Gnomegang - Brewery Ommegang

AtrumAnimus

Texas

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This one is really cool and a great beer for that special occasion. At 9.5% ABV and very strong it is not your everyday beer unless you tax shelters like Romney.
Oh Yeah, He’s Mormon and this heavenly beverage is Forbidden Fruit. LOL

Back to the review; this one needs to be warmed up quite a bit if you store it in a normal fridge.

I am drinking the 750ML bottle. This one is bottle conditioned and loaded with live yeast. This beer pours a golden slightly cloudy color. With a very creamy thick rich head that rises fast and settles slow leaving incredible lacing down the class that clings till you wash the glass!

Once it is warm the complexity of the flavors really comes out. My only complaint about this beer is how strong the alcohol flavor is. Other than that it is an excellent brew. The flavors are sweet malt, slight to moderate hops, bread, nutmeg, coriander, vanilla and pepper.

The mouthfeel is rich and smooth but is offset by the alcohol.

Overall a great beer and a good example of the quality I have come to expect from Omegang.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 22:54:18 | More by AtrumAnimus

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.38/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into tulip. Pours a great golden straw color with a good thick head. Great begian yeast, slightly fruity; maybe grape vine like, aromas. Taste is fantastic. Very smooth belgian malts and nice hop flavor, belgian yeast and great fruity complexity. Smooth and very drinkable especially for the very high abv. Such a great beer, and I was so pumped to try it. If you can find it, get it! its such a perfect collaboration.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 21:29:48 | More by DrinkSlurm

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On Tap at Monk's Cafe and a bottle into a glass at Monk's cafe a month later

Gnomegang glides into the glass golden with a small tint of faded bronze within. a nice sheet of bright white up top, leaving a cap and small splotches. OK retention. Smell is fruity with a bready Belgian yeast with trace amounts of candi. No grassy scents, some hints of alcohol. Pretty bold in scent off the tap with a bit candi like scent than alot of American versions. Taste is up front with Belgian essence and a fruit. Apple, pear, small earthy hop bite in between with some candi sugar in the end that does not cloy. First sips give off some alcohol that warms the gullet. The 9.5% is not all the way hidden. Feel is a strong medium with a nice crisp carb. After half the glass this becomes all to easy to drink. A nice stab at the style and much better than alot of American versions out there. I just wish bottles were not so damn pricey, this would be a nice one to slide into 4 packs or so. Until then, I'll grab it on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2012 03:33:43 | More by onix1agr

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On draft at Milltown, naturally. Pour is an extremely cloudy yellow. Tight white head. The smell is overpowering at best. Lots of banana and bubblegum (with the latter coming out more than I expect). Very sweet and full of those yeast esters (which I love alot). my mouth is just filled with all those esters that thats all I get. A decent sweet body comes late with a slight booze kick coming in very late.

I think this rivals Duvel in terms of BSPA.

Serving type: on-tap

07-10-2012 21:56:46 | More by VncentLIFE

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.33/5  rDev -43.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Pours cloudy orange with a minimal white head.

Very sweet aroma. Smells like gingerbread with some banana, clove and bubblegum with a little funkiness.

Eww way too sweet. Starts off with some cloying sweet bread character. Banana is somewhat presence, but the clove then overpowers and it finishes sweet and clovey. Accentuates all the worst aspects of the style.

Medium bodied with adequate carbonation.

I found this completely horrible. The clove was way overdone and the sweetness provided a weird character. Had I been drinking it by myself, it probably would've ended up down the drain, but I gutted through my ~7 oz.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 19:05:04 | More by jmarsh123

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Remarkably clear. Yellow-gold in color. Rising carb streams. Head was not much before it quickly became a ring. 3.0

Dusty yeast, apple, and white grape. Fruity and damp-smelling. 4.0

Tart apples and quince upfront, spicy in the middle and end. Slight booze shows up in the tail and sustains. Reminds me a bit of Augustijn Grand Cru. Peppery and slightly anise. Pretty nice. 4.0

Subdued carbonation with a solid medium body. Decent feel. 3.5

Very enjoyable Belgian pale. Would have it again (for cheaper). 4.0

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2012 02:14:40 | More by thecheapies

jpro

South Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750mL bottle into a Duvel tulip glass...

A: Pours a slightly hazed orange with a cotton white, two-finger head; leaves some specks and spots of lace.

S: Bread crust and cracker malts; coriander-esque spice with some pepper and fruity yeast tang.

T: Like nose, but a little boozy and fruitier (pear); some lemon thrown into the ester mix, too.

M: Heavy, oily mouthfeel; high carbonation.

O: Drinkability impaired by the booziness and big mouthfeel; nothing really stood out for me with this one.

