The first in the series of four Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) themed ales, Iron Throne Blonde was released by Brewery Ommegang earlier this month, just in time for the Game of Thrones Season 3 premier. As a huge fan of the ASoIaF book series, an avid viewer of the show and a huge fan of Ommegang I was thrilled when this beer was announced earlier this year. Joining excellent craft beer with a seriously epic fantasy series potentially leads to an even more epic pairing.
According
to Brewmaster Phil Leinhart, The Iron Throne Belgian Blonde is inspired by the
Lannisters, the current occupants of the Iron Throne. Known for being “decadent yet sophisticated,
the Lannisters are perhaps the most complex of the families of Westeros with
shades of glory, greed and wickedness.
Much like the ruling Lannister family a good Belgian Blonde should be smooth
and complex, yet have moderate spicy notes to keep things interesting. Those of you who have read the books or
watched the series know that there is more going on with the Lannisters than
meets the eye, from the noble intentions of Jaime and Tyrion, to the political
infighting of Cersei, to the downright wickedness of Joffery, the Lannisters
are quite possibly the most complex and interesting family in all of Westeros. Being the most complex it is only fitting
that they be represented by a subtle, yet complex style, the subtle political
maneuvering of Tyrion paired with Jaime’s more brash nature.
Rather
than get too into the books and show, on to the Review.
They Say:
From the Bottle
Blonde
ale with malty sweetness and a touch of fruity spiciness, noble hop aromas and
notes of citrus, suitable to serve to kings, or pretenders to the Iron Thrown.
I Say:
Iron Throne Blonde Ale pours
a brilliantly clear blonde with subtle orange hues. It has a thick, creamy, brilliant white rocky
head that holds excellent retention through the entire glass and leaves behind
intricate lacing. The aroma is subtle
and complex with sweet pilsner notes up front, supported by lemony and apricot
fruity esters, with slightly spicy and earth hop notes. Sweet alcohols and low level phenolics round
out the aroma, providing additional complexity.
Sweet
pilsner malts, moderately spicy phenols are immediately apparent in the flavor. Sweet throughout, lemony and apricot fruity
esters balance nicely with floral honey notes.
Iron Throne Blonde is extremely smooth and sweet, yet finishes semi-dry
and clean. It is medium bodied with a
moderately high level of carbonation.
Iron
Throne Blonde Ale is a very subtle yet complex beer. The sweet malts are expertly tempered by
earthy/spicy noble hops and moderate phenolics while the carbonation helps to
dry out the sweetness of the beer in the finish. So good, it makes me want to smack King Joffrey!
If you
are planning on watching the Season 3 premier of Game of Thrones like I am,
then no other beer will pair as well with the experience. There were still plenty of bottles at Ray’s
Liquor in Wauwatosa, so if you are in the area stop by and pick up a few
bottles! If you don’t watch the Game of
Thrones series yet, then you should definitely start, although you may want to
read the books first.
That’s
all for today, have a great weekend, Happy early Easter!
Happy
Drinking!