Jan 5, 2011

Ommegang BPA

Ommegang BPA Label

For those of you that have been reading The Barley Blog through the years, you’ve seen me profess my love for all things Ommegang on more than one occasion. Well, their latest Belgian Pale Ale inspired brew, BPA, isn’t going to be changing that trend any time soon.

I received this bottle as part of a gift box from my in-laws (they’re the greatest) that also included a 2010 Three Philosophers, a bottle of Tripel Perfection and an Ommegang branded glass. The Three Philosophers has been cellared next to the bottles of the 2009 vintage and the Tripel Perfection will probably be consumed at some point this week.

Back to the BPA. This 6.2% beer, according to the brewery, takes its influences not just from Belgium, but also from the U.S. It’s brewed with five specialty malts and “…generously — though not excessively — hopped with three hops: Columbus for bittering, three additions of Celeia for aroma, then dry-hopped with Cascade.” I don’t know how you can go wrong with that.

Appearance

BPA pours a cloudy, golden amber with a large, full head that faded slowly to residual lacing on the glass.

Aroma

Lemon, grapefruit and other tropical citrus notes brought on by the hops fill the nose. There’s a decent yeast presence, a touch of hay and an accompanying spicy component in the aroma, as well.

Taste

Oh man, this is tasty. Along with the tropical citrus hop notes there’s also a more pronounced tangy nature with a bit of bite to go along with a little funkiness. It could be described as a hoppy Saison. The initial hop sharpness fades smoothly and slowly into a clean and lingering finish that carries a nice bitterness.

Overall

This is another excellent brew from the Cooperstown brewery. I love the hop profile, the light funk and how drinkably smooth this beer is. At 6.2% ABV it’s not going to be that sessionable, but it’s still easy enough to drink and quite refreshing. I going to be on the look out for this one as the weather warms in the coming Spring.

Rating: 4.5/5

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