*from notes (6-16-12)

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 03:52:33 | More by jpro

UCLABrewN84

California

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Little Bear in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a slightly murky orange-yellow with a foamy bone colored head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, yeast, spice, and some slightly soapy aromas. Taste is much the same with a mild spice bitterness after each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink. A solid collaboration beer for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2012 08:29:09 | More by UCLABrewN84

kylehay2004

Florida

4.03/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: single finger thick bright white head on a orange tinted murky golden body.

S: Breads and yeast with lemon and tangerine citrus.

T: nicely balanced malt profile with herbal, citrus (mosty tangerine) and earthy hops. The yeast and pepper profile creates a hopper than average version of the style.

M: medium body and high carbonation. Semi dry finish.

Overall: a touch hoppier than I feel the style should be but overall a very complex and flavorful brew.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2012 02:37:17 | More by kylehay2004

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.23/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very good, interesting, strange, complex beer. Served at a good temperature with nice cream colored, thick, creamy, foamy head that slowly subsided and a tiny bit of lace. Color is a slightly hazy yellow amber with some bubble trails. Aroma is yeast, apricot, malt, fruit, caramel. Flavor's like nose, has some dominant sweetness, yet also has some persistant bitterness on the back of the tongue, a little carbonic tang. Body is good; ditto carbonation. Finish is like flavor, fairly long and only a little alcohol warmth. On one hand the beer is almost too sweet, yet on the other it isn't. A little rich to have another though.

Serving type: on-tap

05-25-2012 03:10:40 | More by drpimento

SLeffler27

New York

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours clear gold with lots of fine carbonation. A short-lived, soft fine yellowish head leaves little lacing and a viscous film.

A Dogfish Head snifter nicely amplifies fresh fruit and barnyard aromas with cantaloupe, apricot, floral notes and faint lemon.

Gnomegang is fresh, yet earthy. This one is more sweet than anticipated, with lemon and tangerine followed by a light finish. There is a light sourness also in the finish as this one becomes more earthy with pepper as it warms.

Full bodied, almost syrupy, with a silk texture and surprisingly modest carbonation. The dry finish is cleansing and the alcohol is well concealed, yet still present.

This is best as a sipping beer, but still enjoyable with a meal.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 21:32:56 | More by SLeffler27

bump8628

Oklahoma

3.95/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A surprising find at the local bottle shop. A collab between A'chouffe and Ommegang can't be bad...clever name too. It pours an unmiraculous dull gold with a thin pfft of white foam on top. Despite the insipid appearance, the flavor is quite nice. Bushels of tropical fruit fill out the body - mango, banana, bitter melon, kiwi, and papaya. Mild bitterness lets a sweet, bready malt backbone come out. Little in the way of hop bitterness, flavor, or aroma - the yeast does the talking in this ale. A little more carbonation and dryness would go a along way here, but the flavors are really pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 19:56:01 | More by bump8628

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

From a 750 ml brown bottle, caged and corked, which came in a 3 bottle Ommegang gift pack with a glass. Pours out a cloudy honey-hued colour, with a short tight creamy head.

Sweet honey aroma with white raisins, vinous white grapes deeper down, some apple and pear, dry white pepper and some soft pale malt.

The first sip reveals a most curious flavour, as if several familiar ale types were blended seamlessly into one. A potpourri of palatable spices, alpine herbs, orchard fruit, and various citrus rinds all rush onto the palate at once. Sweet toffee and bready malt carry things along as a delicious backbone to it all. Complex, consuming, yet not overwhelming.

Medium-full bodied mouthfeel, creamy and silky texture that gets slick at times, with an assertive effervescent carbonation.

A shame that this is only locally available in the expensive gift pack, I would love to stock up on it. So much going on at once yet it's all smooth and cohesive whether it all registers or not. Would love to Scooby-doo it more and crack the case eventually, yet for now am content with the memory of the initial experience, this is definitely something to seek out. Wow.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 09:04:35 | More by IronDjinn

BelgiumBill

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Ommegang narrow tulip glass. Hazed golden hues varying with the light crowned by a thick off white retentive head that proved quite sticky.

Nice fragrances of tropical fruit. nice yeast. Really odd - when I read the Bros review that mentioned 'Bandaid" I thought that was crazy but I was getting that too. The power of suggestion?

First sip hit with some hops straight up front bringing in some slick ripe fruits along the lines of peach apricot grapefruit.

Slightly slick in the mouth with a quicker than expected finish but a nice evolution of flavors. The quick clean finish adds to the drinkability as it makes you want to take in more. Alcohol was well concealed. Nicely done - a classic Belgian blonde.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 16:45:17 | More by BelgiumBill

MammothTarantula

Oklahoma

4.13/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into an Ommegang tulip.

