Rare Vos (Amber Ale) - Brewery Ommegang

nixhecks

Rhode Island

3.08/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured a bright tangerine-cranberry color with a large white head. Tons of bubbles, this almost looks like some sort of lambic from the color and high carbonation. Aroma is sweet and fruity, including concord grapes, buttery yeast, and a bit of malt. The mouthfeel of this is over carbonated and really thins out the full flavors of the brew. Very fruity tasting, a little bit of spiceness from the yeast and hops, but hardly any malt flavor. I was rather disappointed, this is my least favorite from Ommegang so far. Really left me wanting a bottle of Hennepin.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2004 01:19:42 | More by nixhecks

elmocoso

Nebraska

3.08/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The color of a red cloud. A biege head came and went quickly, leaving almost nothing. Slightly hazy. Yellow in the thin parts. Nose is very spicy alcohol. Very estery- very tart on the tongue, very dry finish with a lingering tartness. Drinkiability OK, but i would like to try again.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2004 19:28:04 | More by elmocoso

connecticutpoet

Connecticut

3.08/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This was a hazy amber-orange beer with a three finger head. Looked OK, a little darker than I expected.

The aroma was spicy, with caramel and raisin notes, and a little sourness.

The taste was a little sour, followed by malt with a touch of sweetness, then some raisins and spiciness, and a glow of alcohol in the finish. Interesting, but it didn't blow me away.

Mouthfeel wasn't that impressive, only a little better than average... drinkability wasn't that great. Overall, I thought it was OK, but I wouldn't have another one on my own.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2005 04:05:58 | More by connecticutpoet

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

750 ml bottle into Duvel tulip.

A reddish pink color that reminds me of a blushing rosé. Big fizzy head, really nice retention and lacing.

Smells sweet... Like holy candied sugar batman! The malts and brewer's sugar have put in a full day's work here-- this is what flowers remind eachother to stop and smell when the see a downtrodden companion.

Caramel-covered citrus fruit and even a strange hint of sugar coated banana make their way into the flavor profile... A little booze bite on the finish, and at only 6.5% ABV?! For shame allagash, for shame!
(I'm eying the bottle with the kind of look a vegetarian might have when discovers a caterpillar in his salad).
Lots of carbonation. Halfway through glass #1 and I'm feeling the need to expell a loud gaseous rumbling from my, as they say in Belgium, 'pie-hole."

Feels light and airy due to the massive carbonation. I reckon this beer could be called "medium" if it weren't so bubbly.

Overall-- not anything impressive here, except perhaps my review itself.
Move along. This is not the BPA you're looking for.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 03:53:24 | More by AleWatcher

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Serving type: 750 ml. bottle.

Pours a cloudy amber color with a thick foamy white head and large chunks of yeast floating around. Citrus sour aroma of lemon, orange and grapefruit. Sweet citrus flavor that contains a lot of yeast and a touch of maltiness.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2008 07:21:10 | More by corby112

mpyle

Maryland

3.15/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Big, long lasting, whitish head. Fairly good clarity, rich copper color.

Malty nose, a bit citrusty. No hop and not much (if any) spice. A small amount of alcohol, but otherwise clean and subdued.

Malty up front balanced by a big hit of hop bitterness. Finishes a bit malty and not overly dry.

Medium body, with some snappy carbonation. Despite the carbonation is generally creamy with a bit of alcohol warming.

Overall a bit too big and strong of a Belgian Pale for regular drinking, but a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2007 02:07:34 | More by mpyle

jar2574

Missouri

3.15/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a tall pilsner glass, the closest thing I could find to the suggested glass on the bottle. Extremely thick tan head, amber colored beer.

Spices, berries, and yeasts; a lovely smell.

Unfortunately, the taste disappoints, especially for an Ommegang offering. It's a bit bland for a Belgian inspired beer. Too watery and lacking in flavor.

