Beer of the Week

The beer: Rare Vos

The brewery: Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York

Description (from the website): "Our take on the smooth, easy drinking ambers poured in cafés across Belgium, Rare Vos (Strange Fox) takes its name from a tavern near Brussels known for cycling contests, pigeon races and outstanding ales. Pouring a brilliant copper with a creamy white head, this bright, beguiling beer is sensational to session, and pairs wonderfully with mussels, frites, and other pub fare. Because at the end of the day, it’s good to enjoy the end of the day."

Would I buy it again? I'm not sure about this one. It says easy-drinking, but honestly, it's somehow denser and thicker than you'd think. The taste is good, but it's more of a sipping beer than one you'd find refreshing. It wouldn't be bad on a colder day, but it's not a summer beer, and since that's when I'm drinking it, I'd have to give this a pass in the future.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Saisonztraminer

Brewed by: Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York

Description (from the website): "Saisonztraminer begins as a delicate farmhouse saison. After the brew house, gewürztraminer grape juice is blended in and the mixture is cofermented using our house Belgian yeast. The result is a beer with all the peppery phenols and lively effervescence one would expect of the style, but with flavors of rose petals, lychee fruit and honeysuckle, as well as a vinous minerality that would be impossible to achieve without the cofermentation process."

Would I buy it again?: This is certainly one of the fanciest beers I've ever had, and I wish I had a more appropriate glass for it. But I'm fairly confident that the correct glass wouldn't make it taste that much better. Frankly it doesn't have much taste at all. At least, not nearly as much as I was expecting, considering it's basically got wine in it. It's actually a pretty light and drinkable beer, which would be fine if it cost $8 for a six pack. But I'm sure it doesn't, so I'm going to say that this really isn't worth the cost. I wouldn't get it again.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Brunetta Oud Bruin Ale

Brewed by: Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, New York

Description (from the bottle): "Brunetta is our expression of a Belgian Oud Bruin: A heavenly balanced, tart, and sweet brown ale. It's brewed in collaboration with Brouwerji Liefmans in Belgium, where they've brewed and blended sour beers since the 1600's. A careful blend of young and aged beers, offering complex flavors and aromas, with malty sweetness counterpointing the tartness, this fine ale is all about elegant refreshment."

Would I buy it again?: No. All that stuff about counterpointing the tartness? I didn't get any of that. It just tasted sour to me, and I didn't really like it. The aftertaste was not particularly pleasant, and in general, I did not enjoy drinking this beer.