I’m a fan of Ommegang, which is from Cooperstown, New York.  They always make solid, respectable, and sometimes surprising beers.  I’ve had Rare Vos on a few occasions and thought that I ought to put up a review of this product.  Do yourself a favor and try their stuff.  Here is my review of Rare Vos.

The Pour: Rare Vos poured with a maple-orange body and steady, full head.  The head was slightly off white and creamy in appearance.  It shivered in the glass with an active and bright appearance.

The Nose: Once again, as is pretty common with Belgians, there was a powdery yeast aroma on the nose. More esters (fruit aromas) came through on this beer than some of the other Belgians that I’ve reviewed recently, although it did share in the metallic qualities of beers past.  Rare Vos also had a mineral earthy tone to the nose along with herbal spice and vinous (wine-like) notes.  A promise of some malty sweetness was also held out on the nose.  Very nice aromas.

The Taste: The nose held a lot of promise, and I have to say that I experienced a touch of disappointment when the taste didn’t live up to my expectations.  The dry, mineral earthy tones were a definite part of the the flavor.  The yeast did rise up to all the powderness that the nose held out, to the extent that when it combined with the dryness, it seemed to have a slight chalkiness.  A bit of residual sweetness was a nice aspect.  The spicy herbalness, vinous tones, and metallic tones were also present.  Even a touch of woodiness made its way onto the palate, along with a slight hop finish and bitterness.

Overall, I think this is a solid beer.  There are a few things, mostly preferential, that I find to be unbalanced (which I’ve indicated above).  The only way to find out what you think about it is to give a try.  Everything Ommegang makes is, at least, worth a try.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★¾☆ 

Among other Belgians: ★★★½☆