Ommegang Biere de Mars

Brewed by Brewery Ommegang (Moortgat)
Style: Bière de Garde
Cooperstown, New York USA

750ml from Sam’s, Durham. Batch 2. Been holding off cracking this but at the 8-month mark I figured there’d be enough funk to enjoy. Nice full pour, hazy amber and gleaming attractively. Sweet fruits in the nose with very mild brett. Carbonation is very active, and this works well for the dry-hopped component. Very drinkable, crisp and dry. But as far as the brett goes, it’s still only minimally there, along with some springlike pert flavors. Nothing wrong with it, just not especially complex or memorable (unliked well-aged Ommegeddon).

Pour is an orange with a large white head. Aroma is very fruity and spicy with a nice helping of funk. Flavor is more of a fruit to start then comes a bit of yeast and barnyard. Finishes tart and dry with a little of the brett left on the tounge. A stellar example of the style. If you have ever had a BDG and thought MEH, give this one a try it will open your eyes to what the style could be.

THOUGHTS: Nice funk. A little more than in Ommegedon I think. Nice but nothing too distinctive. Sure It was pretty bretty, but so are lots of things these days. I think I prefer sour wild yeasts to funky wild yeasts. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a hazy, medium to dark brownish orange with tiny, small and large body particles of a thin to average density (it was bottle conditioned) and a large to huge, off-white head that mostly diminished, but left excellent lacing. The aroma was light caramel malt, light to moderate hops, heavy leather cheese and cobweb yeasts, white wine and champagne. The initial flavor was acidic, slightly bitter, sweet and sour; while the finish was a little sour with an average on flavor and long on dryness duration. There was white wine, champagne, sour fruit, earthy yeast and a little hops. The medium body was dry with fizzy carbonation and a moderately astringent and dry finish. It mad me want to keep sipping.

750 into chimay glass. Batch #2 October 2008. Appearance is amber with a slight orangish hue, lots of rising carbonation, and a descent white head that help respectably well. Aroma is very bretty, balanced with coriander and belgian ale malt character. The flavor is nice upfront - predominantly bretty with a bit of a belgian ale backbone - but seems to fall apart after a second or two as it becomes quite watery tasting. MEdium to light body with medium to high carbonation. Overall: good, qufable and refreshing, but not worth the price at over $10 per 750.

750ml bottle thanks to jrob21. My wife drank half this, so lets say it is very quaffable. Pours a cloudy orange color with a very thick white head. A nice aroma of spices, yeast, apples, and other fruity notes. The flavor is very nice; grassy, apples, yeast, spices, and lots of Autumn flavors. Some tartness and funk. Very easygoing and flavorful. Very enjoyable. A great mouthfeel.

Batch 2, October 2008. Cloudy orange, nice spongy, dense head. Very nice aroma of funk, smoke, stone, and some fruity notes. As nice as the smell is, it tastes even better - I noted that seemed kind of "Orvally" - spicy crisp and nicely hopped. . Pretty refreshing, actually. As it warms, It becomes a bit more fruity. Very nice stuff.

Batch #2, October 2008. Bright amber color, thick khaki head that fades too fast ending as a thin patchy layer. Aroma shows an assortment of fruits; pears, cherries, apples, with spices and yeast. Flavors are light and fruity, same fruits from aroma are tasted with a spicy bite and sour barnyard funk towards the back end. Some candied dried fruit sweetness here too which I’m not sure I really like. Overall good but not great.

Poured a nice hazy orange color with good head and great lacing. Aroma was lots of fruits, some funkiness in there hayish. Flavor was lots of apples and other light fruits, there was almost an acidity to it like apples gone past ripe. Not a great one.