The Brewery Boy with Ichnusa number fifty something I think.
The Brewery Boy is back… well, almost. I am back from my adventures in Italy but I haven’t really had the time to get back on the brewery trail yet. In the meantime though I wanted to talk about Inchusa! This is a brand of beer that comes from an island called Sardinia that I spent five days exploring with my friends from Milan. Sardinia is a popular vaction spot for many Italians and is off the west coast of Italy right above Sicily and bellow Corsica. Ichnusa is both the name of the brewery and the beer they produce. The beer and brewery are so closely connected to the island that it uses it’s flag as their logo on every bottle. The people and visitors of Sardinia return the love as well. There is Ichnusa beer in every super market, bar, restaurant, backpack and cooler on the island. The only situation I could compare it to is Guinness in Dublin, you can find it anywhere and it is essentially Dublin in a glass. Ichnusa is exactly the same, with every glass you can imagine sitting on a white sand beach, while the sun shines over the crystal clear sea.
Just a little bit on the beer itself, Ichnusa comes in a couple varieties. You can get the standard Ichnusa and a non filtered version that is in the picture above. The best way I can describe the taste is its very similar to a Corona which makes sense since both beers are made to be enjoyed during a sunny day on the beach. Ichnusa Non Filtrata has a slightly higher alcohol content and more of a hoppy flavor. I usually reached for the Non Filtrata but that is just my preference.
Not a bad “view from your beer” right?
Sardinia was picture perfect and I had an amazing time exploring it with my friends. You might think that the photo above was just me being in the right place at the right time but surprisingly you would be wrong. Views like this are everywhere you turn in Sardinia; the beaches, countryside, the ocean, the people and of course the beer were all incredible. I’m glad I got to share a little bit of my experience with you guys.
I will try to be back very soon with a new brewery but in the meantime as always I thank you for reading. If you’d like to keep up with everything Brewery Boy you can catch me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or by email. Feel free to shoot me a message, comment or email, I would love to chat with you guys. See you next time!
Hello everyone, thanks for checking out The Brewery Boy! I just wanted to welcome you guys and give you an idea of what my mission with this project is going to be. I would recommend reading my “about me” to get a better idea of what I’m doing and why. The short story is I love breweries and I want to see as many as possible and share my experience with you! Maybe one of them is nearby and somewhere you haven’t gone before, or maybe you’re like me and just want to absorb as much information about breweries and the beer that they make as possible.
I do live near Utica NY, which is almost directly in the center of the state, so I’ll be starting here then spreading out throughout the state. I’m going to try to make it as far as I possibly can so who knows where I’ll end up! I’m going to start off with the two giants of the area, Brewery Ommegang and the FX Matt Brewery but I want to hit every brewery I can, big or small.
I’m already having so much fun with this project and I can’t wait to share these breweries, beers and good times with you all! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more in the future!
Hello everyone! Today I spent the afternoon in the hills of Cooperstown, New York having a drink at one of my favorite places, Brewery Ommegang, “where heaven met earth and stayed awhile.” Their words not mine but you’d be pretty stubborn to not agree with them. Not only is the drive through the Cooperstown hillside stunning but as soon as you pull into the brewery, up the hop lined driveway and past the giant Ommegang arches it feels like you’ve left NY and gone to a whole new destination. Somewhere like a belgian, beer filled heaven on earth?
The beautiful, newly renovated tasting room at Brewery Ommegang.
The first thing you should do during your visit of Brewery Ommegang is sign up for a tasting. For a really low price ($7 I think) you get a tour, a tasting of 5-6 of the beers you see above the bar, and you get to keep the glass (which I have at least 5 of at this point). You also get the insight behind each beer you’re trying and maybe even a little back story from your guide/bartender who are always incredible at Ommegang.
Now Ommegang focuses on big, bold, Belgian beers but there is something here that everyone will enjoy. I recently took my family to a tasting last week and every single person found a beer that they really liked and probably wouldn’t have thought about trying on their own. My uncle loved the Witte which the brewery describes as their “lawn mowing beer.” The Witte is a nice wheat beer that is probably the easiest for those beer lovers that are more familiar with lighter american style beer: think Blue Moon or Shocktop. My cousin found her first sour beer that she has ever enjoyed in the Pale Sour Ale. In my opinion this one is sour in the same way a lemonade or a cider is sour. It has just enough tang to make it super refreshing and it’s honestly one of my favorites. If you or somebody in your party is more a wine person then don’t worry there is something for them as well. You might finally be able to turn them over to the beer side of life with a trip to Brewery Ommegang. They have been experimenting a lot lately with grapes, wine mixtures, and wine barrel aging in several beers including their Saison Rose, For the Throne, and Hand of the Queen. The Saison Rose especially was a huge hit with everyone including my wine loving mother.
