(COOPERSTOWN, NY) The cheerful gnomes of Belgian farmstead Brasserie d ‘Achouffe dropped by the Brewery Ommegang farmstead brewery in the summer of 2010.
They brought with them a typically gnomic idea: why not co-create a totally new beer to bridge both farmsteads across the Atlantic Ocean? The beer happily evolved through multiple pilot brews and tastings, resulting in a strong Belgian Golden Ale using Chouffe yeast in the primary fermentation and Ommegang yeast in the secondary. The lushly fruity and spicy yeast is a signature found in every Chouffe beer, and the combination of their yeast, our brewing skills, and our own yeast yielded a unique, flavorful, and aromatic dose of brewing magic. The beer was deemed a big success by Chouffe gnomes and Ommegang alike, was christened Gnomegang, and went into commercial production as a Limited Edition Ommegang ale for sale beginning in the second quarter of 2011.
In appearance, Gnomegang is a rich, translucent gold, with a big, fluffy white head. The high-carbonation is readily apparent. The nose focuses on distinctive clove aromas, combined with yeasty fruitiness typical of Chouffe beers. Flavors include ripe fruit, clove, light caramel, non-cloying candy sweetness, smooth maltiness, and well-balanced hopping. Mouthfeel offers a big, round body with full, fine carbonation. The finish is dry and warming, lingering gracefully.
Gnomegang is available in 750ML corked bottles and 1/6 barrels. It is available all across the US, and ships beginning early March for sales beginning late March to early April. A limited number of bottle samples are available for review by e-mail request to larry@ommegang.com.
Gnomegang Specs:
Style: Belgian-style Strong Blonde Ale
Malts: Pilsner, Carapils, Flaked Oats, flaked Red Wheat, Special B
Hops: two Saaz varieties, hopped 3 times
Spices: none
Sugar: yes
Yeast: Chouffe yeast in primary fermentation, Ommegang yeast in bottle conditioning
OG: 19.9 o Plato
FG: 2.9 o Plato
ABV: 9.5% abv
IBU: 19
750 ml bottle: Bottle-conditioned with Ommegang house yeast
1/6 bbl keg: Forced-carbonation
Brewery Ommegang opened in 1997 to craft-brew fine Belgian-style ales. The brewery creates six ales year-round as well as an extensive range of limited edition ales. The beers have won national following by connoisseurs of fine beer and are distributed in over forty states. Ommegang production and sales continue to grow rapidly and the company is in the process of significant physical expansion to meet growing demand. The brewery is located on a 140-acre farmstead in Cooperstown, New York and offers free daily tours and tastings, as well as a well-stocked brewery store and an online store. Ommegang is open every day of the year except for Christmas Eve day, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day, and New Year’s Day. For more info, contact info@ommegang.com, call 1-800-544-1809, or visit www.ommegang.com. Ommegang is a member of the Duvel family of fine beers.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
Diary of a Part-Time Monk: beer blogger takes on doppelbock fast for Lent
(Des Moines, IA) – Working to nourish their bodies through during the lengthy 46-day fast during Lent, the Paulaner monks of Neudeck ob der Au in Munich are credited with developing the doppelbock style of beer in the 17th century. Packed with carbohydrates, calories and vitamins, this unfiltered “liquid bread” sustained the monks from Ash Wednesday to Easter, and over 300 years later, the rich history and quality of this beer is well-known throughout the world. With this in mind, brewvana blogger J. Wilson is embarking on a historical study, fasting on doppelbock for the same 46-day stretch that the storied German monks once endured—and live to tell the tale.
“This will be no small undertaking,” said Wilson. “I will be working with both a doctor and a spiritual advisor as I attempt to tell the story of this facet of the monks’ livelihood.”
While the end product of the project will be a book, Wilson has set up a separate blog to chronicle elements of the fast as it unfolds. “The goal is to post short, daily tidbits on how the fast is proceeding, with occasional clips uploaded to brewvana’s YouTube channel ,” said Wilson.