What flavor there is is OK, it just doesn't blow your socks off. Malts, berries, and then a touch of acidity and baking soda in the aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2007 01:49:20 | More by jar2574

beerceller99

Louisiana

3.18/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Rare Vos, Sampled a 75cl bottle. Poured a pale caramel color with a nice persistent head. Had a slight musky,earthy smell to it.Very smooth and creamy mouthfeel. The taste wasn't very strong for this "Belgian Style" Ale; it has a malty/grainy/bitter taste and a dry, slight alcohol finish which didn't mesh very well.Maybe they should call this their english brown ale.Not Ommegangs best beer thankfully.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2004 08:32:35 | More by beerceller99

clickpush

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pour: 750ml bottle to wide mouth wine glass. This beer looks absolutely mouth watering, like cloudy, fizzy apricot juice. Weakest part was the quickly disappearing head, but even that left okay lacings.

Nose: I was surprised when this beer had a weak aroma because it wasn't consistent with the beauty of the pour. Most dectable scents were citrus and honey.

Mouth: Another disappointment. This beer is too sour and tasted of some variety of winter squash - which I found unfavorable. Mouthfeel is okay though, good carbonation.

Overall: More eye candy than anything else.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2006 20:26:10 | More by clickpush

Vancer

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Alrighty, let's see what this Sly Fox has - and the pour starts off on the right foot. Semi-hazy orange amber with a very nice ivory head gently floating on top. Sticky lace coats my Corsendonk tulip.

Sweet fruits surface in the aroma, mixed amongst the Belgium yeast. A rather dry Belgium style brew, the fruits don't make much a statement in the taste. A bit of peppery spice help add some pizzazz, but all things considered - this won't be one I go for again.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2008 19:20:20 | More by Vancer

joekfsu

Ohio

3.23/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle. Pours an dense orange/amber with a mega off-white head that is slowly diminishing. Aroma of bread and fruit. Initial taste of fruit and spice. Flavor dries out at the backend and is kinda yeasty. Light to medium body, light carbonation, limited lacing, and light on alcohol. Overall, on par with Ommegang offerings, not particularly special.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2008 20:44:40 | More by joekfsu

Arbitrator

California

3.23/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Chilled bomber into a glass.

A: As the name suggests, pours a cloudy amber color with rust tones when held to a lamp. A generous 2" off-white frothy head develops immediately and recedes very slowly, continuously resupplied by active bubbling up the glass. The head never dips below an inch as I drink, and it leaves nice sticky lacing down the glass.

S: Bread and caramel malt are strong on the nose, but are nearly matched by fruity esters that lean toward apple and pears. Some floral notes, along with tart and sour yeast aromas, a very typical Ommegang smell. Some spice is noted -- allspice, I think.

T: Surprisingly muted. Dominated by toasted malt. I also got bread and caramel, and if I searched for it I could pick up some apple notes, but generally this didn't have any of the complexity of the nose. I am certain I didn't have it too cold, so I don't think it's a palate numbness issue. It just didn't deliver. The finish was dry.

M: Medium-bodied with high carbonation that interferes with the taste a bit. Couldn't detect any alcohol. A nice dry finish, which would be interesting if there were a stronger flavor profile to precede it.

D: I'm pretty disappointed by this. I don't think I'll pick up another.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2009 18:50:10 | More by Arbitrator

coldmeat23

Oklahoma

3.23/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

GLASS: Snifter
TEMP: Cellared @ approx 45 degrees

Pours a very nice golden copper color with a slight ruby tint. Three-fingers of loose foamy off-white colored head. Retention is okay. Lacing is very good.

Sweet malts dance with belgian yeast notes. A nice scent of grassiness. Nice notes of caramel breads. Good presence of apples and pears. Nice touch of allspice and a hint of corriander.

The allspice and apple/pear flavors come out first, reminding me, slightly, of cider. A nice malty sweetness then gets attacked by tangy yeast notes and a touch of funk. It's not bad by any means, just slightly out-of-balance.
The flavor didn't live up to the promise of the nose. It's not a total mess, it's just slightly askew.

Nice level of creaminess, but the carbonation is a touch too sharp. A smoother body would benefit this one, greatly.

It's drinkable, sure. Would I go out of my way for it, though? No.
This upsets me, because I love Ommegang. I'll track down another bottle and try this one again, when I can. I'll update this review, if necessary.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2009 20:02:09 | More by coldmeat23

aracauna

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark, rich amber body has a nice glow. The head starts off big-bubbled and a bit fizzy, but settles into a nice cream-colored melted icecream layer that doesn't seem to get any thinner. Plentiful streaming carbonation gives the beer a sense of being alive. Very estery aroma, a bit herbal and some vague fruit. The flavor is surprisingly dry, when starts me off calling it thin, but is perhaps better labeled as subtle. The fruit and herbs of the end are quite pleasant, but there's a slight metallic bitterness detracts a bit.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2004 07:56:22 | More by aracauna

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Dull auburn with a slender copper highlighting the edges. Gorgeous one inch crown of dusty yellowed fluffy meringue roots itself to the top for an eternity. A thick muddled skim remains once it does fade through from consumption and the lacing collapses into thin webbed butterfly wings. Lavishly beautiful for the winkers!

