Brewery Ommegang’s For the Throne Golden Ale is a delightful surprise

Leading up the the finial season of Game of Thrones, the always-reliable Brewery Ommegang released four beers in its Royal Reserve Collection, each made in tribute to a different Game of Thrones character. There was the King in the North Imperial Stout for Jon Snow, the Mother of Dragons Smoked Porter & Kriek Ale Blend for Daenerys Targaryen, the Hand of the Queen Barleywine Ale for Tyrion Lannister, and the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms Blonde Ale for his big sister Cersei. Now, Ommegang is bringing it home with its For the Throne Golden Ale.

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This is definitely a unique beer. In fact, describing it as a “beer” may be doing it a disservice. It’s co-fermented with Pinot Grigio and Viognier grape juice, then bottle conditioned with champagne yeast. The result is a beer the likes of which I’ve never tasted before, with a bubbly sweetness that belies its 9.5% ABV. If you pay attention, you’ll catch notes of pears, apricots, and honeydew as the beer makes its way from the tip of the tongue to the tonsils and beyond. It almost tastes more like a wine or champagne than it does a beer, which is appropriate considering how many characters on this show throw back the vino. Personally, I had no complaints. The For the Throne Golden Ale is a lovely light concoction that best sipped on a spring evening, or guzzled with gusto while watching the final six episodes of Game of Thrones.

Here’s how Ommegang president Doug Campbell puts it:

"Winter is here, the wall has fallen, and the final battle for Westeros is underway. With thisoffering, we have bent the traditional boundaries of beer-making, co-fermenting traditional ingredients with juices normally destined for fine wines, going to great lengths to create a truly unique, special beer. This style of beer, often called an ‘oenobeer,’ is a rapidly expanding area of study for us. For The Throne is our first of co-fermentation beer of 2019, and the only one we’ve launched under the Game of Thrones banner."

We also sampled the beer on last week’s episode of Take the Black Live. Did it make us loopy? You decide?

I still think the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms Blonde Ale is my favorite of Ommegang’s recent crop of Game of Thrones beers, but the For the Throne Golden Ale is certainly a delicious note to go out on. The beer is on store shelves now. Happy drinking and see you on April 14!

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