Ommegeddon
Funkhouse Ale with Brettanomyces
From Batch #1, July 2007
8 percent Alcohol by Volume
Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, N.Y.
Sampled: February 24, 2008
It took a while, but Ommegeddon time finally arrived. The so-called Funkhouse ale pours cleanly into a 10th anniversary Ommegang glass with a minimally foamy head. The mildly fruit nose kicks up some citrus, and the taste emerges much thicker than the straw-gold body indicates. The flavor upticks nicely when the aptly-named funk breaks in and charges through an array of bitter textures on its way to the finish.
Ommegeddon cycles like few beers anywhere – it tastes like 2 wildly different yet complementary beers in one bottle.
Mixing dry hopping with bretts has proven a noble experiment. The extremely dry finish does not disappoint, but the bitterness vanishes in advance and turns into a medicine-like, herbal remedy territory. Honey, lemon and a faint bit of peppermint penetrate the thick citrus backdrop. Even some biscuit butteriness bumps in for a second, and proves surprisingly palatable here.
Ommegang’s lineup has yet to produce a dog. This one hangs back with Three Philosophers – it’s interesting and worth seeking out, but hardly an everyday libation.
Rating: 8.5/10
Lion Imperial Lager
Biyagama, Sri Lanka
Alcohol by volume: 8.8 percent
Sampled: March 15, 2008
Lagers beyond Europe typically follow the golden-straw blandness of America’s major brewers, but with its stout and this Imperial lager, Lion Brewery keeps Sri Lanka away from the pack of pale imitators.
The layered nose packs in perfume scents against a mild grainy flavor and texture that doesn’t approach pilsner levels of bitterness. The alcohol content elbows its way into that introduction – at 8.8 percent ABV, that’s good sign. Its crisp taste occasionally slips into rounded, buttery territory, but the bite all good lagers need comes to the fore.
The butteriness rises at the expense of the bitterness, and I find myself wishing Lion Imperial Lager punched with that hop bouquet a little harder. At no time does it present that high alcohol with any pepperiness; the flavors effectively mask it outside of the nose.
Trader Joe's 2007 Vintage Ale
Contract Brewed by Unibroue
for Trader Joe’s Brewing Co. San Jose, California
Alcohol: 9 percent by volume
Sampled: March 22, 2008
As in other fields, Trader Joe’s chooses its business partners well. Here, it’s contract brewing partnership with Unibroue strikes again. While the Quebec brewery’s reputation precedes itself, I must judge the Trader Joe’s version in a vacuum.
They picked a Dubbel-style ale for 2007, and perform admirably with their choice. The nose comes off as bitter, with molasses character backed by a slight chocolate and banana creaminess. The foamy head sticks around with a moist lace. The creaminess rolls on into its main taste, with the standard dark tastes mingling in its wake. The Vintage finishes bitter, with a pang of chocolate, fig and coffee wrapped in a surprising effervescence that never lets up through the ale’s entire course.
Unibroue has turned out another highly drinkable dark ale – this North American Dubbel can hold its own against anything from Belgium.
Very balanced in its flavors, somewhat secretive with its alcohol content, Trader Joe’s 2007 Vintage hits all the right style notes and stands away from Unibroue effectively.
As with all Trader Joe Vintage ales, I have a second bottle I plan to sample come 2010. They were smart enough to pick Unibroue for their contract brew, so I have to be smart enough to squirrel away an extra bottle of $4.99 Belgian-style Dubbel, one of the beer market's greatest steals.
Rating 7.5/10
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
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