Ommegang - Valar Morghulis

Ommegang Brewery

Valar Morghulis - Dubbel Ale (Game of Thrones edition)

The beer pours leaving a light and foamy head that is about a finger high.  The head goes down very slowly.  The color of this beer is beautiful rich mahogany that is barely transparent.  The color is very appealing.  The darkness of the beer along with the color is very enticing.

The aroma of this beer gives off a lot of smells.  I first noticed a wine like smell, rich with sugar and grapes.  I also get a little bit of candied sugar, yeast and cherry.  The smell is not at all overpowering at all.  

On the palate the carbonation is sharp but it hits you quickly then smooths out.  The flavor has a few different layers to it.  I get a little bit of cherry, grapes, and fig.  There is a creaminess that presents itself while drinking this beer that has some underlining notes of caramel.  There is a mild bit of bitterness and tart that appears on the very front end of the beer, and then re-appears after you have finished the sip.  

Overall I think this is a pretty good brew.  I enjoy the aroma, but I love the color.  The color of this beer is the most enticing part.  It is what really leads you into drinking the brew.  I feel the flavor is pretty good, but not the best part of the beer.  Overall I give this beer a 3.5 out of 5.

Pike Brewing - Pike Old Bawdy (2012)

The color of this beer is a nice a thick orange-copper.  It is a thick looking beer, barely even transparent.  The carbonation bubbles up the glass is thin little rows, it looks like a matrix code.  There is a tiny, thin ring of head around the top edge of the glass.  It's an alluring beer, the look draws you i

The aroma is sweet and rarely strong.  I notice notes of fig, caramel and candied sugar.  There is definitely an alcohol scent to this brew as well.  This beer isn't shy about presenting itself to you.  As soon as you top off the wax covered cap, the aroma jumps at you. The fruitiness and sweetness of this beer will make some people scared to drink it, but not me.

On the palate this beer is has the perfect amount of carbonation, it tickles the tongue and supports the flavors of the beer very well.  Just like the smell, this beer isn't shy when you taste it.  The first thing you will notice is that even though it smells super sweet, it has a bitter, hoppy body.  The caramel and dark fruits present themselves in the middle of the sip.  The hoppy bite stays with you through the sip, and lingers as the main aftertaste well after you have finished the swallow.  There is not a noticeable taste of the alcohol which I found a little surprising.  As the beer warms the bitterness settles down and blends in nicely with the other flavors, but it is still the main essence of the beer.

This beer is like a coin.  The smell says sweet, and the taste says bitter.  The look of this beer is awesome, I love the color and the way the bubbles streaming up the side.  The beer smells strong, full of sweet flavors and alcohol.  Then you taste it.  While you do get some of the sweeter flavors of the caramel and fig, the main essence of this beer is the hoppy backbone that carries through the sip.  I give this beer a 3.5 out of 5.

Finch's - Nuclear Winter

Finch's Beer Co.

Nuclear Winter - Belgain Dark Ale

This beer poured with a dirty copper color.  The head puffed up about an inch or more, and very slowly went down.  For a long time there was a thin layer of foam left of the top of the beer.  This slightly transparent beer was clouded with bubbles and yeast, that left a little sediment on the bottom of the glass.

The aroma of this beer is yeast, malt and dark fruit and some sweetness.  The a little bit of caramel and raisin.  I was expecting to get a hint of alcohol, but I didn't.  The smell gets little stronger the longer you let the beer and the sweeter aromas become more prevalent.  

Though the beer displayed a lot of bubbles, the carbonation is barely even there.  The carbonation barely tickles the tongue giving this beer a smooth creaminess.  The beer displays flavors of cracker, caramel, raisin, and finishes with a light but crisp bitterness to balance the whole thing out.  I again was waiting for there to be a warming alcohol sense, but it never came.  I hind that a little disappointing, I really enjoy that in these type of beers, but it didn't take away from the flavor.  

Overall this is a pretty good beer.  The appearance is a nice, the aroma was pretty good, and I think got better as it sat out, and it had good flavor.  I liked the barely there carbonation, and the smoothness of the brew.  The can art is awesome and made me laugh, so right there is a reason to go out and buy this beer.  I give it a 3.5 out of 5.