Seduction - Brewery Ommegang

charlzm

California

3.28/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Consumed February 25th, 2012 at Blue Palms, Hollywood, CA.

Beer is a nearly-black dark brown. A thin skin of creamy and very fine tan bubbles provides excellent sheeting in the glass.

My nose detects cherries... and not much else.

Flavor is a rich dark malt up front with lots of sweet cherry. Lots. Some chocolate notes on the finish. Low bitterness. A little more would have been nice to cut the sweetness.

Mouthfeel is slightly thick but otherwise unremarkable.

A nice effort, but not something I can see myself drinking again unless the formula changes to tone down the cherries and boost the malts and bitterness a tad.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2012 04:40:41 | More by charlzm

wvsabbath

West Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving Type - 22 oz caged and corked bottle

Appearance - Dark tanish black/brown with a insane 4+ inch head and tons of lacing.

Smell - Roasted malts, cocoa,chocolate, fruity notes and spices, cherry, grapes and belgium yeasts.

Taste - Starts with cocoa and belgian spices, sweet cherry and grapes. Creamy, fruity yet the backbone is cocoa and chocolate. Malts are a little buried as is the yeasts. The more it warms, the more porter comes out. Finish is a little bitter/sour with added sugars and a pine/lemon flavor.

Mouthfeel - Thick, bold and plenty of flavor. Tounge gets alot of cocoa and chocolate, were the palate gets more spices and fruits. Afertaste is a little sour and dry with a trace of cocoa.

Overall - Tasty, and different, a specialty beer, for sure worth a drink. Its pricey but not something you'd drink all the time. Nice combo of a porter and strong ale, the balance is surprizingly good and quite enjoyable. Give it a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 01:41:32 | More by wvsabbath

puboflyons

New Hampshire

4.15/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the corked, caged 750 ml. bottle. Sampled on June 16, 2012, which was also my birthday. This was my birthday gift to myself. The cork flew rapidly across the room when I popped it off and a whole lot of carbonated smoke emitted from the bottle. The color was black as night with a delicate, lingering tan head and plenty of lacing around the glass. The aroma was vibrant with chocolate and other dark malts with a slight coffee grind backdrop and yeast. The body was medium. The taste had a decent chocolate element up front with a semi-dry hop finish.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 00:24:32 | More by puboflyons

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml caged and corked bottle. "Malt Beverage". What a poor connotation for what I presume is intended here.

This beer pours a deep, dark cola brown hue, with slight reddish highlights, and a ton of puffy, foamy, and somewhat creamy beige head, which seems nice and tight, as it forms a tiny honeycomb-esque vista from the side of the glass. It settles quite slowly, as expected, leaving some very random splotches of lace here and there around the glass.

It smells of sharp yeasty, toasted wheat grain, bitter dark chocolate, and astringent black fruit esters. Yes, the nose is a prickly one. The taste is more lightly roasted malt, a whole lot more gritty chocolate than wheat grain at this point, with a nice undercurrent of sour cherry fruitiness. Some dusty, leafy hops lend to the rapidly impressive flavour profile.

The carbonation is quite sprightly at first, but settles down to a low stupor soon enough, the body a sturdy medium weight, some pithy fruitiness taking away just a bit from a generally luxurious smoothness. It finishes fairly off-dry, though the tempered sweetness of the cocoa and fruit are kept well in check, mostly voluntarily, it would seem, the hops really just content to perform their behind the scenes drudgery.

One sexy-ass beer, this. Chocolate and tart cherry, ensconced in a dense, dunkel-like enviroment. It took a little more than a hello, but not much more to have me. Oh my. Too bad about the 26 dollar price tag then, eh?

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 03:21:06 | More by biboergosum

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer is a dark red/brown colour. Minimal tan head; good lacing.

Roasted malt and chocolate in the nose. Quite nutty. Belgian yeast is there as well.

Chocolate is the biggest flavour, along with dark fruit and sweet malt. Yeast and a nutty flavour.

Full bodied, moderate to full carbonation. A bit too fizzy.

Overall, a nice beer. Chocolate is big and so one can only drink so much of it. I would slot this in the Belgian Stout category.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2012 00:22:38 | More by jrenihan

matjack85

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Comes in a wire caged and corked 750ml brown bottle with no freshness date, but with a hefty price tag of $13.49 from the Binny's store in Bloomingdale, IL.

Dark brown color with a 2½ finger tan head that took over 3 minutes to go down. Lacing was decent.

Chocolate, roasted malt,, dark fruits, and a touch of alcohol in the nose.

Good amount of chocolate flavor in here along with roasted malt, Belgian yeast, cherries, and a touch of alcohol.

