beer Archives - Dad of Divas

My Watch Has Ended by Ommegang – An Amazing New Beer

October 24, 2019 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

If you are a fan of dark beer and also a fan of Game of Thrones, you have to check out the new Game of Thrones^â. My Watch Has Ended beer. Brewery Ommegang and HBO Licensing & Retail are pleased to announce the 15^th and final offering in their multi-year, multi-beer partnership inspired by HBO’s award-winning drama, Game of Thrones^â. My Watch Has Ended, an imperial brown ale brewed with maple syrup and fenugreek, will be available this fall, expressing the state of Westeros after eight seasons of bloody battle.

“We’ve brewed an amazing array of different beers over the course of this partnership, and it’s been our pleasure to be part of this phenomonal story,” said Brewery Ommegang president Doug Campbell. “A tribute to fans everywhere, My Watch Has Ended is a fitting end to the series, and a reflection of the mindset of fans now that this epic story has come to a close. We hope it’s something they’ll enjoy with friends as they reminisce about their favorite episodes and characters.”

“Fifteen beers and six years later, we’ve now arrived at our aptly named final beer, My Watch Has Ended,” said Jeff Peters, VP of Licensing & Retail. “What an incredible collaboration this partnership with Brewery Ommegang has been, and we couldn’t be prouder of this final product. Cheers!”

My Watch Has Ended is brewed with two-row base malt, specialty grains such as oat flakes and chocolate malt, plus maple syrup and fenugreek, an herb with a maple-like aroma and flavor. Hopped with Hallertau Magnum and Styrian Golding varietals and fermented with an English ale yeast, with aromas of sweet maple and caramelized sugar, the beer pours a rich mahogany. Notes of cocoa and toffee and a smooth, velvety mouthfeel finish dry, with gently smoldering roast.

My Watch Has Ended is 8% ABV and makes a superb match for rare, grilled steak. The char pairs with the roasted malt while maple notes play off the sweetness in the meat. The beer is also a fine candidate for sipping before the fireplace as winter arrives.

The beer will be available on draft and in 750 ml bottles at the suggested retail price of $11.99/bottle. My Watch Has Ended launches in late fall in time for the holidays, and alongside the Collector’s Edition pack, featuring three previously released beers: Take the Black Stout, Fire and Blood Red Ale, and Winter is Here Double Wit, plus a commemorative glass. Enjoy all of these beers while reliving the show with the delux Game of Thrones-box set that arrives in stores in early December, just in time for holiday giving.

My take on the Beer

I love a good dark beer and My Watch Has Ended definitely falls into this realm. The beer is a very smooth beer that does have tastes of chocolate and maple syrup within it. You can smell this as well as you pour it for the first time. The beer has a wonderful dark color and the flavor is wonderful with a smooth aftertaste as well. This went well with red meat, but I also tried with chicken and it did fine there too, though I preferred the steak that I tried with it. This is definitely a beer you can sip and enjoy!

About Brewery Ommegang

Founded in 1997 on the site of an old hop farm near Cooperstown, NY, Brewery Ommegang brews imaginative beers in a wide variety of styles, with particular emphasis on Belgian brewing traditions. For more information, visit ommegang.com, or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/Ommegang, on Twitter at @BreweryOmmegang, and on Instagram at @BreweryOmmegang.

Key things to tag if sharing on social:

HBO Licensing & Retail @HBO
Brewery Ommegang @BreweryOmmegang
#MyWatchHasEnded

Tips for Parents to Surviving Hangovers

July 4, 2019 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

For those parents that still have young children that need attention, that shouldn’t mean you can’t still have fun and a good night out. However, if it has been a while, and your one drink turned into several that you hadn’t prepared for, then it might come as quite a shock to you the next morning when there is a price to pay. That price is spending the whole of the next day suffering and wondering how to not only survive your hangover but also look after your small children.

Follow these tips so you can make it through to the end of the day when you can finally drop onto the sofa and not move until bedtime, which is likely to be an early one!

Wake Up Time

Gone are the days of waking up at midday and reliving the night before with a nice coffee to help you out. The reality now is that you are more than likely going to be woken in the early hours of the morning, probably not long after you used to get home back in the day.

Go downstairs and put the kid’s television programs on as soon as you can. This gives you some leeway to working out how to cure a bad hangover, and fast!

The first thing you need to do is get the eggs on the go. Eggs contain a chemical which can help the liver clear free radicals so mix them with some stodgy food such as muffins and sausages to help you get your head straight.

