“From the darkness I watch you. All of you, all of your lives, with a thousand eyes, and one.” This is how brewery Ommegang describes its latest beer based on the HBO series Game of Thrones (which in turn is based on the series of novels by George R. R. Martin): Ommegang Game of Thrones Three Eyed Raven Dark Saison. To which I can only reply, ““From the darkness I drink you. All of you, all of your flavor, with a thousand mouths, and one.”

And who wouldn’t? The name of the beer may be an attempt to cash in on the popularity of Game of Thrones, but the beer stands on its own quality. To be honest, I haven’t seen it in the crown caged corked bottles it comes in, but when I saw that Stout’s Growlers here in Canton had it on tap, I pounced on it like a pack of deranged Night’s Watchmen on Jon Snow.

As Ommegang points out, this is a fusion beer, a classic saison crossed with a dark ale. It was released in April of 2015, just in time for the season opener of GOT on HBO. I’ll let Ommegang tell you more:

Push through the thick brambles and present yourself to the Three-Eyed Raven. Abiding in the shadows of the Three-Eyed Raven lies this deceptive Dark Saison. The ominous Three-Eyed Raven inspired us to brew a Dark Saison ale, a hybrid style open to brewer’s imagination. In the end it is neither a pure saison nor your typical dark beer, but instead a delectable blend that both deceives and thrills the senses.

Ommegang Game of Thrones Three Eyed Raven Dark Saison has an alcohol content of 7.2% by volume. I paid $10.75 for a 32-ounce draft growler at Stout’s, not bad since the beer retails for $9.99 to $10.99 for 25-ounce bottles in stores.

Ommegang Game of Thrones Three Eyed Raven Dark Saison pours to a dark brownish color with a medium sized head of creamy foam and a spicy nose of clove and coriander. Taking a sip, the beer has a rich nutty maltiness up front with some chewy toffee notes accented perfectly by the spice: coriander, cloves, and definitely licorice. Belgian funky yeasty notes permeate the beer but I think really comes to the fore in the finish (is that even possible?). Hops are herbal and balancinghere.

The body is thicker than I expect for the style but this is one tasty beer my friends, very spicy and packed with yeasty funk and nutty dark malt notes. It’s one of those beers that I’m really sad is probably a one-off. I’d love to buy this one again.



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