Ommegang Inauguration Ale (Obamagang)

Brewed by Brewery Ommegang (Moortgat)
Style: Stout
Cooperstown, New York USA

Ommegang Inauguration Ale (Obamagang) is a hazy brown ale with a thin, dense brown sugar-colored head. The retention and lacing is very good. It smells like chocolate and coffee, a little leafy and sweet, like molasses. It’s medium bodied with a mineral texture. The finish is a little astringent. It tastes quite chocolaty and it’s well balanced with a pretty green hop bitterness. It’s a good, sturdy stout. [Sampled at the 2009 Flower City Brewers’ Fest at Frontier Field, Rochester, NY]

Cloudy muddy brown with a light tan head. What a stout should look like. Nose was full of sensual cocoa with hints of holiday spice and, well, silky smooth chocolate. Nice, what I would call, belgian stout flavors...like, I get a bit of some banana-like yeast esters under those silky chocolatey goodness. The hops, and they’re there...are 100% balancing the chocolately malts...not non-existent like some cheap stouts and not overly hoppy like all the bullshit west coast stouts...just perfectly balanced. I dug it fo sho...though it was one only a few decent beers at the flour city brewers fest in rochester and I had been drinking piss before and after it....I still think it could stand pretty firmly on its own.

A dark brown stout with a thick creamy moka head. A pleasant aroma of cherries, chocolate, lightly sour, with a light funk, very classy. In mouth, a nice bitter choclate with light Brett notes, cherries, medium bodied. Tap at BCTC 2009

Tap at BCTC 2009: Near black pour with a tan film of head. Chocolaty aroma meshes with mild roast and a subtle hint of cherry juice. Nice velvety texture. Nondescript roast in the flavor. Some apparent dry cocoa and a hardly notable note of cherry juice. One dimensional and underwhelming.

(draft @ The Old Toad - Rochester, NY) Dark brown pour with a thick tan head. Aroma is rich and chocolaty with hints of dark and tart cherries. Flavor is much the same. Chocolate covered cherries mixed with roasted malts and coffee. A bit thin for a stout and the aftertaste is very lightly tart. Glad I was able to try it.

tap @ Johns Creek TacoMac. Dark brown pour, light brown head, purple lips. Aroma of freshly baked brownies. Very much like the Chocolate Endulgence. Hint of fruit. Flavor is of a nice roasted malt, slight coffee, hint of cherry. Thin textured, full flavored, medium bodied. To be honest, take a taste of this beer now while it is here. I don’t see it being around for long... hopefully like his term. 6,5,7,5,15

Awesome brew. Tastes like a box of chocolate covered cherries. A must try.

Name: Obamagang
Date: June 10, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Taco Mac, Old Milton
Appearance: black, fint tan head with frothy edges, bits of lace
Aroma: chocolate aroma with a light cherry tartness
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, touch of chocolate powder character, light sweetness helps to bring out the chocolate, just a hint of the cherry tartness in the finish
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **+/4