Gnomegang

Gnomegang with a tulip glass. Copyright 2017 by Andrew Dunn.

Life has gotten in the way of this blog, badly. I am again two months behind in posting. But I have taught two summer classes, taken care of some personal obligations, and gone through a small last-minute travel crisis.

That last one was a killer. Less than a month away from our big trip to Belgium, obviously a big deal for this blog, and I noticed that my passport had a big rip in it on the signature page.

The wife and I had to drive five hours to Atlanta to get me a new one at the passport agency there. Our friends were gracious enough to put us up for the night in Athens, Georgia, just a short drive from the city. Though it took some serious logistics, my new passport arrived in the mail a few days ago with only a week to spare until we travel. Yay!

In other news, my parents celebrated their 49th anniversary on July 5. So we celebrated with them this weekend. My wife and I celebrated our fifth anniversary last month, which is the whole reason we are going to Europe this summer.

The day before my parents’ anniversary was the Fourth of July, USA’s Independence Day. To mark the occasion and to celebrate getting my passport taken care of, I decided to turn to an American Belgian beer.

Gnomegang is a collaboration between Brewery Ommegang, an American brewer in Cooperstown, New York, and Brewery Achouffe, a Belgian brewer in the town of the same name. Both are owned by Belgium’s Duvel-Moortgat Brewery.

The beer is brewed with Chouffe yeast and bottle fermented with Ommegang yeast. I have avoided reviewing any American beers up to now, but this blonde ale seemed to be worthy of inclusion given its Belgian pedigree. Plus, we leave for Europe on Wednesday, so it is a nice tie-in.

Smell: Tart fruity smell with some funk.

Gnomegang poured into a tulip glass. Copyright 2017 by Andrew Dunn.

Sight: Gnomegang, much like its Belgian cousins, pours a ridiculously large white head. The beer has a bright golden hue. It certainly looks like a magic elixir made by gnomes.

Taste: Right away you are hit with that Belgian yeast, and it is a strong jab. Along with the yeast, you taste the tart banana that is familiar with so many yeasty Belgian beers. The beer is surprisingly spicy. However, it is a bit drier than I would have expected. There’s a touch of bitterness to the finish.

Alcohol: Technically, Gnomegang is a strong ale at 9.5 percent. But you really don’t notice it with the exception of maybe the spiciness.

Overall: I have loved many of Ommegang’s beers. But I wasn’t wowed by this one. I much prefer its Belgian counterpart La Chouffe. I wouldn’t say it is a bad beer. It isn’t. But there are many more out there I like better. In fact, there are many more Ommegang beers that I like better.

Bottom line: There’s no reason not to try Gnomegang. It’s readily available in the States, and it is cheap. I paid $2 for my bottle. You can’t really beat that. So grab one and enjoy.

Bonus points: We plan to visit a number of Belgian breweries, bars, and bottle shops on our trip. And I plan to blog as many of my finds as I can. The Belgian Beer Bureau is back!

Top Breweries for the U.S.

Work has kept me rather busy of late. So no new brew reviews. But as soon as the work clears, I’ll be back with all the cheers and jeers. And yes, I know I just rhymed twice in two sentences. I got cheesy skills, kids.

In the meantime, I figured I’d share this little interesting tidbit.  The Brewers Association recently posted a list of the top 50 craft breweries and the top 50 overall breweries based on sales volume for the United States in 2014. Note that I did not write “in” the United States.

The No. 1 brewer overall probably comes as no surprise. Anheuser-Busch Companies, brewer of the ubiquitous Budweiser beer, was top dog last year. But interestingly enough, America’s top selling beer is actually owned by a Belgian company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest beer company in the world located in Leuven, Belgium.

As for the craft brewers, Belgium makes its first appearance on the list at No. 12. That spot belongs to Duvel Moortgat Brewery, which makes Duvel and Maredsous. The brewery is headquartered in Breendonk, Belgium. But it too has American roots.

Duvel Moortgat also owns Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York. What could be more American than a brewery in the same town as the National Baseball Hall of Fame?

Ommegang is one of my favorite craft brews here in the States. First off, they brew Belgian style beers right here, in the USA. Second, they brew a quad, Three Philosophers. Third, they brew beers named after the Game of Thrones books and TV series. How cool is that? Damn cool!

Anyway, take a look at the lists here. And give Ommegang a try. It’s as American as Dutch apple pie. Get it? Because Flemish Belgians speak Dutch?

I kill me.