Movie Time

Although movie night is usually reserved for a Saturday night with the family, don’t feel guilty about starting a new tradition of ‘Sunday morning movie time’! This gives you a chance to digest all the food you have just eaten and figure out what you can do to survive for the rest of the day.

Fresh Air

By now, you should be feeling a little less rough, so get the kids dressed and head outside. You can either send the children into the garden, and you can sit and watch from a garden chair or take a trip the park, but make sure you avoid the swings and the roundabouts if you don’t want the nausea to return!

Nap Time

Hopefully by this point, either the children are young enough to still need naps, or you have made them run so far at the park that they need one. This means you can have a nap on the sofa while they sleep too, which will really help with the hangover.

Make it Convenient

There’s nothing better than pizza and chips for a hangover, and the same food is always a favorite of children so get that cooking in the oven, and once you are all fed, you can start putting the kids to bed.

Once they are asleep, you can congratulate yourself for surviving the day. While it’s important, especially as a parent, to have fun and let your hair down once in a while, just make sure you take advice from resources such as this article, to help get you through the following day.

Ultimate Game of Thrones Gift – King in the North Beer

December 1, 2018 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Brewery Ommegang and HBO Licensing & Retail have announced the newest beer in their collaborative series inspired by the award-winning drama Game of Thrones. King in the North, a beer brewed for Jon Snow, is the fourth and final beer in this year’s Royal Reserve Collection, a series of four limited release beers, each designed and brewed as an homage to one of four epic figures engaged in the battle for the Seven Kingdoms.

Brewed to sustain a leader through a long, dark night, King in the North is a barrel-aged imperial stout. The beer will be available at the brewery and at retail as of Black Friday, November 23, on draft and in 750ml bottles. The suggested retail price per bottle is $12.99.

King in the North will be released alongside a one-of-a-kind gift pack, just in time for the holidays. The gift pack features one 12-ounce bottle of each of the four Royal Reserve Collection beers and a collectible Game of Thrones glass. The suggested retail price for a gift pack is $24.99.

King in the North Beer

“There was only one character with whom we could end the Royal Reserve Collection,” said Doug Campbell, Brewery Ommegang president. “I don’t think we’re alone in our hopes for Jon Snow. And for those who missed one of the Collection during the year, we’re pleased to offer the opportunity to get all four at once, along with a glass in which to serve them.”

“We’ve now arrived at our fourth and final Royal Reserve beer which celebrates Jon Snow with a big, bold, barrel-aged stout for the long cold nights to come,” said Jeff Peters, vice president of licensing & retail at HBO. “We expect this one to bring our fans to their feet to toast the King in the North!”

King in the North Beer

King in the North pours jet black with a thick tan head. Aromas of roasted malt, coffee, and chocolate blend with those of oak, bourbon, and vanilla. The flavor is rich and full with notes of chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and roasted malt up front followed by smooth bourbon and a hint of oak. The finish is thick and chewy with oatmeal creaminess, and pleasant lingering roast. King in the North pairs well with funky aged cheeses, rich dark meats and decadent desserts. It also makes a great dessert on its own.

The Royal Reserve Collection features four new beers in the brewery’s Game of Thrones-inspired series with HBO. All of the beers will be available on draft and in 750ml bottles. The series began in April with Hand of the Queen, a barleywine, and was followed in June by Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, a sour blonde blend. Mother of Dragons, a smoked porter and kriek blend will arrive in September before King in the North and the gift pack.

King in the North Beer

My Take on the Beer

This was an imposing bottle and an imposing beer as well. The beer itself comes in a larger bottle, one that you may wish to close back up, especially if you did not way to close the bottle back up. I know that this was one of the first things that I dealt with when I opened the bottle for the first time. I had a stopper that worked so I was able to drink this large bottle over a few days.

When you first open this, there is pressure in the bottle. When you pour this you will find that it is a very dark color, almost black. There is a bit of carbonation in the beer itself and the flavors that you taste include malt, coffee, and chocolate.

The beer itself tasted amazing and is definitely one that I would highly recommend. Whether you are a fan of Game of Thrones or not, if you enjoy a good beer, this is one that I would highly recommend!

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Even more amazing Breweries in Grand Rapids Perfect for a Beercation!

February 24, 2018 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

Today was Day 2 of my Beercation in Grand Rapids and we visited a ton of breweries including: the Grand Rapids Brewing Company, New Holland: The Knickerbocker, Harmony Hall Brewery, City Built Brewing, Creston Brewing and Hopcat thanks to Man Tripping and Experience Grand Rapids.

