Fire and Blood Red Ale is the next Game of Thrones beer from Brewery Ommegang, and we finally have some actual details beyond the label art. It looks like the connections to the show won’t just be dragon skin deep.
The artwork for Fire & Blood Red Ale is dedicated to Drogon, Rhaegal & Viserion, but the ties to the House Targaryen aren’t purely cosmetic.
Obviously the use of ancho chilies pays homage to the dragons, but the use of rye and Spelt wheat links back to the Dothraki people that Daenerys is leading – they are nomads of the plains and these are the grains that would be well at home there. – Phil Leinhart, brewmaster at Brewery Ommegang.
I’ll admit that I wouldn’t have gotten the Dothraki reference had I not been told about it. Hell, I would have been satisfied with just a fire breathing beer.
The first two Game of Thrones beers have done incredibly well. Some hardcore beer fans have complained that Iron Throne Blonde Ale and Take the Black Stout weren’t substantial enough, but it seems like Brewery Ommegang is doing well to walk the line between appeasing long-time beer lovers and those who might be getting into craft for the first time because of the show.
Iron Throne Blonde Ale sold out before I could buy a bottle, but I did find Take the Black Stout and thoroughly enjoyed it. There was plenty of malt and a great chocolate flavor. It wasn’t the boldest stout in the world, but it might have been the blackest. I’d certainly buy it again if it wasn’t already sold out. Damn you Game of Thrones fans!
Fire & Blood doesn’t have a set release date yet, but look for it in the Spring just before the new season starts.