For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be sipping on the Ommegang Aphrodite produced by the Brewery Ommegang located in Cooperstown, New York.

It’s been a while since I last had a brew from Ommegang and I have had this beer sitting in the fridge for quite some time, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a try.

First, the description from the website, ommegang.com.

In Greek mythology, Aphrodite rises from the foam of the waves of the sea, enchanting all who see her, and inciting thoughts of love and lust where ever she goes.

We could hardly say it more eloquently. Our Limited Edition Aphrodite Ale is ethereal, intriguing and mysterious – as the Goddess Aphrodite must have been. Aphrodite has champagne-like carbonation, much as the foam of the waves of the sea. Plus enchanting flavors with whispers of raspberry and pear, and hints of funk and tartness created by the Brett yeast. The refreshing dryness comes from the unusual combination of Ommegang and Brett yeasts, and incites feelings of love and thirst, though we don’t know about lust. Grains of paradise are infused into the nectar, and when poured Aphrodite is crowned with a luxuriously shimmering rose-pink head

Let’s try it.

The Aphrodite comes in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 8.9%.

The beer poured a cloudy, cherry red color with an off white head that had a slight pink tint to it.  The crown was of good size, but kind of fizzy and soapy in texture.  The retention time was a bit lackluster as was the lacing.  It did leave some clear alcohol feet on the sides of the glass when tilted however.

The nose brought forth a rather pungent aroma of raspberry, cranberry and grape juice.  Those all gave it a prevalent tartness.  Maybe the slightest hint of funk was detected, but otherwise it was very fruit forward.  Some kind of spice was noticed too and only the most minute amount of yeasty goodness was found.  The alcohol was well masked in the bouquet, but overall I didn’t think the aroma was as balanced as I thought it was going to be.

The taste let loose with more of the raspberry and grape juice flavors.  A sour and tart zip was noticed, but both seemed to be a touch mellow without any of the vinegar tones that sometime accompany these types of brews.  The flavor was quite sweet and “bitey” and the yeast and spices were a touch more detectable as well.  The taste seemed to have enough bitterness to keep me satisfied and the alcohol flavoring was a tad more harmonized and noticeable than it was in the aroma.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Mostly smooth, however with a subtle sharpness right at the front of the tongue.  Dry, kind of crisp and snappy with a good dose of warmth from the alcohol.  A commendable amount of flavor was left on the palate after each sip also.

Well, fruit/vegetable beers have never really been a favorite style of mine, although this brew seemed alright.  I’ll say that I’ve really gotten into Sours and Lambics over the last year or so and this brew kind of fit that category.  The funk and sourness were just a wee bit underscored however.  I did seem to have a bit of trouble finishing the 750 mL bottle also.  I believe that could have stemmed from the fact that this is a very “sweet” little brew.  It got more bearable and tame as I went along, but it just seemed a bit too forward with the fruity aspects at first.  I really doubt that I will pick it up again anytime soon, but that’s not saying that you shouldn’t try it.  In fact, if you like the fruit/vegetable style of beer, the Ommegang Aphrodite may very well be the one to pick up. 

Thanks for reading and commenting guys.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.35 out of 5
Grade:  B-