REVIEW: Ommegang Take the Black

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!

REVIEW: Ommegang Iron Throne

I've beer waiting to get my hands on this beer since it was announced. If you've been following this blog for a while you saw a taste of my Song of Ice and Fire nerdery back when I talked about New Holland's Dragon's Milk. But that beer only had a dragon on the label. This one has the Iron Throne of Westeros! Forged by Aegon the Conqueror out of the swords of his defeated enemies! Seriously, it's pretty cool seeing a craft brewer get involved in a big marketing thing like this. Usually this is the domain of the big boys. But really, do you think they're drinking macro lager at Castle Black, or Dragonstone, or across the Narrow Sea? Of course they aren't! They're drinking fine hearty ales. Perhaps something like this. A 6.5% Belgian style golden ale from Ommegang, out of Cooperstown New York. When this beer was announced I found it a bit odd that Ommegang went with a golden ale. I don't know if it quite fits with the show. Winter is coming and all that. I thought that it would make more sense if it was a hearty black ale. But once I thought about it I sort of got where Ommegang was coming from. This is a perfect beer for spring. And since this beer is being released in concurrence with the premiere of season three this coming Sunday a lighter beer, appropriate for spring, makes a whole lot of sense. Also, I imagine this beer will be sought out by a whole lot of people who are fans of the show who may or may not be craft beer enthusiasts. It makes sense that Ommegang would go with a style that's a bit more approachable. I'm excited for this one. To the beer!