An award-winning homebrewer, certified beer judge and journalist, Wilson teamed up with Eric Sorensen, head brewer at Rock Bottom—Des Moines to collaborate on a commercial-scale batch of Wilson’s bock recipe. The result, Illuminator Doppelbock, brewed with Weyermann Munich, Vienna and CaraMunich malts and hopped with Liberty hops, is “a bold, unfiltered monk’s Lenten session beer,” weighing in at 6.67 % alcohol by volume and 288 calories per 12-ounce serving.
“The alcohol is restrained compared to other doppelbocks on the market, but the 17th century monk beers would have been underattenuated, quite sweet and well-below today’s ABV expectation which starts around 7.5 percent,” said Wilson. “This beer is a thoughtful rendition that I hope will remain drinkable enough to be all I consume—aside from supplementary water—for 46 days. And I hope the folks that visit Rock Bottom to drink the rest of this labor of love enjoy it, too.”
Illuminator will be released at Rock Bottom—Des Moines (4508 University Avenue, West Des Moines 50266) on Fat Tuesday—March 8, 2011—with a special tapping at 6 p.m., followed by a crawfish boil at 7 p.m. Wilson’s fast begins on March 9, and continues through April 23. Follow along at
www.diaryofaparttimemonk.wordpress.com.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
Here’s the label for the Rum Barrel version of the Bohr and Dirac beers called Nielsbohrium. It is the result of a collaboration between Cigar City Brewing and Mikkeller. This imperial stout will be sold in 750s.
Saranac has received approval for Summer Ale cans and Ellicottville Brewing received approval for Mow Master Ultra Pale Ale.
D.G. Yuengling and Son will host an Oktoberfest beginning in 2011 at the SteelStacks performing arts venue in South Side Bethlehem and also sponsor 200 concerts at the Musikfest Cafe, which is under construction at the former Bethlehem Steel site.
The brewer — which also announced it would make a new seasonal Oktoberfest beer — plans to hold the festival each year at a 130-foot by 260-foot tent to be called Yuengling Festhalle. The inaugural event is scheduled for the last weekend of September and the first weekend of October next year.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
Looks like a lot has “gone down” in the 7 days I was away visiting the Struise brewers in West Flanders, Belgium. I had the unique opportunity to brew with one of the best brewers in Belgium, Urbain Coutteau of the Struise Brouwers. The brewery they use, Deca, pre-dates World War 1 and yet these guys finesse some of the most sought after beers in the world. Pannepot is perhaps the most well know but they produce many styles including Black Albert, a Belgian Royal Stout at 13% abv!!
I brought my Kate the Great recipe over and with a little tweaking we brewed a batch of KtG at Deca. The brewery has a mash tun made of cast iron, copper and stainless with an antique rake/mixing system equipment (to say the least). I have some video which I will try to edit and post this week so you can see what the Struise brewers are dealing with. Back to the brew with Kate…. the extract came out of the mash tun well and the boil, also, went well. We had to substitute some European hops for American varieties as Urbain does not use many American hops, so Kate is going to be a little different than what we make here. We used a “Chico” style yeast as well as some “Fullers” style yeast. Soon Urbain will pitch some of the Struise house strain to give KtG a bit of Belgium character. Kate was quite lonely sitting in Fermentation vat #1 all alone so Urbain was kind enough to brew a batch of Albert the following day to keep Kate company in Fermentation vat#2. Who knows what might happen next!!? Kabert perhaps? We’ll have to wait a few months to see the outcome of maturation.
Struise said on Facebook, “Have patience until next September. This beer will be imported officially in the USA, also present on the web-shop, shop and different Belgian distributors. We’ll keep you informed.”
As for Outblack, the collaboration with Stillwater Artisanal, will be available March 3rd in Belgium but Stillwater’s Brian Strumke said that this beer and Jaded won’t be imported through Twelve Percent Imports until this summer. Both should be featured at American Craft Beer Fest.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
Looks like a lot has “gone down” in the 7 days I was away visiting the Struise brewers in West Flanders, Belgium. I had the unique opportunity to brew with one of the best brewers in Belgium, Urbain Coutteau of the Struise Brouwers. The brewery they use, Deca, pre-dates World War 1 and yet these guys finesse some of the most sought after beers in the world. Pannepot is perhaps the most well know but they produce many styles including Black Albert, a Belgian Royal Stout at 13% abv!!
