Gnomegang brings enticing, seductive warmth to the table

There’s a new blonde in town. Gnomegang is her name, and she’s the artful and assertive centerpiece of a mixed eight-pack from Ommegang, the iconic New York brewery that connects Belgian styles with American tastes. Gnomegang’s impressive measurements are 9.5 percent ABV, a rating of 92 at www.beeradvocate.com, and $18.99, the price of the eight-pack at Habersham Beverage. She’s not a tepid American blonde, but rather a smooth, silky date who is, in the words of a beeradvocate.com reviewer, “dangerously drinkable.” You can anticipate notes of fruit, spice and yeast. It’s a delicious mix that charmingly cloaks the high alcohol content. Gnomegang was produced in a partnership between Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe, a brewery located in the Belgian Ardennes. Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe are owned by the Belgian powerhouse Brouwerij Duvel Moorgat, whose other products include the highly regarded Duvel golden ale. Given this sort of heritage, it’s no surprise that the other three beers in the mixed pack are also first rate. Hennepin, a Saison named for the Catholic priest who was the first European to visit Niagara Falls, is another of the world’s great beers and merits a 93 at beeradvocate.com. Rare Vos, an amber ale that is a stellar choice for dinner, scores a 91 at beeradvocate.com. And Witte, a Belgian-style wheat beer that will go great with hot weather, if it ever gets here, comes in with an 85 at beeradvocate.com. For more information on these beers, and the rest of the splendid brews in the Ommegang family, go to www.ommegang.com.