Welcome back, and we are once again reviewing the 4th Game of Thrones tie-in beer in collaboration with Brewery Ommegang. This time we tackle the "fan chosen" "Valar Morghulis" dubbel that was just released, so lets get going. Though if you would like to check out the reviews of the last 3 beers in the series you can check them out here...
Unlike the previous reviews, as I mentioned that this particular beer was "fan chosen", that at about the same time the last beer (Fire and Blood Red) was released Brewery Ommegang hosted a poll on their Facebook Page offering fans to choose from 4 styles (A Dubbel, a Tripel, and two different types of Quadrupels), all of which are trademarks of Belgian brewing, and the fans chose the Dubbel ale. However Brewery Ommegang is somewhat known already for offering a Dubbel, their "Abbey Ale", the flagship beer for their brewery. So when the fans chose the dubbel, and in heading into this review my biggest concern was that this new GoT tie in would be too similar to their "Abbey Ale" to justify the brewery going out of their way, so is it different enough? Yes...I believe so, I did not do a side by side tasting of this to judge, and it's been a while since I had the "Abbey Ale" but I have had that beer enough times to judge where "Valar Morghulis is different, and I will mention that a few time going into the review proper..
ABV: 8%, 750ml (Bomber) poured into a "Game of Thrones" Tulip (The glass that was sold along side the "Take the Black Stout"), you can view my pour.. HERE
First off this beer pours a deep mahogany brown with a light tan head, and unlike the "Abbey Ale" their is very little yeast sediment visible floating in the beer. The aroma of the beer is typical of the style, dominated by dark fruits (cherries, plum, rasins ) and the breadyness of Ommegangs trademark yeast, both of which were apparent upon first sip as the dominating flavors present in the beer. But unlike the "Abbey Ale" the Valar Morghulis I found to be a bit more dry, and slightly more bitter. Other reviews I have read on this beer mention a hint of pepper in the beer, though I myself could not pick up on. One of the most distinguishing things about the beer was the boozyness presented on the back end of a swallow, and unlike the Abbey Ale (even being of slightly higher alcohol content) which hides its alcohol a bit better, the alcohol is a bit more forward here giving the beer a bit of warmth like you would expect from an American Strong Ale, or a Winter Warmer. It's not overly apparent, but it helps distinguish this beer from it's regular dubbel counterpart. Overall the beer was a strong representative of what to expect of this classic Belgian style, I still prefer their regular "Abbey Ale", but I am glad that this was different enough to warrant a purchase...
Before I give my final score, I want to give a few tips or recommendations of how a craft beer novice should approach this beer, and make some recommendations of other beers of this style that might be more affordable or approachable. First of all, the most important thing I can say about opening a bottle of "Valar Morghulis" is to LET THE BEER WARM UP before drinking it. I admit, in going into my bottle I got a bit antsy and started drinking right after pulling it out of the refrigerator, drinking a beer that cold will not allow you to enjoy all the flavors and nuances present in the beer.. and this beer got remarkably better as it warmed up. This rule is true of any darker beer, but I think it is very important in any kind of strong Belgian style. Lastly off all the GoT tie-in beers this beer is the least approachable of the four that Brewery Ommegang has released thus far, Belgian style beers are Ommegang's bread&butter don't get me wrong, but for those who are not overly into craft beer might find "Valar Morghulis" out of their comfort zone. So on that end I can offer one small tip before you blow $9 on a beer you may not like, try a few singles of other dubbles out there and see if you like it, one beer in particular I can recommend is New Belgium Brewing's (The makers of Fat Tire) "Abbey Ale", a very good dubbel with a lower ABV, but very faithful to the style, much more approachable, and much more cheap ($8 for a 6-pack). I have been referring to it throughout this whole review, but Ommegang's regular Abbey Dubbel is also worth trying, and unlike the "Valar Morghulis" the Abbey ale is available in 12oz bottles of which most grocery stores, or bottle shops will break up and sell as singles which you can get for $2-$3 depending where you shop, I would recommend trying one of those before investing in the $9 750ml bomber if you are unsure of the style.
In closing, I enjoyed this beer very much.. Not as much as the Fire and Blood Red ale, but this nudges in right behind that in terms of ranking the GoT tie-in beers. I don't see myself buying a second bottle, as I prefer Ommegang's standard dubbel, but this beer was well worth the investment to try. It is far away from the best representative of the dubbel style. (You would have to go to the Trappist breweries for that), but overall a really enjoyable beer, pick up a bottle if any of this sounds appealing to you. This is the last "scheduled" GoT tie-in beer, though the brewery has said they wish to continue the relationship with HBO and produce more tie-ins... I hope this is the case, but nothing official has been stated as of yet.. So for now I hope you have enjoyed my series of beer reviews, have a good day, and drink good beer..
8/10
Submitted October 21, 2014 at 08:26PM by GRVrush2112 http://ift.tt/1wi1rcD gameofthrones
No comments:
Post a Comment