-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Game Of Thrones: Bend The Knee
Brewery Ommegang
- From:
- Brewery Ommegang
- New York, United States
- Style:
- Belgian Pale Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 9%
- Score:
- 90
- Avg:
- 4.01 | pDev: 8.98%
- Reviews:
- 47
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Aug 10, 2020
- Added:
- May 22, 2017
- Wants:
- 7
- Gots:
- 39
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BEERchitect:
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky
4.08/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.08/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bending but not breaking, the delicate, floral and fruity taste of Ommegang and HBO's collaboration of Game of Thrones preludes a season of whimsy, delicacy and lightness. But there's a strong side that packs a breadth of power and a sweet side to bring balance. Like the show, this beer is no less shy with complexity.
Bend the Knee pours a generous golden color with a creamy froth that whips about the rim. Fruit aromas abound with orchard, citrus and vinous perfumes, and with a counter of pepper, herb and spice for a balanced but winy note. Honey and biscuit sweet to taste, the grain profile is redolent with bread dough and honeysuckle. Sweet to start, the beer's early palate picks up on those honey and cracker flavors with particular confidence.
As the middle palate develops, the beer's sweetness relaxes and its fruit and spice duality plays out in strong fashion. Orange, pear, peach and apple frame a fruity bulk taste while its nearly even-keel balance brings aspects of clove, white pepper, vanilla and caraway. While the bubbly beer brings the taste to a close, a bitter lemongrass, sassafras and rye spice combine for a winey finish and a pep of perfume and soap.
Medium bodied and medium full in flavor, the beer's light fruit profile brings a notion of lightness that's endorsed by expressive efforvescence. But its those bubble that embed in the creamy structures for a bready and rounded session. A medium long aftertaste of pepper and grass outlast the malts and floral character for a finish of creamy white wine and sourdough.
May 22, 2017Bend the Knee pours a generous golden color with a creamy froth that whips about the rim. Fruit aromas abound with orchard, citrus and vinous perfumes, and with a counter of pepper, herb and spice for a balanced but winy note. Honey and biscuit sweet to taste, the grain profile is redolent with bread dough and honeysuckle. Sweet to start, the beer's early palate picks up on those honey and cracker flavors with particular confidence.
As the middle palate develops, the beer's sweetness relaxes and its fruit and spice duality plays out in strong fashion. Orange, pear, peach and apple frame a fruity bulk taste while its nearly even-keel balance brings aspects of clove, white pepper, vanilla and caraway. While the bubbly beer brings the taste to a close, a bitter lemongrass, sassafras and rye spice combine for a winey finish and a pep of perfume and soap.
Medium bodied and medium full in flavor, the beer's light fruit profile brings a notion of lightness that's endorsed by expressive efforvescence. But its those bubble that embed in the creamy structures for a bready and rounded session. A medium long aftertaste of pepper and grass outlast the malts and floral character for a finish of creamy white wine and sourdough.
More User Ratings:
Rated by gritz147 from Louisiana
4.5/5 rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Had this to close out GOT. Great choice.
May 20, 2019Reviewed by ScruffySouthpaw from New York
4.21/5 rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Served in a GoT flute glass.
Appearance: Semi Cloudy gold with medium bubbles Les.
Smell: Yeast and floral hops with dose of warm honey aroma.
Taste:ight Yeast and honey with light dose of floral. Juicy sweet citrus accompanied with light spicy nutmeg and malts.
Mouth: sticky, medium carbonation.
Overall: Good brew, would consider buying it over and over again unfortunately I messed up and didn't grab more. Salud!
Apr 29, 2019Appearance: Semi Cloudy gold with medium bubbles Les.
Smell: Yeast and floral hops with dose of warm honey aroma.
Taste:ight Yeast and honey with light dose of floral. Juicy sweet citrus accompanied with light spicy nutmeg and malts.
Mouth: sticky, medium carbonation.
Overall: Good brew, would consider buying it over and over again unfortunately I messed up and didn't grab more. Salud!
Reviewed by LifesAnesthesia from Virginia
4.29/5 rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
L - Golden with a decent amount of clarity/some haze with a nice white head that dissipates somewhat quickly leaving behind minimal lacing.