Medium bodied with a slightly higher than average carbonation level.

I liked this, but it didn't seduce me enough to want a second bottle at that $13.49 price.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 09:18:05 | More by matjack85

psuKinger

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle brought to a *tasting* at a local BYOB BBQ place by my buddy Griff. Poured into one of my Dogfish tasting glasses.

A: Deep dark brown with a fluffy tan head on top, one fingers worth, with a little sediment at the bottom.

S: Very *roasty*, with cocoa discernible.

T: Cocoa up front, and very pronounced. Dark, roasted malts, and touch of *coffee* flavors arrives near the middle and dominate all the way to the end. A hint of cherry can be detected near the middle as well, and it finishes with a delicate display of Belgian yeast and candied sugars.

To my surprise, the bottle confirms that this is essentially a "Belgian porter". I've never had anything like that

M: Light and creamy, with great carbonation. Finishes dry.

D/O: Tasty, but a bit of a novelty beer. Would certainly repeat at a future date, but wouldn't want more than 10-15 ounces at a time.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 18:18:15 | More by psuKinger

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a dark brown with a touch of ruby mixed in and a finger of frothy chocolate colored head. The head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some thick lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of roasted dark chocolate malts and sweet dark fruit alongside some coffee and tart and sour cherry, with a bit of Belgian yeast character.

T - Starts off with some sweet dark fruit and roasted dark chocolate malts and cocoa with a bit of sour cherry. Through the middle, some coffee comes through with some tart cherry and some fruity Belgian yeasts. The finish is a mix of sour cherry with some cocoa, roasted malts, and a bit of dark fruit.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate-minus carbonation. Feels smooth and a touch thick with a sweet and lightly sour finish.

D - Very drinkable. Really nicely balanced with a great mix of chocolate flavors and the sour cherry flavor.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 04:54:15 | More by ngeunit1

Brewmeist

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap into 10oz snifter.

Appears to be a dark brown nutty color, has some average lacing, opaque. Smells of clove, and maltiness not so much of any hop or alcohol presense. Tastes like a Belgian dubble, has a nice malty sweetness about it, and its pleasant to drink, a touch roasty. Has some belgian yeast in there. Not rough on the pallette, good carbonation. I'd say try it on because its a limited release, but if you want the real deal drink a bornem xx.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2012 17:10:37 | More by Brewmeist

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've been cellaring this for a few months now to use for a nice BYOB in the area. I just opened it last night to use at a local restaurant that specializes in meals that feature beer as an ingredient. I felt like a blend would pair with many different dishes.

This belgian/porter blend really hit the spot. In the nose you get some coffee and sour yeastiness. I tasted a good dose of cocoa in each sip. There was a lot of different flavors going on with each pull.

This was a good beer. I'd recommend it if you see it on the menu, but you don't need to go out of your way to get a bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 00:59:53 | More by ummswimmin

Pencible

Virginia

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: This poured a nearly opaque black cherry with fluffy tan head.
S: It smelled like bitter dark chocolate with some wild Belgian yeast and roasted coffee and pumpernickel.
T: It tasted like dark chocolate and wild Belgian yeast, with some sour cherry and roasted coffee and fresh wheat and pumpernickel bread. It had a clean and smooth sour aftertaste.
M: It was thick and smooth with lots of natural carbonation. Nice slick body.
D: This was a nice Belgian Dark Ale, but not terribly unique. I wish it had more cherry character. It still had a nice scent and taste and body otherwise. The alcohol wasn't noticeable, and it had a mellow finish, so it was easy to drink. Seemed like it could really age well, but it was definitely nice fresh (even if not extremely memorable).

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 19:04:43 | More by Pencible

martyl1000

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Cooper's Tavern, tail end of Madison Craft Beer Week. Was great to get to try all these Ommegang beers on tap.

Lacing like I'd never seen before -- we're talking meringue-like coating on the glass that really stuck around. (Still don't really know what that represents as far as quality goes.)

Was expecting more fruit flavor, like the cherry so many other reviewers have mentioned, and was expecting a lot of chocolate, too. Instead, flavors were tame, diffuse, hard to pin down. That's fine. Was very drinkable. Good feel in the mouth, medium- to full-bodied, no, more medium, that head and lacing worth a second mention.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2012 07:24:35 | More by martyl1000

Beer_Runner

3.83/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

No "enjoy by" date.
Poured slowly into a standard pint glass.

A: A very thin beige had that disapated quickly into a thin ring around the side of the glass. The beer is dark brown and opaque.

S: The aroma is very light. Some chocolate and tart cherry, and just a touch of booze, too.