All of these locations were different from each other and bring unique beers to the forefront of you palate. Let me tell you a bit about each!

We started the day at the Grand Rapids Brewing Company. This Brewery is probably the brewery that has the longest history within Grand Rapids. This brewer has a history that goes back to 1893. The brewery was in business for a number of years until prohibition when it had to shut down. The brewery was closed for a number of years until the 1990’s when it re=opened for a number of years and then closed again until it was rebuilt in downtown Grand Rapids by Mark Sellers. What I was impressed with was that they had a wide array of beers including the beer that has been with them since the 1890’s (Silver Foam). In speaking to employees at the Grand Rapids Brewing Company their hottest sellers today are Roslynn Bliss and the new Peach Sour beer. While you will not find their beer in the local grocery store you can buy a growler or a bottle of beer in their restaurant. They let me know that they usually make about 1000 barrels of beer every year.

After visiting the Grand Rapids Brewing Company we went over to the New Holland Knickerbocker location. This is a very large location that is a beautiful building. Whether you are looking for beer, food, or New Holland gifts you can find it here. New Holland is known for its’ Dragon’s Milk varieties. I decided to try out the Flight of the Dragon even though I did not realize that each of the varieties were over 11% ABV.

In speaking to our waiter he let us know that New Holland has been brewing since 1997 when they first started brewing Mad Hatter. It was 2001 when they started brewing Dragon’s Milk and 2005 when they started their distillery. They now are distributing to 14 different countries and brew over 50,000 barrels a year. I also was informed they New Holland is the largest whiskey distiller in Michigan. In trying the Flight of the Dragon I have to say that the Dragon’s Milk and the Salted Caramel Dragon’s Milk were definitely my favorites.

After visiting New Holland: Knickerbocker, we headed to Harmon Hall for lunch and some beer (of course). What was nice was this was right down the street from New Holland. Harmony Hall is known for its’ history as a sausage factory as it started as this back in 1908.

As part of our lunch we ended up trying a few of the sausages and I will say they they were amazing! Starting in 2015 Harmony Hall started getting known as a Beer Hall and with two locations they have some great brews on tap here and they create about 845 barrels a year. Some of their most popular brews include Fiddlesticks, Lovely Day IPA, Toupoulo and the Crossroads IPA. I tried a few of these but also a few others and I was impressed with all of the ones that I did try.

We also got to check out their brewery and we were impressed with the way that they do brew. We were informed that it is a family affair with two brothers and a sister that started and run the business!

The food that we had here (outside of the sausage) was remarkable. The grilled cheese was something I would recommend to all!

After Harmony Hall we next visited City Built Brewery. This brewery is located on the north side of town in a neighborhood that is definitely building up. As we walked in we were surprised to find how busy it was. The menu has a Puerto Rican flair and the beer list is quite eclectic. City Built opened in 2017, but the owners both had a 20 year background in brewing and brought that to this venture.

While they are only making about 520 barrels a year, the beer that they are creating is unique and offer any beer aficionado a variety that they will want to explore. Also, not only are they brewing in Grand Rapids, but they are also now brewing in China and Japan.

The beer itself was very tasty. I found that there was a Beyonce Blackberry Mead that was my favorite of all that I tried, though all were very good!

From City Built we ended up going a bit further north to the Creston Brewery. This also was very busy for an early afternoon visit. While we did not try food here we did try the beer and we were very impressed with the variety and the taste of the beer. We did not get to see the brewing facility itself, but with the large number of people we could tell that this was a very popular location!

For me the Blueberry Sweet Treat was probably my favorite beer. I say this even though all of the varieties were very good. I will say that even though I tried a wide array, I did not have any that I did not like! I also loved that the flight that we had came in a record!

Our final stop of the night was at Hopcat. I had been at the Hopcat in East Lansing in the past, but it was a ton of fun to go to the original location in Grand Rapids and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. The place was the most packed of any of the breweries that we visited during the day.

Of course we had to have the Crack Fries that they are known for and I ended up trying their Cobb Salad which was very large and very tasty! On top of this I also was able to try a few brews too. Hopcat has 14 different locations in Michigan and other States which was amazing. I did not realize that they had brought Hopcat to so many States until today, so I definitely learned a lot on my visit today!

This was a great Brewcation in Grand Rapids. I just scratched the surface, but I did become a Brewsader, visiting 8 breweries on this trip. If you love beer, then visiting Grand Rapids is definitely a city that you need to have on your list of cities to visit. This Beer City has so much to offer that you will want to experience for yourself!

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Grand Rapids is the perfect spot for a Beercation!