S - Bready yeast, some light fruits - hints of banana, pils malt, some citrus, sweet honey
T - Follows the nose with bready Belgian yeast up front and throughout followed by notes of sweet honey, citrus, banana, pils malt to hold it all together - slight grassy hops
F - Medium bodied with a moderate to high amount of carbonation.
O - Overall a quality Belgian golden ale that doesn't do anything wrong, but doesn't really do anything to stand out. That said, these GOT beers from Ommegang always impress on the night of an episode!
Apr 22, 2019S - Bready yeast, some light fruits - hints of banana, pils malt, some citrus, sweet honey
T - Follows the nose with bready Belgian yeast up front and throughout followed by notes of sweet honey, citrus, banana, pils malt to hold it all together - slight grassy hops
F - Medium bodied with a moderate to high amount of carbonation.
O - Overall a quality Belgian golden ale that doesn't do anything wrong, but doesn't really do anything to stand out. That said, these GOT beers from Ommegang always impress on the night of an episode!
Reviewed by elNopalero from Michigan
3.42/5 rDev -14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
3.42/5 rDev -14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Looks good. Clear, golden, with an impressive cap of foam. Highly carbonated--the cork came out with no hesitation. Estery aroma, with a bit of coriander zestiness and a honeyed funk. The taste misses the mark, with the lingering residue of fermented honey throwing it off balance. At 9.4% it's a heavy hitter. Might be on the floor before you're able to bend the knee after this one.
Nov 12, 2018Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
4.18/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.18/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
750 mL cork and cage bottle (adorned with the Targaryen dragon coat-of-arms) bought at the LCBO earlier this year; best before Apr 24 2019 and served slightly chilled.
Pours with a clear, effervescent body that is golden-hued, and topped with nearly two inches of billowing, sparkling white head that gradually dissipates over the course of the next ten-plus minutes. A smooth cap of creamy, meringue-like foam lasts on for considerably longer; lots of gorgeous lacing, too, with spider-webbed patterns higher up, and thick, substantial bands of froth lower down. Belgian yeast phenolics are the first thing I pick out from the nose - somewhat spicy and earthy, accompanied by doughy malts, mead-like honey sweetness, as well as a perfumey-floral, grassy hop note and perhaps just a hint of lemony pith.
A quality Belgian pale ale; the honey imparts a mead-like sweetness to the profile that may or may not be your cup of tea - personally, I quite enjoy it. The honey comes through alongside some doughy, bready pale malt notes; these are followed up by orchard fruit flavours reminiscent of apple, apricot and plum. On the back end, the hops impart a grassy note - slightly floral and herbal, with a spicy clove aspect coming through amidst a yeasty finish. Boozy-sweet, with the alcohol becoming increasingly noticeable as the glass approaches room temperature... it imparts a mildly warming quality that builds upon itself. Definitely a brew better off sipped slowly. Medium-full in body - the carbonation is resilient and assertive, resulting in a lively, frothy, rather prickly texture.
Final Grade: 4.18, an A-. Ommegang's Bend the Knee is not a beer to be taken lightly, with an unrelentingly bold flavour that does not do a whole lot to mask its strength. As a mead lover, that doesn't bother me very much, but it's something to keep in mind - this bottle is really better off split with a friend (or two). Fairly sweet, but the continental hops do a reasonably good job at balancing the profile out. I don't think I'd take this over stylistic stalwarts such as Duvel, but it's still a strong effort that I'm glad to have tried.
Sep 18, 2018Pours with a clear, effervescent body that is golden-hued, and topped with nearly two inches of billowing, sparkling white head that gradually dissipates over the course of the next ten-plus minutes. A smooth cap of creamy, meringue-like foam lasts on for considerably longer; lots of gorgeous lacing, too, with spider-webbed patterns higher up, and thick, substantial bands of froth lower down. Belgian yeast phenolics are the first thing I pick out from the nose - somewhat spicy and earthy, accompanied by doughy malts, mead-like honey sweetness, as well as a perfumey-floral, grassy hop note and perhaps just a hint of lemony pith.
