Gnomegang - Brewery Ommegang

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4.65/5  rDev +12.9%
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 -11.4%
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 -4.1%
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 -1.7%
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 +8.7%
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 +5.1%
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 -2.9%
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

phishsihq

Colorado

4/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This Belgian-Style Blonde Ale pours a hazy, pale gold with a tight white head and very little lacing. Tropical fruit is heavy in the nose, with hints of hay, earthiness, and yeasty funk rounding out this big bouquet. Peach and mango flavors liven up the pallet with some hop spice balancing this smooth and fruity brew. Tongue-prickling carbonation meets a medium body in this beer that finishes remarkably dry.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 18:21:54 | More by phishsihq

Agent1

Alberta (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A collaborative blonde ale that I have been holding on to for a few months now. Being an avid drinker of both Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe, I am very excited to see how this beer measures up in comparison to their own brews. I am also excited knowing that much like all Brasserie d’Achouffe ales, this is an unfiltered, unpasteurized beer (you can tell just by looking through the bottle).

Appearance - A gleaming golden ale. Great head on this. White and fluffy. It comes to life the moment it is poured out. Highly carbonated (a typical characteristic of Achouffe beers). Strong color and superb retention.

Smell - Wheat, honey, yeast, Saaz hops, pineapple and orange peel. Quite an impressive aroma. Lots to take in here.

Taste - After the second sip, it becomes apparent just how incredibly dry this blonde ale is. Whoa! Lots of Saaz hops and Pilsner hops sit on the palate after swallowing. Light fruits and sugars are also present, which help to balance this quite well. Grapefruit, honey, wheat, pineapple, light caramel, pine, bitter dry hops, orange peel all come rushing through. Well balanced with a shocking finish. An *extremely* dry aftertaste, which is interesting.

Mouthfeel - This is my favorite part to this beer, personally. It is extremely aggressive on the palate (but in a good way). Overall, nice and balanced. You can definitely feel this stimulate the front of your mouth the most, nearest the teeth and front part of the tongue. Lots and lots of carbonation here, too. This makes this beer really jump out at you!

Overall - Sharing many characteristics with a standard Begian-style blonde, this truly blurs the line between Tripel and Saison. It still has the qualities to that of Chouffe or Duvel, yet at the same time, somehow manages to make a confident leap into new territory. I also appreciate the craftsmanship here; using Chouffe yeast in the primary fermentation and Ommegang yeast in the secondary is a really interesting and creative way to make this a real collaborative ale. Definitely pick this up if you see it!

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 01:28:40 | More by Agent1

match1112

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

cloudy white honey colored body, two fingers of off white rise and fall into a creamy cap. nose is mainly tropical fruit with malts and funky yeast. taste realy brings out the mango and yeast. has a medium body with probably a little too much carbonation. a dry tobacco taste is left on the back of my tongue. the abv is well hidden and this is very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 02:52:15 | More by match1112

OttoPeeWee

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Fantastic darker golden beer with strange ameba forms floating about. Dense head, not as pillowy as some golden strong/tripels. Smells like hay/grass and funk. The taste is smooth honey, but not as sweet as some-more of an aftertaste of sweetness. This beer is thick almost chewy. Low carbonation very nice on the toungue.

This is a great one! And the price is right...

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 00:10:30 | More by OttoPeeWee

UDbeernut

New York

4.05/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Notes from on tap at the Dutch. Hazy golden hue capped by an abundant white head in my tulip glass. Nose is full of tropical fruit, and slight earthiness. Taste follows suit with the addition of spice from the yeast and light malt. Medium bodied, this is an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2012 12:54:40 | More by UDbeernut

Tschnab

New York

4.22/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- a slightly hazy pour with a golden body and a big white head with a good amount of floaties.

S- a surprisingly tropical rush starts off the aroma, very fruity mango papaya and peach, then a belgian yeast note followed by a spicy earthiness.

T- again, the tropical notes are really nice here, and accompany the more traditional flavors of yeast, honey, clove, alcohol esthers. A faint vanilla note comes in as the beer warms.

