Ommegang Rare Vos

Bottle. Pours a cloudy amber with a tall white head. The aroma brings forth cardemom, bananas, bubblegum, all in a fairly tart dose. The flavor has a slight bitter tinge and highlights more banana, cardemom, green apples, some cloves, and cracked wheat. Nicely tart and rough but with a refined sweetness to bring the package together. This is a nice medium bodied ale to pair with a meal or maybe an apertif.

Nice aroma and pour. Body is a hazy dark amber with brownish tones... head is massive and frothy. Aromas are sweet and spicy... maybe some apple, coriander, candi sugar, etc. Mouthfeel is a little sticky and syrupy and there is a warmth that lingers afterwards. Flavor balances well with this... malt is big and the stuff that was promised in the nose was nicely blended. The only complaint is that it seems to lack a little bit of umpf and comes off as a little directionless. Still, it’s a nice directionless.

Re-Rate, late ’06 bottle.Pours cloudy brownish/yellow with nice off-white head that sticks around. Semi-sweet aroma of cherries, yeast, sour apples, and cinnamon. Flavor is mostly spicy/musty yeast, and some fruity undertones. Palate is thick, full of yeast and spice, finishing pleasantly fruity and just slightly bitter. Nicely balanced but the flavor is a bit light overall.

Bottle. Poured a murky, light amber orange. Aroma of yeast and fruit. A strong apple presence. Fluffy white head. Seems to be very carbonated. Tasted very fruity, with familiar Belgian yeat flavor. Didn’t taste much spice. Light and fizzy on the palate. Very drinkable.

12oz from NachlamSie, no date. Pours a hazy orange with red highlights and a huge three finger off-white head. Aroma of candied sugar, yeast, bananas, light peaches and dust, a little granny smith and pepper. Flavor is much more tart and peppery than I had expected, with tart fruits being dominant. There is also a fair amount of pepper, and yeast. Dusty, slightly bitter finish. Highly carbonated--but at least they’re the tiny bubbles--and medium bodied. Pretty good beer, though not my favorite from these guys thus far.

750 mL bottle. Pours copper with a big beige head. The aroma is spicy with lots of lemon zest and corriander, along with hints of pepper and honey. The first thing I notice upon taking a sip is how fuzzy the mouthfeel is. Then comes a zesty flavor with gingersnap cookies underneath. There are assertive yeast tones and some spiciness (corriander, pepper, clove). Not bad at all.

Caramel malty aroma, with light oak. Has a vinuous, tart aroma that reminds me a bit of a Flemish sour ale. Belgian yeast, vanilla. Light floral hops. Mild alcohol vapors. Cloudy amber-orange with creamy off-white lacing head. Medium bodied and a bit thinner than I would have expected. Medium to active carbonation. Starts a bit dry with nice spiciness. Orange peel, bitter hops, and oak chips. Mild malt sweetness with some caramel and vanilla. Carbonic tang. This is a delicate beer - thin and effervescent with light characteristics. Mild bitter finish and dry spice after.

Light brown to orangish in color with a thick creamy head. Soapy yeast aroma with hint of fruity spice. Sour yeast malt flavor with spicy finish.