February 24, 2018 by dadofdivas Leave a Comment

Grand Rapids is a great town. The city itself has not only re-invented itself but it has come to be known as the Beer City in Michigan because of all of the amazing breweries that that not only popped up but have stayed in the Grand Rapids area for many years. That being said, with all of the breweries you and a few of your friends could easily make a Beercation out of a weekend and even become a Brewsader by visiting at least 7 breweries that are listed in the Beer City Brewsader passport that you can get while in Grand Rapids.

Over the next day I will be sharing my experiences in Grand Rapids as well as my experiences visiting a few breweries in the Grand Rapids area as a part of a group of guys that are exploring the Grand Rapids area with ManTripping and thanks to the great people at Experience Grand Rapids.

On day of our Brewcation one we first visited Brewery Vivant. Brewery Vivant is a brewery that has been in existence since 2010. The concept behind the was to provide unique beers as well as amazing made from scratch food. We were able to have tour of their brewery and I was able to capture some of the tour here:

Visitibg @breweryvivant during the #GRBeerTrip #ExperienceGR https://t.co/ohL836MAZ9

— DadofDivas (@dadofdivas) February 23, 2018

In this tour we really got to get a much better understanding of what Brewery Vivant standds for. I was very impressed that it currently makes 5000 barrels of beer a year, but they have a goal of having 10,000 barrels this year.

Not only does Brewery Vivant do some fun things to keep staff happy, but they also have created a way to be fully sustainable in the products and practices that they do. Part of this keeps them using local food together as well as creating some very unique food and beer offerings at their location.

Speaking of the location, I have to say that their location off Cherry Street in Grand Rapids is so unique. As you want in you see venue that looks like a past church and whether you want to purchase a T-Shirt or not you walk through a gift shop as you enter.

I was amazed that all of their brewing happens on site and as you walk through their brewing facility you will see the huge vats that they use to create their unique brews.

The beer itself was amazing. I ended up trying a flight of beer that included: Cryotherapy Juicy IPA, Undertaker, Ski Patrol and Tart Side of the Moon. All four of these were very good in different ways. I will say that of the four my favorite was probably Undertaker, but all were amazing!

After experiencing the food and brews here I would highly recommend this for everyone!

Later in day one we went to explore The Mitten Brewery for a Brewcation dinner! As we walked into this facility I have to say that my first opinion was that it was so packed with people. I was glad that we had a reservation or we would have had to wait quite a long time before we would have had the chance to sit down. As we did sit down I was amazed to see the extensive menu of beers that were available. The menu itself was expansive and when I asked our waitress a question about the beers I found that all of the beers on the menu were beers that they created. Also, in asking our waitress, I found that they created many of the specialty beers on site while mos of the other beers were ones that were brewed across the street from the restaurant.

I ordered a flight of beers and I loved that they came in the shape of Michigan as 5 oz glasses. All of the beers that I tried were amazing. I tried a very diverse amount of beers and I was impressed with each one in different ways. The beers that I tried included a wide-array of different beer types (as you can see in the picture above). My favorites of these were probably the Hard Apple Cider and the Mango Gold, however, each was good in their own way.

On top of the beer we also ordered a flight of different pizzas. As the pizzas came I tried different ones and I will honestly say that these pizzas were amazing and definitely ones that I would recommend to all as they were so diverse and delicious! My favorites included the Chicken Pesto and the Chicken and Waffles, however, all of the pizzas were so unique and the flavor was remarkable too.

All-in-all this was a great start to our visit to Grand Rapids! I am looking forward to sharing Day 2 with you as well!

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Wine vs Beer: The Great Drink Debate #dadchat #beerchat

October 9, 2013 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

Facts and figures comparing popular wines and beers such as Estonian Beer and Malbec Wine as well as the most well-known festivals, like the Fete Des Vendages Wine Festival.

Brought to you by http://www.financesonline.com | See our Twitter and Blog

Submitted by Alex HillsbergAlex has a keen interest in the stock market, small and medium enterprises and personal finance, pursuing news, stories and issues around these topics for nearly twenty years now. He has written for various financial websites helping average Americans to pursue their financial goals.

Miller and DiGiorno, the perfect way to Spend a Football Sunday!

November 7, 2010 by dadofdivas 1 Comment

More check-ins at Felpausch Food Center

Every Sunday, I like to sit back, relax and watch some football. I was excited to be asked to be a part of a recent shopping experience with Miller/Coors & DiGiorno. I mean, what goes better together than pizza and beer. Check out the story above!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Terms of Use for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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