O- A very drinkable and fruity take on a BSPA, I really enjoyed the tropical notes.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 03:26:56 | More by Tschnab

DreamInOrange

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a globe glass. Beautiful beer when poured! It is a golden orange color, a bit cloudy with active carbonation and an off-white fluffy head. The smell was not as impressive as the appearance. It may still have been a bit chilled to fully let out the aromas. Evident smells are of apple and citrus and sweet alcohols. Taste is more complex than the smell. I get citrus and tropical fruits at first then some spice and a warming dry finish. A bit of a slick mouthfeel. Overall a really nice collaboration between two excellent breweries.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 02:13:35 | More by DreamInOrange

Stunner97

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance- so much going on in the appearance of this beer, its murky and cloudy yet can see alot of really beautiful bubbles streaming sharply, tan lacing remains on top beer, great appearance

Smell- light spice apples citrus and yeast,

Taste- starts up front with citrus and and sweetness that is very nicely tamed out by spices on the back end drying things up, overall nice balance and very mellow enjoyable flavor, the alcohol is very well hidden to point of not noticeable at all, i would say this beer may not be the absolute most complex but very balanced

Mouthfeel- very light crisp, and refreshing with smooth carbonation

drinkability/overall- this beer was really refreshing and well balanced certainly easy smooth drinking, this one struck me as one that would go well with alot foods or even just on its own, its not the most complex but makes up for it largely in sheer balance and smoothness

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 00:41:59 | More by Stunner97

Zorro

California

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Chill hazed amber colored ale with a small white colored head.

Strong and spicy hop aroma. Lots of coriander and flower aromas. Herbal hop aroma with a little bit of clove and mint in it. Lightly sweet smelling with a fruity aroma, but no particular fruit. I do smell roses in this.

Starts out mildly sweet with lots of herb and spice flavor. Slightly tart tasting like an unripe plum. Warming in the chest but no alcohol flavor. Curious flavor mix of peaches and roses.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall a good beer. Still this won't make me give up Hennepin anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 06:28:46 | More by Zorro

goldbot

District of Columbia

3.8/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear, pale golden to orange in color with silky, off-white foam and good head retention and a nice stream of active carbonation. Aroma is malty and wheaty with notes of honey, coriander, orange. Fruity, citrus hops. The taste is a bit muted but it has sweet, bready malts with a good spicy/fruity kick from the yeast. Fruity hops come in but are subtle, adding a nicely bitter aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 22:33:15 | More by goldbot

JayS2629

Alabama

3.95/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy yellow with huge white foam that falls fast but leaves spider web lacing. High carbonation.

The aroma of champagne with tropical notes of pinapple and mango. An herbal hops balances things out with metallic and medicinal yeasty tones. Orange and lemon zest.

The flavor is very tropical with coconut, pineapple and mango. A good sweet caramel touch on a cracker like body. Orange zest and citrus notes on an herbal hops with medicinal bandaid like notes. Mint and white wine.

Thin, highly carbonated with a little burn

Overall a nicely balanced, complex belgian style blonde.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 19:27:04 | More by JayS2629

chodinheaven

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pale and hazy blond in color with a sea foam 1.5 finger white head on top that slowly dissapates. A bit of patchy lacing. Lots of leftover settled yeast on the bottom of the bottle. A bit vinous in the nose, like a white wine with hints of underripe hard d'anjou pears. The alcohol gives a small pleasant burn. Some juicy tangerine floats up as well, rounding out a nicely balanced malty nose.

Champagne-esque feel to the body, only with a softer carbonation. It has that vinous quality however, finishing puckeringly dry and a nice long aftertaste. The taste itself has a nice juicy middle of the palate that is chock full of fruity esters. Crisp apple comes to mind, as do some citrusy flavors like lemon and tangerine. That juicy middle turns into a bone-dry finish in the back that cuts the sweeter flavors with an almost sour one. The malts are complexly sweet and dry at the same time, making for a really interesting background. The yeast gives this beer that extra little Belgian kick that really lets it shine, adding that needed layer of complexity.

Good beer here and one worth checking out if you're into the Belgian-style beers. Ommegang seems to do a great job in keeping with the Belgian tradition of brewing complex and tasty beers.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 04:21:24 | More by chodinheaven

brentk56

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a hazy apricot color with a modest head that leaves a decent amount of lacing behind

Smell: A blend of fruit (peach, mango and lemon), peppery yeast and grassy hops

Taste: A cornucopia of fruit, at the outset, with apricot, peach, mango, pear and lemon) joined, mid-palate, by the grassy hop and peppery yeast favors; the finish adds a bit of alcohol, though the aftertaste is rather sweet

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: I was expecting to be blown away by this beer but, alas, I wasn't; still, I respect the creation though I am not wild about the way the elements came together

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 01:12:15 | More by brentk56

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Strawberry blonde body with a finger of fine white head. Elegant lace honeycomb patterns.

