Rhode Island Brewery Celebrates Lovecraft with New Brews

Courtesy Narragansett Beer

One of Providence, Rhode Island's most famous sons is getting his own line of brews thanks to Narragansett Beer. H.P. Lovecraft and his works have inspired a new line and the first, Lovecraft Honey Ale, will be released on January 19.

Narragansett is pairing with another RI brewery, Revival Brewing, to produce the upcoming four beers. Narragansett Beer President Mark Hellendrung states, “We’re celebrating our 125th anniversary here and this is kind of an extension of what we’ve been trying to do at the brewery, bringing back this great brand through a historical lens and local authenticity. One of our ‘Gansett Girls is actually a librarian and she had this idea, knowing that Lovecraft’s birthday was in 1890, the same year our brewery was founded. We thought it was a great way to give Sean Larkin, our brewmaster, a platform to really experiment with different styles of beer.”

Hellendrung also said, “This one is really a prologue about H.P. Lovecraft himself. We picked one of his stories, ‘The Festival,’ where there’s a space mead consumed by a winged creature. What’s great about craft beer is that it’s really breaking the style boundaries and guidelines. So, this is Sean’s interpretation of a modern day honey mead through the medium of a beer.”

According to Boston Magazine, "The Lovecraft Honey Ale is brewed with Summit and El Dolorado hops, honey, and five different types of malt, including honey malt. Hellendrung describes the beer as a 'full-bodied ale that’s very hop-intense.' The beer clocks in at a respectable seven percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and has artwork provided by graphic designer A.J. Paglia."

The next chapter in this Brewstory will go darker with an “Innsmouth” old ale that's based on his novella, "The Shadow Over Innsmouth." It's set to be released in April.

Click on the links to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for more details and updates.

-Larissa Mrykalo

'Game of Thrones' Fans Choose Valar Morghulis as the Next Beer in the Brewery Ommegang and HBO Partnership

"Game of Thrones" fans have spoken and Brewery Ommegang of Cooperstown, NY heard them utter the ominous and potentially delicious phrase, "Valar Morghulis." If you're a fan of the HBO series you probably know that this means "all men must die." Thanks to a December poll, "fans voted the foreboding phrase as the name of the fourth and newest beer in the 'Game of Thrones' collaboration between HBO and Brewery Ommegang." The beauty is that Valar Morghulis is a central theme of the fourth season, so well done lords and ladies! The style of the brew was determined as an Abbey Dubbel and it will be available at retail in fall of this year.

According to Bill Wetmore, Director of Marketing for Brewery Ommegang, "The fan response to the beers has been so incredibly positive that we thought it would be a fun reward to ask them to play an active role in selecting the fourth beer. It's not uncommon to hear 'valor brewghulis' spoken in the halls of the brewhouse, so we were secretly hoping that Valar Morghulis would be the winner. Our brewers are also excited to brew a Dubbel, a classic Belgian beer style, and have some great ideas to make this release extra special."

We've also reported on the other three beers that follow Valar Morghulis; including, Iron Throne Blonde Ale (spring 2013), Take the Black Stout (fall 2013), and Fire and Blood Red Ale (available now but selling out quickly).

Qapla'! Klingon Beer Hits the Market

Oil up your bat'leth and sit back with Aktuh and Melota playing semi-melodiously in the background. Though it's not listed on their official website just yet, the Federation of Beer has launched a follow up brew of choice to their Vulcan Ale. It's Klingon. It's different. Nope, it's not bloodwine. It's Warnog! *insert fearsome battle cry here*

The Guardian is reporting that the new brew has notes of clove, banana, and caramel. For beer enthusiasts, the FoB is classifying Warnog as a Dunkelweizen (for us laypeople, it's a dark beer) derived from rye malts in addition to caramel malts and clove, likely making the mixture end up on the sweeter side. Perhaps this isn't what one would expect a Klingon to drink, but there it is!

Surprisingly, the most famous of Star Trek related drinks has not yet been made by the FoB and hasn't been seen since Star Trek: the Experience with Quark's bar closed. However, Amanda Kooser over at CNET reports that Romulan Ale is up for release next year!

Just for kicks, check out the list of Star Trek themed drinks that were available. Boy, do I miss me a good Warp Core Breach.

-David Berck

HBO and Ommegang are Letting Fans Choose the Next 'Game of Thrones' Beer

Thanks to the popularity of their "Game of Thrones" beers, Brewery Ommegang and HBO Global Licensing are letting fans choose not only the name of their fall 2014 brew, but also the style. Past brews include their "Iron Throne Blonde Ale" and "Take the Black Stout" and their third, "Fire and Blood," is due the end of March.

Voting for the four options starts today on the official "Game of Thrones" Facebook page. Here are the selections along with the descriptions:

'Game Of Thrones' & Ommegang Announce New Beer: Fire And Blood Red Ale

From the press release, the next beer in the "Game of Thrones"-inspired series is being readied for market, and the brew kettle at Brewery Ommegang is running hotter than ever. Brewery Ommegang and HBO jointly announce the third beer in their successful partnership, Fire and Blood Red Ale, will release in the run-up to the show's return to air in spring 2014. The new beer, inspired by House Targaryen, features a series of labels, one for each of the three dragons on the show: Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion.

Fire and Blood follows Iron Throne Blonde Ale (spring 2013) and Take the Black Stout (available now) in the hugely popular and unique partnership between the network and Brewery Ommegang. The first beer in the series, Iron Throne, flew off retail shelves and poured through tap spigots at an unheard of pace, leading to two additional brews. Just released (and at 2.5x the scale of Iron Throne), Take the Black is enjoying similar success as fans of great beer are getting into stores early to ensure they don't miss out. Timed for the launch of Season 4, Ommegang's Fire and Blood is sure to find interest at a feverish pitch.

13 Paranormal Brews to Lift Your Spirits This Season

BY LARISSA MRYKALO

It's pretty staggering how many breweries have jumped on the paranormal hayride in the past few years. If you head into your supermarket or beer distributor to purchase your favorite brew this fall, you'll be overwhelmed with the hauntingly cool names and labels featured.

That's all well and good, and we're all for cool artwork, but are these concoctions any good for drinking? We've assembled 13 paranormally-themed brews that range from IPA to pumpkin stout and everything in between.

Give them a try and let us know if they were hauntingly delicious or should be buried in the ground. And if you've suggestions on some we've missed, let us know!

The end is beer! Celebrate apocalypse with drinking party

Now this sounds like our kind of apocalypse.

The Ommegang Belgian beer brewing company in Cooperstown, NY, is hosting an end-of-the-world party this August.

The two-day event will include camping, music, dancing, a five-course beer dinner and tastings of the best Belgian and Belgian Style beers of 50 breweries and importers from around the world. The event promises to be one of "decadence and drinking in place of destruction and doom."

Can you think of a better way to go out?

Head to the Ommegang Facebook page for a complete rundown of the event.

P.S. Kudos to Ommegang for making one of the coolest doomsday calendar spoofs we've seen.