Beer #99 Ommegang Biere De Mars

Ommegang Biere De Mars

Name: Biere De Mars

Style: Bière de Garde

Brewery: Brewery Ommegang   website

Country: USA

Region: Cooperstown, New York

ABV: 6.5% Abv

How served: 750ml caged and corked bottle poured into my Ommegang chalice.         

My Overall Opinion: Very Good.

I paired this beer with: Grilled and smoked turkey burgers topped with Habanero pepper sauce and Sweet potato fries.

Tasted on: Tuesday April 13th, 2010. 

Note:  Batch #2 October 2008.  This is a delicious beer, it’s mildly funky, mildly hoppy and very drinkable despite its high carbonation.   It paired very well with the habanero turkey burger.  This might not be one of the best Bière de Garde on the market, but it’s sure close.

On the Label:  Ale Refermented with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis.  Pour slowly so as not to disturb the yeast sediment, but with enough vigor to create a luxurious head and release the sumptuous bouquet.

Brewery Ommegang is 3,264 miles from Brussels, but its heart is right in Belgium.  It was created out of our devotion to the unique ales brewed by the county where brewing is an art and partaking is a passion.  Part of the Duvel family of fine ales.

Ommegang Bière de Mars is a fine  Belgian-style amber ale with a bit of magical space dust woven in: – Brettanomyces Bruxellensis, a wild-yeast which imparts added tartness, extra zing and and a touch of funk – while dry-hopping enhances the hop aroma.

“If hard work is the best thing on Earth.  I’ll try Mars” Anonymous.

From their website:  Ommegang Bière de Mars is a Belgian-style amber ale with a bit of magical space dust woven in – Brettanomyces bruxellensis, a wild-yeast used in the secondary fermentation. The Brett imparts added tartness, a bit of zing and some farmhouse funkiness. Also dry-hopped, this new ale continues our exploration of using Brett for secondary fermentation in limited-release beers.

Bière de Mars reveals a copper-amber body and a frothy white head that builds, clings and stays. Aromas are of malt and grain, clove, fruit and a bit of funk. Flavors are full-bodied with delicate malty sweetness, followed by spicy, peppery yeastiness and Brett-induced funk. Hopping is subtly bitter and aromatic, bumped up a bit by dry-hopping. The finish is dry and gently lingering. At 6.5% ABV, Bière de Mars offers easy quaffing; it also pairs nicely with spicy foods such as barbecue. BeerAdvocate.com users give an overall rating of Very Good. Ratebeer.com users rate it at 95%.

A spring 2009 Yankee Brewing News tasting panel sampled new releases from a range of craft breweries and wrote this about Ommegang Bière de Mars: “A spicy nose that smells fabulous, similar to bière de garde. The panel loved the smooth flavor and perfect carbonation. There were lots of “oohs” and “ahhs” for this one. Extremely drinkable, not too sweet and finishes dry. Best beer of the evening.”

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