Todays flight that includes, Pale Sour Ale, Hopstate NY IPA, Abbey Ale, and the Mother of Dragons.
On my visit today the weather was perfect so I figured that I would just enjoy a flight out on the patio and as you can see I couldn’t wait long enough to take a picture before diving in. Beer before blog I guess. I had five different beers at Brewery Ommegang today so I’m just going to run through them all and give you guys a quick little idea of what I thought.
Pale Sour Ale!
First up is the Pale Sour Ale that we talked about earlier. This particular ale is actually brewed off property at one of Ommegang’s sister breweries in Belgium where its open fermented in copper vats before making its way back home to Cooperstown NY. Once again I really love this one and if you’re on the fence about the idea of a “sour” beer please give this one a try, you won’t regret it.
Hopstate NY IPA (limited time only while supplies last)
Coming up second was the limited release of their Hopstate NY IPA which I couldn’t resist ordering once I saw it was back. This IPA is brewed exclusively with hops and malt that are grown in New York State and I’m absolutely crazy about this one. Its fruity, floral and it just tastes great. They only make it once a year and I buy a pack or two (or three) every year. Its just a really good all around IPA and the idea behind it is something I get excited about.
Abbey Ale (whats left of it)
The third beer in todays flight was the Abbey Ale which you can tell by the already vacant glass in this photo is one of my absolute favorites. Not just one of my favorites at Brewery Ommegang but one of my favorite beers period. Abbey Ale is brewed with a bunch of different spices that include orange peel, cumin, star anise, licorice root, and coriander. The combination of these spices along with hops and barley gives Abbey Ale a bold fruity flavor with a really subtle candy taste. It also packs a nice big alcohol punch which can be nice if thats what you’re into. Like I said it is my absolute favorite so it is a must try although it could be a little too much for people that prefer lighter beer or people that just really really hate licorice.
Mother of Dragons (RIP)
Finally we have The Mother of Dragons which is one of Brewery Ommegang’s “Game of Thrones” beers. Yes you read that correctly, by some chance of fate this brewery in Upstate NY has the sole brewing rights to the “Game of Thrones” brand. They make a wide array of themed beers for the show including the Hand of the Queen and For the Throne that I mentioned early. The Mother of Dragons is a bold smoked porter and Belgian kriek blend which is basically a sour cherry beer from Belgum. This beer surely packs a punch like Daenerys Targaryen herself.
Of course the beer is always the main event at any brewery but that doesn’t mean thats all there is to a visit at Brewery Ommegang. If you’re hungry you could get food as a side to your beer from their newly renovated restaurant/patio area and man is it good. They serve everything from bratwurst and fries, to poutine and pizza. I’m very partial to their “crispy brussels sprouts” which are crunchy, savory and delicious. Believe it or not brussel sprouts are one of my favorite foods; catch my other blog at The BrusselSproutBoy.com. While you’re enjoying your beer and brussel sprouts you can also challenge your party to an intense game of giant connect four, corn hole or Jenga. Brewery Ommegang also has several events throughout the year such as grandstand concerts, a Christmas tree burning party, and their fire pit fridays every week.
Alright so I am relatively new to the blogging world but something I would like to do with every brewery is have a “view from your beer” picture. Which is pretty much what it sounds like, its something interesting that you’ll see while enjoying your time at the brewery. The photo below is actually from just to the right of that patio where I had my flight today. Brewery Ommegang is surrounded by a beautiful forest that really shines in the fall. I may be color blind but even I can tell you that fall in upstate New York creates some of the best views in nature. During the fall months the foliage surrounding Brewery Ommegang explode with color and its incredible if you get the chance to see it.
This weeks “view from your beer” here at Brewery Ommegang.
Brewery Ommegang really is a place where heaven met earth and stayed for a while. Nestled in the beautiful hills of Cooperstown there is no better place to sit back, have a beer, and enjoy the day.
You can visit Brewery Ommegang at 656 County Highway 33 Cooperstown, Ny 13326 or check them out at www.ommegang.com. Alright guys that was our first brewery! Thank you for reading and I’ll see you at the next one!