Quite a dry yeastified nose with a touch of fruits.It's a dry yeast forest of dried mushrooms, dust, chalk, and alumnium foil with a trickling under current of fruits adding some soft banana, pear, and starfruit.

Flavors are extremely mellow and calm; it has an onslaught of yeasty dry stuff carrying over from the nose with a chalky, alkaline, celery thing taking up a good portion of it. Wheat cracker backing; smidges of fruits kinda surface around the corners; pear mostly, and I think thats mostly because of the feel which is much like a pear, it has that odd texture that kinda dulls the tongue off with a drying sense. The pushy chalk and tin sits far to long though and never wants to leave the palate or lets the fruits get by.

Feel is just shy of a medium body with a dump truck of dryness and the formly mentioned chalkyness and tin. Its not a total puckering though, its a mellow easy dryness, but by a fair amount over what I like.

This was to dry for my taste, the mellowness is too mellow and the complexity it seemingly has just doesn't seem to really peak any where and the dryness flat out takes too much out of it for me. A dry yeast beast masqueraded as a scrumptiously lush looking brew...hmm...Viking brew anyone?

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2005 03:00:33 | More by tavernjef

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a hazy amber color ale with a huge white foamy head with excellent retention. Aroma of floral malt, sweet hops with some subtle spices and a touch of Belgian-type yeast. Taste is a nice mix between some floral sweet malt and discreet yeast with some spices. Body is just above average but carbonation is a bit low for a Belgian Ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2005 14:14:50 | More by Phyl21ca

nickfl

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Two and a half fingers of white head, supported by a clear, bright golden body. The head settles slowly and leaves a moderate coating of lace.

S - Herbal hops, tropical fruit, pepper and coriander.

T - Malty and a bit spicy/ phenolic. Herbal hops appear in the middle and contribute bitterness to the tangy, sour finish.

M - Medium body, high carbonation, and a fairly dry finish.

D - I really recall this being a better beer than it is, but I have no reason to think that there is anything with this bottle. Nothing particularly bad about it, but it is just kind of dull and unremarkable, especially the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2008 07:18:50 | More by nickfl

Spikester

Oregon

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours amber with a huge white head (first pour) and fair lacings. Aroma is dominated by yeast. Taste is Belgian yeast strain, sweet malts, hint of bitter hops. Has a bit of boiled ham in the aftertaste. Overall an interesting beer that I probably won't try again.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2009 03:42:15 | More by Spikester

CASK1

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pale orange, with plenty of haze. Thick white head with excellent retention. Nice lacing to the bottom of the glass.

S: Fruity, especially citrus and tropical. Low spicy hop aroma, and virtually no malt aroma.

T: Low caramel malt, with a nice, drying hop bitterness. Belgian yeast phenolics (peppery) and lots of esters - reminiscent of red berries. Low spicy hop flavor. Not terribly well-balanced. Slightly tart. Needs more malt to support the other flavor features. Alcohol flavors are evident - could be better hidden in a beer of moderate strength.

MF: Somewhat astringent finish. Prickly carbonation. Light body.

D: Not bad, but doesn't make me crave another as I had hoped.

I'm a big fan of Ommegang, but this beer left me somewhat disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2010 21:08:25 | More by CASK1

grannaniwa

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hazy, golden-to-amber appearance. Great lumpy head has some staying power. Very nice nose, smells very ‘Belgian.’ Fruity nose, maybe some apple or pear? The smell itself has a bit of bite to it, gives anticipation of sour/tart flavors.

Drinks much lighter than expected at first. Insane carbonation dominates the first experience. Entry doesn’t have much of a presence, tartness kicks in mid-palate, finish comes from the yeast, with some familiar banana notes. Finishes very dry. High alcohol doesn’t come through at all.

