What do you get when you take 2 of the greatest breweries in the world and make a collaboration beer with ingredients from each? Let's see ...
Brasserie d'Achouffe from Achouffe, Belgium and Brewery Ommegang from Cooperstown, New York are both owned by Duvel, so I guess it is logical that they would collaborate on a project. The beers, however, are fairly similar and each fantastic in it's own right, so really, what good could come of making a beer with components of each? Five malts ... Pilsner, Carapils, Flaked Oats, flaked Red Wheat, Special B are used in the mix along with 2 Saaz hops, added 3 times. "The yeasts" you ask? Because really, Belgian Ales are all about the yeasts. Well, the distinctive Achouffe yeast is used in the primary fermentation and then the just as distinctive Ommegang yeast is used for the secondary bottle fermentation. Damn.The beer pours a cloudyish golden apricot color with floating goodies and a huge head that slowly dissapates leaving lovely lacing. The smell is sweetish, earthy, fruity, and with the expected bananas and alcohol ethers. The flavor... Mother Goose... the flavor. Bready, bananas, pepper, sugar and spice and oh so incredibly nice. It is a bit dry and the hops only become apparent at the end. This is one amazing beer and even if you don't particularly like this style it is worth the effort to find.
So what do you get? A beer that makes you go booiiinggggg ... instant wood (metaphorically speaking, of course). Grab one, or two ... hell, grab all that you can get your hands on. My guess is that this one will age very well.
Brewery Ommegang
656 County Highway 33
Cooperstown, NY 13326
http://www.ommegang.com/
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