Ommegang Abbey Ale

Brewed by Brewery Ommegang (Moortgat)
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Cooperstown, New York USA

Deep ruby with a slight brown tint. It has a pleasant nose of sweet cherry cola, malt, and a little clove. Crisp on the palate with carbonation and good acidity. The first flavors to hit are cherry and malt almost like root beer. The finish is hops with this earthy dankness that sticks on the back of my toungue. It keeps the beer from being sweet, but is also a bit astringent. I’m going to go ahead and disregard that dank taste, as its a bit unpleasant and I’ve had Ommegang several times before and its never been present then.

An exceptional looking beer. Fantastic frothy beautiful head that lasted throughout the entire session and left an incredible lace down the side of the Goblet. The beer pours a deep Burgundy with hints of red shining through the sides of the glass. Pour Slowly. The nose is full of sweet malts, spices, sugars, sweet fruits...etc. Very complex flavors...dark cherries, sugars, bananas, spices, caramel...

Tried this for the first time about 2 years ago before my palate was defined. Thought it sucked. But now it’s a favorite. It’s highly carbonated, and has hints of dried cherries.

Deep mahogany red with dark orange/tan cumulus cloudy head. Large craters appear in mounds of head in glass. Fruity sweet aroma. Flavor is best described as complex. Bitter and sweet at the same time, light and heavy at the same time. Mouthfeel is very very solid for a beer of this nature. Like other Belgian Strongs, this is an acquired taste, but is probably considered near nirvana for a beer geek. Really as classy a beer as you’ll find, this beer is perfect for introducing to a wine or scotch snob to change their views toward beer.

From the bottle, pours a deep red with a thick, bubbly off-white head. Smells a bit sour, some yeast, some light malts. Tastes lightly sour at the beginning, some fruits. Cherries are definitely in there. Very smooth, and a little sweet at the end. This is a keeper.

Poured from bottle into shaker glass. This one had a cloudy caramel color with a profuse, dark, creamy head. Aroma was yeasty, yummy, and of dark fruits. Flavor was crisp and tangy, and hid the substantial alcohol well.

Poured from 750ml bottle this beer appears a burgundy brown. Aromas of honey, "big apple" and caramel blends with a yeasty tone. Taste starts malty with candy sugars, caramel with layers of roastiness followed by a dryer balancing finish. The alcohol is blended well and gives a pleasant warming in the belly. Nice fizzy mouthfeel that is not too sharp. Smooth, aromatic and very belgian for a USA brew.

Poured a rich dark red with murky brown highlights when held to the light. An ample head with limited lace. The head retention remains but did not last throughout the whole tasting. The aroma is sweet but more malty then what I consider a “Belgian-esk” smell. A great fragrance of malt with plums more then raisins and a hint of peach or at least a fruitiness quality. The taste is very rich. A good presence of malt that is complex, smooth and tasty. A stronger plum flavor with a lighter spice quality. Lighter in the spices, more cloves and nutmeg but maybe some cinnamon too. The aftertaste has a banana and molasses quality that mixes well. Also a taste of sweetness like brown sugar. One thing I just have to repeat is the rich smoothness it has. The body is medium to full. Limited carbonation. Overall a good Abbey ale. A stronger malty then a average Abbey. Also the yeast is a more subtle. Well, my suggest is you should try this.