I brought my Kate the Great recipe over and with a little tweaking we brewed a batch of KtG at Deca. The brewery has a mash tun made of cast iron, copper and stainless with an antique rake/mixing system equipment (to say the least). I have some video which I will try to edit and post this week so you can see what the Struise brewers are dealing with. Back to the brew with Kate…. the extract came out of the mash tun well and the boil, also, went well. We had to substitute some European hops for American varieties as Urbain does not use many American hops, so Kate is going to be a little different than what we make here. We used a “Chico” style yeast as well as some “Fullers” style yeast. Soon Urbain will pitch some of the Struise house strain to give KtG a bit of Belgium character. Kate was quite lonely sitting in Fermentation vat #1 all alone so Urbain was kind enough to brew a batch of Albert the following day to keep Kate company in Fermentation vat#2. Who knows what might happen next!!? Kabert perhaps? We’ll have to wait a few months to see the outcome of maturation.
Struise said on Facebook, “Have patience until next September. This beer will be imported officially in the USA, also present on the web-shop, shop and different Belgian distributors. We’ll keep you informed.”
As for Outblack, the collaboration with Stillwater Artisanal, will be available March 3rd in Belgium but Stillwater’s Brian Strumke said that this beer and Jaded won’t be imported through Twelve Percent Imports until this summer. Both should be featured at American Craft Beer Fest.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
(Copenhagen, DENMARK) – Mikkeller has two more coming to the U.S. this year.
Mikkeller will release another version of Barrel-Aged Black Hole in 2011, this time in tequila barrels. The beer is brewed coffee, vanilla and honey. It will be imported in 12.7 ml bottles.
Next, Mikkel has teamed up with a fellow brewer from Copenhagen. Per To Øl‘s website, “‘To Øl’ (or “Tool” if you prefer) is a danish brewery based in Copenhagen. Within its short history (of commercial brewing!) To Øl has received an amazing amount of positive feedback for its challenging and ‘no compromises made with the taste or quality’ brewing style [...]” Øl translates to beer in Danish.
The beer is called Overall IPA and the brewery has some “interesting” clips promoting the beer. Overall, in this case, refers to overalls.
Overall IPA beer stats:
Ingredients: Water, Malt, Oats, Hops (Simcoe, Amarillo, Centennial) and yeast.
Alc: 10.5% Contents: 330 ml (11.2 oz)
Brewed at The Proef Brouwerij, Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
(Tampa, FL) – Cigar City Brewing and Mikkeller‘s recent collaborations were approved this week.
The difference between the two beers is not made clear from the labels. It looks like Shaun Hill from Hill Farmstead provided the inspiration for the names. Both will be sold in 750s.
Bohr Stout label copy:
“Neils Bohr was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1885. His contributions to our understanding of the physical world have made him one of Denmark’s most famous citizens and one of the 20th century’s most influential scientists. In 1922, Bohr was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics “for his services in the investigation of the structure of atoms and of the radiation emanating from them.” A prolific scientific collaborator, Bohr mentored many of the great scientific minds of the 20th century.
The recipe for this stout [10% ABV, brewed with raisins and spice] was conceived by Mikkeller and brewed in collaboration with Cigar City Brewing.”
Dirac Stout label copy:
“Born: 8-8-1902 Bristol, England. Died: 20-10-1984 Tallahassee, Florida. Paul Dirac was one of the founders of what became modern Quantum Mechanics and along with Erwin Schrodinger won the Nobel Prize in 1933.
The recipe for this stout [10% ABV, brewed with raisins and spice] was conceived by Wayne Wambles, Head Brewer at Cigar City Brewing and brewed in collaboration with Mikkeller.”
If I recall correctly some of this beer will be squirreled away in rum barrels.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
…Two Gypsies Our Side, an all-gypsy brewer collaboration from Mikkeller and Stillwater Ales, debuts on tap next week with a very limited initial run. Beer in Baltimore has the full details. There’s a “label description” so I’m inferring that this will be bottled. [Update: Brad from BiB wrote that bottles are coming in February.]
…Ithaca LeBleu will be available once again at the brewery beginning at 11am. There is a one case limit.