Overall: B

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 02:27:59 | More by grannaniwa

Popsinc

Ontario (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A nice looking amber pour with a very generous, foamy white head. The nose to be quite subtle, almost dull. Light grassy notes with hints of lemon zest. The taste also seems more mild than i excpected. Bland up front followed by a very light caramel-fudge sweetness in the middle. The finish leans towards the sweeter side with mild spice, lemon and even a touch of woodiness. The mouthfeel is very smooth, almost flat...to light bodied for my liking. An easy drinker but not something i can see myself enjoying bottle after bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2004 22:25:54 | More by Popsinc

PEBKAC

New York

3.28/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle via Stop & Shop. It was cheaper then usual. I'm suspicious. No print in the "best by" date area.

750 poured into my Rare Vos tumbler. Left most of the yeast cake on the bottom. Yay for me.

Body is an ever so slightly stirred, amber/orange color, with an inch of slightly yellowed, wispy head.

Smells sort of like unripened pears, Kaiser rolls, a bit of pine, & sticky beer residue.

Honey bread crust, a little green grape sweetness, & pepper stand out most. Cereal grains, salt, mild yeast, muted orange rind bitterness, & a touch of alcohol burn. Mild bittersweet grain finish.

Yeasty sediment makes it feel somewhat creamy, though the carbonation is a touch strong. 6.5% ABV feels about right.

Probably tied for my least favorite Ommagang Beer(along with the Witte). I don't think it deserves the big bottle treatment or the pricetag, as it's just an everyday so-so amber in a flooded market. Though even then, it seems it gets a decent score from me.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 08:42:25 | More by PEBKAC

unklesyd

Oregon

3.3/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I was pretty excited about trying this one out: a first for me by this brewery, and a first forray into the style after trying trippels, dubbels, wits and saisons.

When I cracked the 12 oz. bottle, there was a foam over, so I grabbed the gobblet quickly and poured as regular. The head was pretty thin, less than a finger and faded quickly. Thick dark amber color.

The smell was so dry it was almost nonexistent. Not until there was only about 4 oz. left in the glass did I get a sense of some dry fruitiness (grapes).

The taste was metalic and a little winey, like a malted cab sauv. Tasted alcoholic, even at relatively low ABV. Not really a whole lot going on besides.

Fairly astringent and dry mouthfeel.

At the end of the glass, I didn't want another one and am hoping that I won't be quite so disappointed with the bottle of Ommegang that I've had hanging around.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2005 02:54:20 | More by unklesyd

ccrida

Oregon

3.3/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

The cork explodes from my 750ml bottle with a triumphant pop, and I quickly pour the Rave Vos into my St. Feuillien chalice - nothing sly about this fox so far! The brew is a hazy, light brownish amber with a creamy, 1 finger light khaki head that leaves thick foamy lace.

The aroma is very spicy, nicely phenolic, and a little sour cherry/dark fruit.
The taste is heavy on the phenols and spice, with less of the fruit, although as it warms, it gets a little bit sweeter, with more phenols as well. There is a heavy mineral water like dryness to it that I appreciate, particularly on the finish, which leaves lots of phenols on the tongue, with a nice astringency to this one, some bitterness on the finish that is almost corky. There's also a slight hint of alcohol. Overall it's good, a pretty average belgian amber. I'm not sure off-hand if that's a category on BA, but thats what this is, a la De Koninck (which I see they list as a BSPA!).

The mouthfeel is light and exceptionally creamy.

This is moderately drinkable. It's light, but lots of carbonation, and while the taste is inoffensive and pretty good, it's not so great you can't get enough.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2007 09:55:50 | More by ccrida

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.3/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Fuel and Fuddle, Pittsburgh, PA (Oakland).

Poured a copper color with an off-white head. Served to me in a normal pint glass and not a tulip or other preferred glassware, which might account for almost no head or aroma. I was tempted to rate lower on both counts, but did not due to the pint glass. Keep that in mind when considering my review.

Up Front I taste a big malty, caramel/molasses sweetness followed by some fruitiness that reminds me of cherry. Next comes just a little peppery yeastiness. It finishes with some alcohol warming, which surprised me for the ABV of the beer.

Pretty good mouthfeel.

This brew is a little sweet for me to drink a ton of.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2008 15:32:33 | More by Hojaminbag