A quality Belgian pale ale; the honey imparts a mead-like sweetness to the profile that may or may not be your cup of tea - personally, I quite enjoy it. The honey comes through alongside some doughy, bready pale malt notes; these are followed up by orchard fruit flavours reminiscent of apple, apricot and plum. On the back end, the hops impart a grassy note - slightly floral and herbal, with a spicy clove aspect coming through amidst a yeasty finish. Boozy-sweet, with the alcohol becoming increasingly noticeable as the glass approaches room temperature... it imparts a mildly warming quality that builds upon itself. Definitely a brew better off sipped slowly. Medium-full in body - the carbonation is resilient and assertive, resulting in a lively, frothy, rather prickly texture.
Final Grade: 4.18, an A-. Ommegang's Bend the Knee is not a beer to be taken lightly, with an unrelentingly bold flavour that does not do a whole lot to mask its strength. As a mead lover, that doesn't bother me very much, but it's something to keep in mind - this bottle is really better off split with a friend (or two). Fairly sweet, but the continental hops do a reasonably good job at balancing the profile out. I don't think I'd take this over stylistic stalwarts such as Duvel, but it's still a strong effort that I'm glad to have tried.
Reviewed by chitoryu12 from Florida
4.08/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.08/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Look: Opaque orange-yellow with a thick, foamy white head that dissipates after a few minutes.
Smell: Not unlike mead, actually! Fruity sweet, a tinge of honey, some citrus zest, spiciness, and just enough malt to know it's beer.
Taste: Also not unlike mead! Sweet, fruity honey and malt with a mild hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Thick and decently carbonated.
Overall: While I'm not a fan of Game of Thrones and would otherwise avoid tie-in products, this is a fine beer and I'd like to see Ommegang brew it again.
Jul 30, 2018Smell: Not unlike mead, actually! Fruity sweet, a tinge of honey, some citrus zest, spiciness, and just enough malt to know it's beer.
Taste: Also not unlike mead! Sweet, fruity honey and malt with a mild hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Thick and decently carbonated.
Overall: While I'm not a fan of Game of Thrones and would otherwise avoid tie-in products, this is a fine beer and I'd like to see Ommegang brew it again.
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)
4.1/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.1/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle: Poured a hazy pale amber color ale with a large white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of sweet cereal notes with some bready yeast notes with light peppery notes is quite nice. Taste is a nice mix sweet cereal notes, light honey notes with some bready notes and light spicy/peppery undertones. Body is full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol notes. Solid rendition of the style with excellent drinkability.
Apr 16, 2018Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand
3.83/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.83/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Golden and hazy with lots of large bubbled carbonation, and six fingers of yellowish head.
Smells of Belgian yeasts, phenols, peaches hay, light malts Creme brûlée.
The taste follows the nose, and adds hints of malt syrup, honey, and a complex floral bouquet.
Thick and syrupy body with loads of carbonation.
Got at LCBO in Toronto, drinking in downtown Toronto March 3rd, 2018.
Mar 05, 2018Smells of Belgian yeasts, phenols, peaches hay, light malts Creme brûlée.
The taste follows the nose, and adds hints of malt syrup, honey, and a complex floral bouquet.
Thick and syrupy body with loads of carbonation.
Got at LCBO in Toronto, drinking in downtown Toronto March 3rd, 2018.
Reviewed by stortore from Illinois
4.04/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
750 ml bottle into a tulip glass. Had 6/23/17.
Pours a cloudy, bright yellow, with a two inch head and lots of foamy lacing. Smells of Belgian yeast, malt, wheat, spices- cloves, for one, black pepper. A bready aroma. The taste is malt, Belgian yeast, wheat, spices, honey, light vanilla. A bit of a sweet spot, slight hop bitterness. Smooth, creamy, refreshing, a solid body, well carbonated.
Very good. Straightforward, but strong flavors and aromas. Well developed.
Feb 16, 2018Pours a cloudy, bright yellow, with a two inch head and lots of foamy lacing. Smells of Belgian yeast, malt, wheat, spices- cloves, for one, black pepper. A bready aroma. The taste is malt, Belgian yeast, wheat, spices, honey, light vanilla. A bit of a sweet spot, slight hop bitterness. Smooth, creamy, refreshing, a solid body, well carbonated.
Very good. Straightforward, but strong flavors and aromas. Well developed.
Game Of Thrones: Bend The Knee from Brewery Ommegang
Beer rating:
90 out of
100 with
145 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!