…Three Floyds announced on Twitter that Jinx Proof is back on tap and available in bottles. A new 9% ABV Weizen Bock called Krunk Monk is now on tap.
…From the Yuengling blog, “Yuengling Bock Beer is returning to the marketplace for a limited time beginning in February 2011! This much anticipated seasonal offering from Yuengling was initially brought back in honor of our 180th Anniversary and has been a great success since it was introduced in 2009.”
…Oakshire Brewing has just released a new Single Batch Series beer. It is an English Style Pale Ale called, “Willamette Dammit.” More info here.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
(Copenhagen, DENMARK) – Two more approvals from Mikkeller…
The first is a red wine barrel-aged version of Monk’s Brew (a.k.a. Monk’s Elixir). Here is the description on the base beer via RateBeer:
Monk’s Elixir is a heavy dark Belgian ale inspired by the Trappist monasteries of Rochefort and Westvleteren. The beer style, characterized by its high content of alcohol, distinguishes itself by its dominant yeast character, delicious malt background and balanced hop notes.
Look for Barrel-Aged Monk’s Brew in 330ml bottles next year. In addition to that one, a beer called, “Two Gypsies: Our Side Ale” got draft approval. The beer is a collaboration with fellow gypsy brewery, Stillwater Artisanal Ales. Both breweries were featured in The Atlantic in October for their increasingly common business model of an alternating proprietorship. Two Gypsies was brewed in the U.S.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
(Chico, CA) – (08/06/2010) – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. announced a partnership with the Trappist-Cistercian Abbey of New Clairvaux to create the only authentic Trappist-style Abbey ales in America.
For nearly 1000 years, monks have been brewing ales behind monastery walls. Their closely guarded traditions and techniques produced styles of beer unlike anything else in the world. These unique Trappist-style Abbey ales are known for their uncompromising quality and compelling flavor. In 2011, Sierra Nevada and the Trappist-Cistercian Abbey of New Clairvaux are working to bring this centuries-old tradition to America with Ovila—the nation’s only authentic Trappist-style Abbey Ale.
This series of three Belgian -style Abbey ales is made in accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the monks. Each beer will be only be available for a limited time and will rotate through the seasons. The first beer in the series, scheduled for release in March, will be a Belgian-style Dubbel brewed with authentic Trappist yeast. The second beer in the series, scheduled for release in July, will be a Saison, the traditional Belgian-style farmhouse ale made in honor of the Monk’s dedication to labor in the fields surrounding their abbey. The third will be released in time for the holidays. It will be a Trappist-style Quadrupel rich with dark fruit flavors and the unique wine-like characters of these strong Abbey ales.
Proceeds from this project will benefit the monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux in their efforts to rebuild an architectural marvel—a 12th century, early-gothic Cistercian chapter house—on their grounds in Vina, California a few miles north of Sierra Nevada’s home in Chico. The medieval chapterhouse—Santa Maria de Ovila—was begun in 1190, near the village of Trillo, Spain.
Cistercian monks lived, prayed, and worked there for nearly 800 years. In 1931, California newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst purchased the abbey and shipped it to Northern California. Hearst’s plans were never realized, and the stones fell into disrepair. In 1994, the Trappist-Cistercian monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux, gained possession of the ruins, and began the painstaking stone-by-stone reconstruction of the historic abbey.
Located in Vina, California, the Abbey of New Clairvaux is a Cistercian Abbey of Strict Observance (Trappist). The abbey was founded in 1955 on 590 acres of Leland Stanford’s famed Vina Ranch. The monks follow the Rule of St. Benedict—Ora est Labora (Prayer and Work) and spend their days in prayer, meditation, and tending to the labor of the working farm located at the abbey.
Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is one of America’s first microbreweries and remains highly regarded for using only whole-cone hops and ingredients of the finest quality. Sierra Nevada has set the standard for artisan brewers worldwide as a winner of numerous awards for their line of beers and ales including the flagship Pale Ale, Torpedo, Porter, Stout, Kellerweis, four seasonal beers, Estate Ale, Harvest Ale series and a host of draft-only specialties.
[Disclaimer: Beernews.org is a leader in craft beer news and is the original source of this article. If you would like to check out more, please visit the original site. Thanks!]