A: Pours a very hazy yellow-gold. Looks very much like dehydrated urine (I mean that in the most positive way possible). Bright white one finger head. Decent retention and lacing. Lots of yeast floating around.

S: Very yeasty, slight floral notes toward the end of the inhalation.

T: Big wallop of yeast up front, quickly fades to a sort of buttered croissant flavor toward the end, which lingers after swallowing.

M: Very heavy upon entering the mouth, but sort of thins out during the journey towards the throat. Much thicker than I was expecting, but not in an unpleasant way. Medium carbonation prickled the tongue and offered a strange sensation during the heavy portion of the sip

O: A very good beer. The alcohol content prevents me from being able to drink very much of this at one time, but I will be purchasing it again if I can get my hands on it.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 21:51:43 | More by MammothTarantula

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into an Ommegang tulip.

A: Pours an extremely hazy amber color with lots of yeast floaties in the body. I'm impressed with how the carbonation rises up to the top (the detail reminds me of Rochefort 8, which is a very good thing). The head is a two finger eggshell color with nice retention and lacing.

S: Very citric. Lots of orange peel, ripe sweetened grapefruit, pear, coriander, a hint of some dark fruits (such as plums and currants), candied sugar, and a little mint. I can't smell any booze on the nose, which is always a good thing.

T: Not that different from the nose. Plenty of candied sugar help keep the citric notes in check, and the coriander/mint/dark fruit/grassy notes give it excellent complexity. Even better, the yeast profile lightens up on the finish, which helps its drinkability a lot. In fact, it's far more drinkable than its 9.5% ABV might suggest...the only hints of the alcohol come on the warming finish. It's on the sweeter side, but I have no complaints about its balance.

M: Thanks to the yeast, the first sip seems heavy, but it slims down as it leaves the tongue. I really can't complain about the carbonation being only average - this goes down dangerously easy.

O: Great stuff. It does exactly what a BSPA should do - impart incredible drinkability while sneaking up on you with its thick texture and higher alcohol. I'd love for Ommegang/Chouffe to get together again to release another batch of this.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 21:24:27 | More by ThisWangsChung

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 3/2011 notes. Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a slightly cloudy orange amber. Nice one finger head and lacing. Nice aroma of sweet malt, yeast, light fruit and Belgian spicing; strong on clove. Taste follows with pleasant sweet malt, light fruit, a hint of honey and caramel, followed by Belgian spices and a slight hop finish. Nice separation of flavors and nice progression. Well made. It would be interesting to cellar some of these.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 03:20:39 | More by LiquidAmber

sommersb

Tennessee

4.4/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tasted On: 03-21-2012
Freshness: Best by 07-2013
Packaging: 750 ml brown bottle
Glassware: Ommegang cervoise glass
Purchased: Received as a gift

Got this for Christmas in a gift box with 2 other bottles and the elegant glass.

Appearance: Dark golden color; the first pour is clear but the 2nd has some sediment and haziness to it. Head is rocky and white and stands 4 fingers high, with lacing and retention very good. A pretty beer

Smell: Big Belgian yeast aromas; spicy with earthy hops. Also get fruit notes of green apple and grapes, with a wine-type aroma.

Taste: Complex flavors are sweet and spicy, with big malt breadiness. The noble hops give it a light amount of bitterness. Other flavors include grapes and wine-like notes, plus a slight lemon/citrus tartness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, it opens up to a more full body as it comes to room temperature. Carbonation is medium to high. Nice warming from the alcohol. Aftertastes are balanced nicely between dryness and sweetness, with a slight tart quality as well.

Overall: I really enjoyed this Belgian beer from Ommegang - complex, refreshing and easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 02:12:36 | More by sommersb

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4.65/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: A yeasty layering covers the entire bottom of the bottle. In the chalice a dense, murky, tangerine orange shows bits of a slow swirling effervesce and very little light transmittance. The head is cream in color, frothy and tightly bound showing a good rate of retention.

S: Sweet tangerines, candy sugar, and fresh pale grains all intermingle nicely together. Flowery green noble hops are leafy and fresh producing a gentle and enticing aroma.

T: Noble hops and a soft orange flavor is spicy with a sharp and well defined bite. Pale grains, soda bread, and a soft honey blossom are evident as well a good Belgian yeastiness. Wheat and wildflowes with a soft perfumy grapefruit like citrus effect is lightly dry with hints of hay and citron. Lightly acidic but perfectly smooth and harmonic flavor wise. I don’t hand out 5s often at all, but find it impossible to say otherwise here.

M: Crisp lively carbonation is very sharp on the tongue with a light body and a grapefruit lingering goodbye.

