Omerta Blood Orange Pale Ale — Bellwoods Brewery

Fruit in beers, what can I say?  They range from light lime lagers to the epic Cantillion Lambics, and  lots of iterations in between.  In some cases, the fruit is really the only thing you taste, in other cases it used to compliment characteristics of the beer.  I used to say I didn’t really dig fruit flavoured beers, but with time and experience, I’ve found that there are actually many I do enjoy. So when I saw on Facebook that Bellwoods had a blood orange pale ale called Omerta from sale in their retail store, I headed right over to pick some up.  It’s likely sold out at the store now, but fear not, and read on; there are still at least two kegs in the city!

Omerta Blood Orange Pale Ale — Bellwoods Brewery

Omerta Blood Orange Pale Ale — Bellwoods Brewery

From a 500ml bottle, Omerta pale ale pours a hazy dark amber, with a tinge of pink to the hue. A 1″ loose head drops to a patchy foam and thick ring that laces the glass like lingerie.  Aroma is a wonderful balance of citrusy hops and juicy pungent blood oranges.  Malts are present, though you’ve got to sniff around for them, it’s definitely hop/fruit-forward.  Taste is big hops floral and a little resinous and bitter juicy blood oranges.  Fruity and slightly sweet, with a heap of bitterness and just a nice little tart sourness from the fruit. Finish is bitter and dry, with a touch of a astringency.  Malts are there, but definitely subtle.  Slightly sweet and grainy, but mostly what you will notice is the lovely balance between the blood oranges and the Kohatu hops.  Mouthfeel is light with a pleasingly prickly carbonation.  With the effervescence of the drink and the bright fruity flavour, this would be one heck of a summertime patio sipper, though I’m not sure if they’ll be making it again.  Still, probably one of the best fruit influenced beer I’ve had.

Buy Omerta Pale Ale

Pretty sure the bottles are now sold out at the brewery retail store, though it’s possible they might still have a keg or two for the bar.  But the best places to get this will be this Sunday, the 7th, at The Rhino during their Beer for Boobs event from 2-8pm, or the Casbah in Hamilton Sunday April 14th, also for Beer For Boobs and running from 1-6pm. Details here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beer-4-Boobs/322536714456285

Drink it With

Well, whatever sort of munchies are available at the events, but if another batch is made, or you find yourself in possession of a cheeky bottle or two, consider it the perfect friend of a nice glazed cut of pork, maybe a grilled and glazed chop?  For cheese, a really rich fatty brie (double or even triple) could be an amazing juxtaposition to Omerta’s tart and bitter flavour. A tart chevre would also be an interesting comparison.

About The Brewery

Bellwoods Brewery, located at 134 Ossington is one of the newest, hippest breweries in Toronto.  Luke and Mike combine to make some of the most progressive exciting beers in the city, which are served mainly at the brewpub, to a lesser extent at great beer bars, and occasionally at their pop-up retail store next door.  Drop by to give them a try, or check their website at http://bellwoodsbrewery.com

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