The Red Ale Wedding — Ommegang’s Fire and Blood in the Windy City

As the American release date of Brewery Ommegang’s Fire and Blood ale draws near, scheduled festivities in promotion of this new Game of Thrones beer are beginning to happen across the land. This past Wednesday night, Game of Owns co-host Eric Scull was invited to one of these gatherings, and this is his story.

About six months ago, I attended a theatrical screening of the Game of Thrones Season 2 episode “Blackwater” at The Logan Theatre in Logan Square, Chicago IL. The event was put on by River North Beer Co. (now Lakeshore Beverage Co.) in conjunction with Ommegang Brewery (Cooperstown, NY) – the makers of the Game of Thrones beers. In addition to screening the show with a group of people much larger than in the living room I had seen it in first, all guests got to try Take the Black Stout (and Ommegang’s first Thrones beer, Iron Throne Blonde Ale as well) on draught. There was a costume contest, a silent auction for special Thrones merch, and a great night of fun was had by all. (Some photos from this event remain on Lakeshore Beverage’s Facebook album)

Six months had passed, and I knew that Ommegang was about to release their latest Thrones beer, Fire and Blood Ale. And, since I had taken care to subscribe to River North’s newsletter, I received a formal invitation for Lakeshore Brewing’s latest Thrones event, “A Wedding of Fire and Blood.”

How could I resist the opportunity to preview Fire and Blood Ale, before its release date next Monday? I couldn’t. And, while I knew how the nuptuals of Roslin Frey and Edmure Tully had ended (not well) on the show, the pull of the new brew and the thirst for more public Thronesing overwhelmed. Surely they wouldn’t kill us all before we tried it?

The night’s event was held at The Radler, self-described as Chicago’s premium contemporary Bavarian beer hall. It was easy enough to find on Milwaukee Ave near Logan Square in Chicago, because at 6pm there were already about 30 people lined up waiting to enter. Dozens more soon queued behind me. Upon our entry at 6:30, we each received a complimentary gold token (redeemable for our very first glass of Fire and Blood Ale). Another thing happened as soon as we entered. Off to the right-hand side, identical twin harpists (and international sensations) Camille and Kennerly Kitt were set up on their beautiful twin Concert Grand acoustic harps, playing a peaceful melody.

The sisters would continue playing throughout the entire 3-hour event, including their rendition of the Game of Thrones theme song (over 1.5mil views on YouTube). Of course, they also would play their version of “The Rains of Castamere” – and many other contemporary covers. Played on the harp, their music did much to set the mood for the entire evening.

At the other side of the room was the buffet table, still being prepped…

…so it was with great anticipation that I headed for the bar and redeemed my Braavosi token, for “Fire and Blood Red Ale.”

The beer is my favorite so far. Being a red ale, it is lighter than Take the Black Stout, but some were surprised to find that Fire and Blood still had some weight to it. It’s a perfect medium between the Blonde Ale and Take the Black which Ommegang has so far offered. I will definitely be picking up more when the beer is released on Tuesday.

As with Lakeshore Brewing’s previous “Blackwater” event, there were a number of other drink options. Ommegang’s “Hop House” and “Witte” beers were on draught, and The Radler specially crafted two Thrones-themed cocktails. These were titled “The Targaryen” and “Dragon’s Blood.” I was impressed that the reflection of the lemon peel could be seen by peering into the depths of The Targaryen.

The Targaryen (Espolon Resposado, St. Germaine, Yellow Chartreuse) and Dragon’s Blood (Killepitsch, lemon)For every drink option, there was even more food to choose from, and soon the feast began. The most tender cuts of pork, entire legs of delicious turkey, smoked sausages, chicken, grapes, potatoes, mussels, bavarian pretzels. The food was truly fit for the Tully/Frey wedding. All was delicious and cooked to perfection.

Of course, no Tully/Frey wedding would be complete without a particular interruption. Just as we were patting our well-fed lower torsos, from the front of the room came a commotion. Members of the New Millenium Theatre Company, and Promethean Theatre Ensemble in Chicago, had staged a re-enactment of the Red Wedding scene in “Game of Thrones.” From the attack of Robb, Catelyn’s confrontation/plea with Walder, Roose Bolton’s killing blow, and Walder’s wife’s demise, the scene took us all by surprise and, afterward, prompted a war cry of “THE NORTH REMEMBERS!” from several perturbed guests.

Before the (excellent) interruption, there had been some time for socializing and enjoying the food. A Joffrey and Cersei Lannister sat together contemplating the fate of the Realm…

…and we continued to enjoy the Fire and Blood Red Ale.

Finally, it was time for the evening’s last event, a Thrones costume contest. This event was made possible by Chicago Comics, who provided the prizes for first- and second-place winners. A dozen or so contestants competed, all in dashing Thrones attire. Many of the guests made, or pieced together their own costumes for the event, and sitting next to these people at dinner really kept one in the world even better.

The costume contest, hosted by Lauren Rapciak of the Geek Girl Chicago blog, was decided by applause. And, who should have gotten the most applause, but a real-life giant named Brad, dressed as Hodor (with Bran)?

Brad walked away (to many chants of “HODOR! HODOR!”) with collectible Thrones bookends, and a copy of George R.R. Martin’s “Dangerous Women” hardcover.

We continued to cheer and drink for a further hour, enjoying desert and the company of peers.

In retrospect, what I found remarkable about this event was how many moving parts came together to make it as fun and memorable as possible. Lakeshore Beverage Co. and Ommegang Brewery teamed up for yet another truly outstanding event, in Chicago. The people at The Radler served the greatest feast in this realm, and developed specialty drinks just for the evening to compliment their food and the Ommegang brews. The Harp Twins, Camille and Kennerly, were the perfect addition to an already impressive event, bringing proper musicianship and their great talent to the most suitable environment for them (a royal wedding). Chicago Comics provided prizes for the costumed winners, and furthermore, Chicago residents dressed up and attended. The beer and food were excellent. This launch party reminded me what was so great about Game of Thrones in the first place – grown-ups can have the most fun.

This event was only one of several release parties for, and appearances of, Fire and Blood Red Ale. Ommegang Brewery was also involved with scheduled events in Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, San Diego, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kansas City, New York City and Cleveland. Hopefully those cities’ experiences were as cool as ours.

Furthermore, in Chicago there are some more scheduled public appearances for Ommegang’s Fire and Blood Red Ale.

March 31 – Binny’s Beverage Depot (South Loop) @ 5:30
April 1 – Northdown cafe and Taproom @ 5pm

April 2 – Monk’s Pub @ 5pm

April 5 – Paddy Long’s Beer and Bacon Pub @ 4pm
April 6 – World Of Beer Naperville @ 6pm

Eric Scull co-hosts the “Game of Owns” podcast.

• Published on 03/28/2014 at 3:52 PM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:43 PM CDT