Alright, folks. I hope everybody had a great weekend. We've got a cool one today, the second in Ommegang's Game of Thrones series. Craft beer and epic fantasy, two great tastes that taste great together! I talked about the first beer in the series Iron Throne Blone Ale back in March. Check that one out here. I liked it quite a bit, but something about it didn't feel super Westerosi (Maybe Dornish? I don't know). Take the Black though? This is more of what I had in mind, a big hearty black ale. One minor critique, that will only be apparent to idiots like me. I love the name, Take the Black, very evocative, but the art on the bottle doesn't really mach up. Take the Black refers to the Night's Watch. The weirwood tree on the label isn't a symbol of the Night's Watch though. The weirwood is an important part of the religion of the old gods. And While Jon and Sam Tarly took their oath before a weirwood tree that is because they keep the old gods. Most of the brothers of the Night's Watch are worshippers of the Faith of the Seven. The old gods are still kept in the north and beyond the wall so the weir wood is more of a symbol of the north than the Night's watch. Whatever, it looks cool and it's a cool name, and only weirdoes like me will take any exception to it. What is far more important than anything on the label is what is inside the bottle, a 7% ABV Belgian style stout. To the beer!
Take the black pours an imposing looking, inky, totally opaque black. No light shining through this glass. A tall frothy layer of tan head sits on top and laces beautifully.
Dry roasty aromas of of dark chocolate are joined by subtle coffee hints and a very interesting sharp fruity/ estery acidity. Hints of grape, fig, plum, and a spicy, peppery, earthy hop character. Really different for a stout. I like it.
Take the Black is big and hearty for sure but it's got a bright, lively side that is pretty darn wild. It starts off with a creamy touch and a punch of spritzy carbonation. Lively fruity notes of plum, pear, and a wine like grape give way to oaky flavors of toffee and caramel. Near the end of the sip the flavors that you expect to see in a stout finally come out. It finishes with subtle flavors of black coffee and dry dark chocolate.
This is one wild stout. Dry, fruity, complex, and with a bright liveliness that I absolutely did not expect. Seek this one out.
HD
Where can you find these beers?
ReplyDelete