Collaboration Blondes Have More Fun: Gnomegang

True Belgian-Style Golden Ale
Sampled: June 8, 2011

Stick two of my favorite brewers on one label, then watch me salivate. This collaboration ale from Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe barely lasted a week in my collection. The actual collaboration is not surprising - Duvel Moortgat owns both A'Chouffe and Ommengang. The presentation is appropriate - Ommengang's standard label design, with d'Achouffe's signature gnome standing in the giant 'O'.

Acquired in Ohio (as with all my limited edition Ommegangs), the two set out to produce a golden ale. At 9.5 percent, it ranks with Brasserie DuPont's Avec Les Bons Voeux in alcohol strength. The body is deep orange, and the nose rich with spices. Combining the yeast strains of both breweries with two noble hop types and five malts, it’s a peculiar blonde ale, more Westmalle Tripel than Grimbergen Blonde.

The bitter character grips the palate with a strain of lemon atop a pile of bitter orange. A slice of passion fruit cuts between the finish and the bright orange body. Esters lies everywhere and a dose of fresh B vitamins fills out the spaces. It balances well with the bitter closing.

Gnomegang succeeds based on the yeasts. There are some fruit turns that I cannot easily describe. They help this ale veer away from becoming a Westmalle Tripel clone. That is not a bad formula to copy, but the brewing prowess of Ommegang and d’Achouffe overcomes any similarities in the recipes.

At 9.5 percent ABV, consider Gnomegang armed and dangerous. But it adds a new chapter to the expansive tome of Belgian golden ales.