Make room in the beer fridge Game of Thrones fans. HBO is partnering with a New York brewery to bring fans a very special libation to help us enjoy the upcoming season - beers developed with a Game of Thrones theme. Sounds perfect for those who take both their beer and their Game of Thrones seriously.
Brewery Ommegang is brewing the very special libations and plans to release the first in a series of brews, Iron Throne Blonde Ale, to coincide with the March 31st premiere of Season 3. The beer will be sold in 750 ml bottles (which is the size of a standard wine bottle for those who don’t drink much) for a suggested retail price of $8.50. That’s pretty reasonable for a microbrew these days, and a bottle big enough to share, should you choose to. The brewery plans to release a second beer in the fall and then will follow up with two more beers to debut with later seasons.
The brewery responsible for the Game of Thrones beer is a Belgian-style brewery located in Cooperstown, New York that currently distributes its beers to 45 states, as well as internationally. It’s interesting that HBO has chosen to partner with a relatively small brewery on this endeavor, rather than one of the larger options, but seems to be the right move--especially for anyone who knows good beer. No semi-medieval ale should be mass-produced by Budweiser.
Drinking is a big part of Game of Thrones, both in the A Song of Ice and Fire books and in the HBO series, so a beer seems to make sense. Lately, foods, drinks and even cookbooks based on television shows seem to have become a trend. There is already a Game of Thrones cookbook on the market, and True Blood has taken that path, as well. Look for your first taste of Iron Throne Blonde Ale in mid-to-late March.
