Another ‘Game of Thrones’ Beer Will Arrive in Time for the Final Season

No matter how the series ends, no matter who survives or dies, diehard fans that have followed the HBO show for eight years are likely to shed a tear whenGames of Thronesairs its final episode on May 19. But you know who may be even more upset? Brewery Ommegang. The Cooperstown, New York-based brewer hasmade more Game of Thrones beersthan the show has seasons:13 by our count. And you know damn well they aren’t going to stop before the series ends its run: They’ve just announced their astounding 14th officialGame of Thrones’ collaboration with HBO Licensing & Retail — and it could be their most interesting offering yet.

The new beer, called For The Throne, is actuallya beer-wine hybrid, a style that seemed to grow in popularity throughout 2018. “In the course of planning out the next beer in our amazing collaborative partnership with Brewery Ommegang we asked the brewers ‘What would Ommegang do for the throne?’” Jeff Peters, Vice President of Licensing and Retail at HBO, said in a statement. “Their answer was to brew this exciting and innovative co-fermented beer so that our fans can raise a toast to the culmination of their beloved series this spring.”

Beyond its beer base of pilsner and carapils malts, the 9.5-percent ABV For The Throne also usesPinot Grigioand Viognier grape juice resulting in a golden copper brew said to start with “aromas of honeysuckle and toasted grain [that] mingle with notes of pear and apricot” leading to “flavors of sweet malt and honeydew.” The beer is also bottle-conditioned with Champagne yeast for a finish billed as “clean and dry, with vibrant effervescence.”

“With this offering, we have bent the traditional boundaries of beer-making, co-fermenting traditional ingredients with juices normally destined for fine wines, going to great lengths to create a truly unique, special beer,” Brewery Ommegang president Doug Campbell explained. “This style of beer, often called a ‘oenobeer,’ is a rapidly expanding area of study for us. For The Throne is our first of co-fermentation beer of 2019, and the only one we’ve launched under theGame of Thronesbanner.”

For The Throne will be available at the brewery on March 8, after which it should be available throughout Ommegang’s entire distribution network by early April, just in time forGame of Thrones’ final season to debut on HBO April 14. The beer will be sold on draft or in wrapped, 750-milliliter bottles with gold artwork.

The only remaining cliffhanger? Whether Ommegang will try to squeeze in a 15thGame of Thronesbeer before the series concludes in May.