anywhere but I thought I'd share the fun since I only had it last night. The cellar does give up the interesting half-dozen year old beer every once in a while.
cheers,pete
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