O: Overall hard to argue this is probably one of the best blondes this side of the pond (with exception of kaley cuoco). ;) Will make anyone a fan of the style. Alcohol is very well hidden, crisp drinking factor and would make an ideal summer sipper.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 00:39:58 | More by beerthulhu

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750 ml corked and caged bottle, stamp says packaged on 02/24/11. Served in a Unibroue tulip, the beer pours a hazy golden/orange color with about an inch off-white head. Head retention is decent, and there isn't much lacing. Aroma is nice, the brew smells like green apples, bready malt, hay, pears, and a bit of clove and tropical fruit. It tastes like grass/hay, earth, cloves, peppery spice, pears, bready malt/grain, and some apples. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's slick and has a good amount of carbonation. I think it's a solid brew and it's also worth trying. $10.99 a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2012 22:28:23 | More by bluejacket74

ArrogantBastage

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml corked and caged bottle poured into Duvel tuilp

A: Pours a cloudy deep golden amber topped with 1 inch of thick, dense foam. Head dissipates after the first few sips leaving a very thin layer of fine bubbles that remain for the rest of the drink.

S: Sweet, biscuity malt, apricots, green grapes, dusty yeast and slight alcohol

T: Sweet, nearly candi like, with light malts making up the majority of the flavor profile. The middle and finish are nearly white wine like followed with a slight alcohol warmth.

M: Light bodied and slick with a fair amount of prickly carbonation

D: Very enjoyable and not boozy given the abv. Definitely wish this was not a limited beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 17:53:01 | More by ArrogantBastage

stephens101

Oklahoma

4.05/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Into a Ommegang specialty glass. Poured a cloudy pale orange. Had a billowing, strong, and dense off-white head. Lemon cake, apple, and herbs to the nose. Slight medicinals arose after a bit. Taste was sour apples, sugar, beer bread and a squeeze of lemon. Palpable alcohol heat up front but quickly mellowed as it warmed. Goes down dry with a medium body. A bit of chalk lines the palate after a glass or two.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 00:21:24 | More by stephens101

Nuke77

Tennessee

4.48/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a cloudy straw color with a nice flluffy head. Scent was green apple and yeasty bread. Taste followed the scent but was more intense than I expected from this beer. Great carbonation and very cleansing taste. This was my favorite in this three pack which included Gnomegang, Three Philosophers, and Hennepin.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 00:01:21 | More by Nuke77

BarryMFBurton

Indiana

4.33/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

At $16 a bottle, I was reluctant to pick this one up every time I passed it at the bottle shop. BUT NOW I’M ROLLIN IN IT, SUCKA! YYEEEEA! Just kidding – I’m still broke – but I finally pulled the trigger on this badass-looking beer. I’ve never had anything from Brasserie D’Achouffe, so here’s to new brews (especially collaborations).

Brewed this time last year (“PKG ON 02/08/11” and “BEST BY 02/2013” on the neck of the bottle).

A: Pouring a pulpy pumpkin juice-tinged straw gold, this looks a lot like a yeasty hefeweizen – about 80% opaque, cloudy as ever. Extremely creamy, yet subdued white head (coming to nothing higher than an inch), with thick lacing that never lasts long before it slides back in to the body. The retention still looks great: a good half-inch unbroken white cream. An interesting presence…

S: Clove, banana, graham cracker, pear, and baked apple aromas combine – each with moderate strength – to start. Grains and yeasts are soon behind, coming up sweet and bready from the oats and thickly bready and phenolic yeasts. Alcohol, orange, nutmeg, gingerbread, and honey put the cap on this light, sweet nose.

T: Sweet, smooth, delicious; it tastes like an orange creamsicle mixed with honey. Rich pie crust, pear, apple butter, fig, and banana, as well. The alcohol is definitely not hiding, giving off a smooth expensive vodka kick every once in a while. I’ve had higher ABV beers that have hid their alcohol better than this, but I’m really not complaining too much here – it’s a strong taste for a strong brew. The yeasts are phenolic, doughy, peppery, and tangy, though they go down with amazing lightness. Aftertaste is mouth-coating vanilla, mild citrus fruits, and a bit of earthy tobacco/yeast.

M: Very full-bodied for this style. Chewable, but drinkable, as the carb adds enough fizz to keep it interesting.

O: This beer is great. The nose, the palate, the feel – it’s all smooth, rich, and drinkable. The primary yeast, from Brasserie D’Achouffe, is a shining example of Belgian complexity. I could drink this beer any day, any time.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 05:00:53 | More by BarryMFBurton

DavidST

Texas

4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a branded tulip glass, 6/27/11 best before 6/14. This pours a nice hazy golden color with a short libed massive white head. The smells are of Belgian yeast esters, banana, citrus fruit, lemon, malts spice. The feel is medium with high carbonation. The taste is good, citrus, alcohol, spices, a nice little bit of dryness.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 03:17:34 | More by DavidST