M: Very smooth and creamy. A full body but not really heavy. There is just a little carbonation. The creaminess makes the beer seem lighter.

T: A sweet dark malt in the begining, but not too sweet. Then there is a blend of chocolate and cherries.

O: The tastes blend together very nicely. It is a very pleasant beer. The creamy mouthfeel also makes this beer standout.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 21:00:25 | More by Beer_Runner

KajII

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

[Best served in a Trappist glass]

The pour was a thick dark brown with ruby highlights and a large (2-3 finger) light brown creamy head that was mostly lasting, receding down to a large fluffy cap with excellent sheets of sticky streaky lacing.

The aroma was of a roasted chocolate malt, a resin hop and a dark leathery yeast with notes of chocolate, coffee, molasses and a bit of cherry.

The taste was malty sweet and mildly bitter with notes of molasses and chocolate from the onset, and then progressed slowly into a more pronounced bitterness with some nice coffee and cherry characteristics. The flavor lasted a nice long while, allowing the chocolate, cherry and coffee flavors to meld together nicely.

Mouthfeel was slightly under full in body with a dry creamy texture and an almost medium carbonation.

Overall I have to say this brewer has done it again, this time with a fantastic twist on an old style Porter...

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 15:49:02 | More by KajII

SLeffler27

New York

3.68/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Builds two inches of foamy chestnut that lasts a long time, leaving thick patches of lace. The Ommegang flute brings out deep, dark, red highlights in an otherwise dark rust brown beer.

Seduction is quite fruity with cherry and wine-like character. The background carries lots of berries and some chocolate.

Up front there is chocolate with subdued berries. Seduction starts sweet and ends lightly bitter. Bitterness carries into a modest finish. Warmth brings out currents, dark spices and some pine.

This is a medium to full bodied beer with alcohol about as expected. As is typical of Ommegang beers it is well carbonated. The texture is rough and there is a mild astringency.

This is a sipping beer that works well with a meal but can hold its own.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 21:27:59 | More by SLeffler27

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a snifter, the beer is a dark brown into black coloring with chestnut highlights and a thick, frothy, chunky light brown head that starts around 2 inches and settles into a solid half an inch. Aromas of milk and dark chocolate, as well as some dark and rich fruit sweetness and a slight roasting. Flavors are rich and roasted, with a toasty, chocolate bittersweet backbone, some earthy highlights, and a dark, tart, sweet cherry highlight that brings a combination like a dark cherry cordial. Very smooth and very tasty. The aftertaste is rich and chocolatey, with a dark and bitter richness to it. Great lacing left along the glass as you drink. The finish is slightly cloying, but mostly bitter and dry, with a decent linger that begs to continue drinking. Good, strong flavored beer that makes a great sipper, and with the managable ABV you can really drink this all night. Tasty.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 00:15:04 | More by GarthDanielson

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Draft at Capones in Norristown, PA.

Pours a deep dark brown color thats almost black with mahogany edges and two finger beige head.  great retention only slowly fading into a lasting ring that leaves thick chunks of lacing behind.

Slightly roasted dark malt aroma with hints of dark chocolate, toffee, toast and coffee along with subtle dark fruit notes.  Hints of cherry, plum and other dark berries.  Decent but kind of an average nose.

Medium bodied with a slight creamy texture and a good balance of silky, dark malt and tart, dark fruit.  Slightly smokey/roasty but still smooth wih milk and dark chocolate notes as well as some toffee and caramel countered by vinous dark berries. Well balanced and very drinkable.  One of the best in the series.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2012 19:23:50 | More by corby112

DM1293

California

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - ...man. I think this is the blackest beer I've ever seen. If I may quote Spinal Tap: "It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black." Almost no light gets through..what does though only shows up the darkest shade of brown.

Smell - ...Subtle? I couldn't really place the notes here.

Taste - You could've told me this was Fransizkaner's dunkel and fooled me. Has that same sort of thick semi-spiced nature to it. The porter nature comes out in the chocolate...but I had the hardest time making those notes appear clearer. I really had to flesh out the beer in my mouth, swishing it a little on the tongue.

When it did come up, it was rather faint tartness of cherry and chocolate.

Mouthfeel - Nice and creamy, as it should be.

Overall - I don't really know if I like or hate this beer. Its not quite a porter. I don't think its quite a Belgian Dark either. I think this beer is walking some kind of thin line between styles.

If I called it a porter, it does taste better than other porters I've had. But at the same time, I don't think I'd ever really revisit this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 18:57:42 | More by DM1293

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.63/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a snifter.

