there's a beer any nerdier than the new Ommegang Iron Throne ale, which is a collaboration between two entities with passionately nerdy fan bases: HBO's Game of Thrones, which returns for a third season at the end of this month, and Ommegang, a New York craft brewery known for pretty much across-the-board excellent Belgian-style ales. HBO has said it chose Ommegang as a partner for its "expertise and attention to detail," and the collaboration is nothing short of ambitious. Rather than putting alabel on one of its existing ales, the brewery is releasing a line of not one but four original, seasonal beers. The first, Iron Throne, is out now in 750 ml bottles and, apparently, on tap.

I ran across Iron Throne at a bar near the Esquire office that's known for having a large beer selection. I asked for a different Ommegang beer that was out. "They have this new Game of Thrones beer," the bartender told me. I said I'd have it. I admit that I do not watch Game of Thrones and was not watching it at the time. I was instead watching Friday's Nets-Wizards game. But I can attest that it's a good TV beer. The taste is extremely easy-drinking: malty, vaguely fruity, a little spicy, but nothing overpowering. It goes down especially smooth for being 6.5 percent ABV. Apparently this has something to do with the Lannister house, but you'll have to figure that out on your own. The bartender nodded and asked me how it was. I said it was good. "It tastes like Duvel," he said. I haven't had Duvel in a while, but sure, that sounds right.

Here comes the question of whether you should order this beer. Had I come in specifically asking for a beer called Iron Throne, I might have felt a little more uncomfortable. Had I done so during a Game of Thrones episode-viewing party, all the more so. There's just no getting around the fact that drinking a beer tied to the show while you watch it is pretty nerdy. But then again, Iron Throne is delicious, and this is Game of Thrones after all. If you're going to drink something, it might as well be this. And take some comfort in knowing that, if you were one of the truly hardcore GoT fans, you'd probably have brought in your own novelty horn beer mug. Things could be a lot worse.

Paul Schrodt Paul Schrodt is a freelance writer and editor who also contributes to Esquire, GQ, Money, The Wall Street Journal, and more.

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