Delightfully light, fruity nose with strawberry, pear, and grape.

Taste is fantastic to match the nose. A touch boozy, perhaps metallic. Other than that, it's a smooth wash of light fruit. Peach dominates, but there's plenty of other goodness in there. I may be imagining a trace of carrot.

Nice and smooth, but leaves a lingering tingle of the booze and carbonation.

Fantastic blonde (or in this case BSPA, in retrospect)-- at this strength more like a tripel, but with a bit more hop character, though not much.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2012 16:23:36 | More by zaphodchak

AgentMunky

California

4.43/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into a BrewDog cervoise glass. From notes. Reviewed 27 June 2011.

A: About a finger of head. The beer is a very cloudy dull yellow. It looks sort of like brown mustard. Opaque, but translucent. Not pretty but not unattractive. Scattered lacing.

S: Zesty yeast -- slight citrus? Very Belgian; quite nice. The spiciness is great.

T: Hugely good! Vague banana, à la wheat beer. Complex, tasty, and shockingly enjoyable. Sweet, creamy, and fruity. Unexpected flavours abound. Vanilla? Hard to describe, but incredibly good. The 9.5% shines, but gloriously so. Very impressive.

M: Smooth and clean with little carbonation. Almost sticky-sweet, almost strongly alcoholic. I really like this beer!

O: A fantastic collaboration. Slightly sweeter than anticipated from a BSPA, but still quite nice. I particularly enjoyed it cold. Very drinkable -- 750mL isn't enough; I want more. Absolutely recommended. Go get some!

Notes (from the website)
Style: Belgian-style Strong Blonde Ale
Malts: Pilsner, Carapils, Flaked Oats, flaked Red Wheat, Special B
Hops: two Saaz varieties, 3 additions
Spices: none
Sugar: yes
Yeast: Chouffe yeast in primary fermentation, Ommegang yeast in bottle conditioning
OG: 19.9 o Plato
FG: 2.9 o Plato
ABV: 9.5% abv
IBU: 19

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 21:19:45 | More by AgentMunky

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Semi cloudy gold. Yeast sediments are pretty apparent as they float around this ale. White head comes off 1" off the body.

Smell: Heavy yeast, light hops.

Taste: Much more magnified than the smell, I am doing cheese pairing with sharp cheddar and just an easy yeast and malty hops.

Mouth: Perfectly textured, this bear I would say is heavy carbonation some might say medium but I like it. Bubbles a little too much but compliments it's taste perfectly.

Overall:Originally picked this up expecting worse and ended up being outstanding. I was expecting a seasonal type of brew but ends up being a real fine ale that leaves you wanting more. Body is pretty well carbonated but not to the point where the head overwhelms the body. Hope you all enjoy and cheers to all.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 04:55:26 | More by BlurryVisi0n

Cresant

Kentucky

3.58/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served this 750 mL brown bottle in a Tripel Karmeliet glass. Best by 6/2014. Pkg date 6/27/11. The body was bright butterscotch with some haze. The head was white and creamy and maintained a solid cap. The was minimal lacing.

The smell was classic Belgian yeast aroma as well bubblegum, banana skins, and dirt.

The taste was rich Belgian yeast, lightly spicy hops, and fermenting fruit. Hints of pear.

The mouthfeel was medium to full bodied. Tongue prickling with modest carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 16:22:07 | More by Cresant

gdrydenc

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured from the 750ml bottle into an Ommegang glass.

A - Pours a cloudy straw with quite a bit of white head.

S - Smells heavily of bananas and lemons. The Belgian yeast adds a spiciness to it.

T - This hits the palate hard with Belgian spice, as well as the banana and lemon from the nose. Very dry and delicious.

M - I don't know whether I've ever had a beer with a more fitting mouthfeel. The carbonation is aggressive enough to fill the mouth, yet the bubbles are small to cover all surfaces.

Overall, this is a great beer. It is a nice collab from two good breweries. This is a very cool example of an interesting style and it holds it own very well.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 04:31:57 | More by gdrydenc