Appearance: Dark brown, honestly it is borderline black. Tan head not too thick but rises pretty high at first to roughly 2 fingers length.

Smell: Mmmm, smells incredibly...sticky with hints of chocolate and yeast.

Taste: Bitter and somewhat sour, you feel the yeast but then the bitter most chocolate feel.

Mouth: Good but not great due to it's funky after taste.

Overall: It is described as a belgian style porter and tastes like one but hard to grasp. I have drank fine porters in my day and this is good but not in the graces of greatness.I will add this is an acquired taste you will like it more as the glasses finishes I figure I would add that so you can take to mind. Salud!

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 05:15:55 | More by BlurryVisi0n

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

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

750mL into tulip. shared w/ nobody. review #450.

A: this is not actually totally pitch black. as i hold it to the light, ruby highlights can be seen around the edges. head starts big and bubbly and is a very light shade of tan. retention is good as is the thick lacing. typical looking brew for ommegang.

S: marachino cherries and dark, roasted grain. more and more cherry aroma as i revisit the glass. bits of char as well remind me that it is still a porter.

T: the cherry aspect grows as i progress through the bottle/as it warms. very similar to the nose. the carbonation make each strong sip slightly refreshing. no heat detected. the finish lingers with a cherry sweetness backed by the the sweet dark malts. the flavors work well together.

M: mouthfeel is a on the more serious side of medium. lots of fizz. success on the bottle conditioning.

D: this porter kind of sneaks up on you. flavor drinks more like a lower ABV porter, while it is in fact pretty robust. the cherry sweetness knocks the roast back a notch and makes every sip enjoyable. wish it wasnt such a pricey bottle, but certainly worth popping for a special event.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 04:03:44 | More by Jimmys

Murrhey

Montana

3.45/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a snifter. Reviewed from notes.

A- Finger width mocha colored head. Dark color.

S- Roast malts, some mild hops and chocolate.

T- Boozy notes, but subtle. Caramel and chocolate.

M- Heavier, not quite syrupy thick but closer.

O- Tasty and smooth for a low abv.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 03:02:19 | More by Murrhey

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A 750 mL corked and caged bottle. In a Duvel mini and shared with ksak.

A: Dark ale? Appropriate, like the new-fangled Belgian stouts that never quite took hold. In this case, the ale looks like a stout - black with a tan-colored head. That head, over a finger and a half on pour, is lacing nicely all around the curvy upper section of my glass.

S: Belgian chocolate and fruits, plenty of sweetness to around. The chocolate is semi-sweet, at times turning bitter while the fruit is fleshy and dark. The yeast is active, adding to the sweetness that, at times, overruns the chocolate.

T: Interesting amalgum of flavors, with the cocoa nibs adding dark sweetness and mild bitterness. The yeast adds a significant aspect, driving dark fruity sweetness - think fleshy fruits, cherries and plums. The yeast lends Ommegang's house flavor to the beer, estery especially near the finish. The roasted flavors, paired with the yeast, are some of the most Belgian that I've encountered.

M: The mouthfeel is sweet but well roasted. All things being equal, Ommegang's special releases haven't been exciting in a few years. This is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 02:11:03 | More by akorsak

nitro0292

New York

3.95/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Almost pitch black, tan head that never fully dissipates. Nice lacing down the Chimay goblet.

Aroma of Belgian yeast and dark malts. Chocolate covered dark fruits, like figs and raisins.

Taste is more of the same, dark ripe fruits with smoke and bitter dark malts.

Mouthfeel is typical stout, medium body but with fairly high carbonation.

Not bad, interesting brew from ommegang.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 00:32:07 | More by nitro0292

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.53/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Deep brown, almost black with a big tan head.

S - Primarily chocolate with some roasted malts and dark fruits.

T - Chocolate, roasted malts, cherries, dark fruits, belgian yeast esters.

M - Medium body with lively carbonation making it seem a bit full.

D - Haven't been a fan of roasted malts and belgian yeasts.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 04:00:49 | More by brewcrew76

ehammond1

California

2.25/5  rDev -40.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

On Tap

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

Nearly black in color with a moderately sized light brown head. This doesn't leave much stick to the glass and the body of the beer looks thin.

The aroma is the best aspect of this beer, and it isn't very good to begin with. There's some mild, artificial chocolate notes, along with a hint of medicinal, tart cherry.

The flavor doesn't work. The chocolate flavor seems hollow and stale, the cherry medicinal, and the overall flavor of the yeast slightly tang and tart, which clashes with the other flavors.

Thin body for the style without a lot of active carbonation.

I won't have another.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2012 14:56:33 | More by ehammond1