Ommegang Three Philosophers

Brewed by Brewery Ommegang (Moortgat)
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Cooperstown, New York USA

355ml bottle (Beertopia, Nebraska) - 2007 cellared for 18 months - thanks Anna’s parents!
Rich reddy brown, brief head. Some pleasant roasty aroma, a touch of caramel and chocolate. Gentle carbonation, smooth palate - molasses in spades in the retronasals. First taste after swallowing was definitely primarily quite hot, but followed by some lovely burnt edges, and just a touch of barky bitterness. Alcohol too prominant, alas, this really ought to be toned down a fair way to excel. Fairly drinkable though, even considering the strength. Adding some yeast made the aroma softer and more caramelly, the taste too, but also once got a tiny hint of glue in the taste, which for me is a big no-no. Strangely, I burped kriekenbier. Definitely no quad, just a good sweet dark belgian ale. Finish a touch spicy too - clove.

Great plum, pear, and cherry aromas. Dark amber color with a think tan head. Thick and bubbly mouthfeel with an alcohol burn. Cherry flavor with a strong alcohol presence. Almost a chocolate covered cherry flavor. Interesting. Will probably taste better as it warms (I am drinking it too cold I think). I like it. Very warming.

In fairness to this beer: I’m rating it at 2am after the gators got whipped in the sec title game against alabama. that giant influence aside... big bottle - 1pt 9.4oz - clear copper brown pour with a big frothy head and lots of lacy stick. aroma is brown sugar and dark fruits. thinner than expected syrupy light to medium texture. candy sugars, dark fruits and molasses in the taste - a pepper spice vibe also. finishes dry, sweet and hoppy all at once somehow. for a quad, interesting - but my only true comparison is rochefort 10 and this ain’t sh*t to that.

Beer has a distinct cherry and belgian aroma that intrigues the senses for a first taste. The beer porrs a deep amber with a full white head. Taste is nice balancing rasin,and fig flavors with an undlying mild sourness from cherry additions. Palate is a bit sticky but nice for style. Overall I really enjoyed this beer and look forward to purchasing it again.

Location: Can’t believe I’ve never rated this one, anyway, this is from a 12 oz bottle that Dave brought over on 11/30/09

Aroma: The nose has hints of nuts, dark fruit, alcohol, woodiness
Appearance: Pours an orange-amber with a nice head
Flavor: It combines the strong flavors of the nose with some alcohol tastes
Palate: The body is pretty full with some burn from the ABV
Overall Impression: I was drinking a bit out of a 12 oz bottle, and I realized I somehow haven’t rated any of the Ommegang beer, a slight oversight on my part. Really surprised by my oversight of this nice brewery, I know I’ve enjoyed a few of their beers over the years. Anyway, I like this beer, its a sipper for sure, but these guys make a really quite solid quad.

Complex aroma - something like raisins, detectable alcohol, and maybe even some resin. Decent head, but disappeared a bit quickly. The cherry flavors are present but well-balanced - this beer is full of flavor but the sweetness is not at all overpowering. Fantastic blend of fruits and malts. Finishes bittersweet and acidic -- red wine (Pinot?) on the way down. There is a definite earthiness to this beer. It is lively on the palate and not as heavy as I anticipated.

Pours dark brown w/a thick, frothy head from the 12oz. bottle into a trappost glass at Abraxas (Miami Beach, FL): Aroma of dark cherries, blackberries, plum, and maybe some brown sugar. Tart bite. Reminds me of Cherry Coke with added grenadine and sour... and a few shots of vodka. Did I mention tart? Drinkability: Alcoholic and sinfully sweet. Rebuy: Sure. #226 on 28112009, DG.

2008 vintage. Dark reddish brown, almost more red than brown actually. Slightly hazy. A very big yellowish head fizzes away rather quickly but leaves stylish lacings. The smel is interesting, but kind of hard to pinpoint. Plenty of malts, dark bread yeast and prominent notes of berries. Quite a lot of chocolate as well, herbs and grass. After a while an unusual smell of roasted and tart aromas develops. This is really a complex smell with a wide range of different components. It’s slightly edgy and perhaps it doesn’t make it all the way, but it’s still pleasant and interesting. In the mouth, there’s a nice character of sweet Belgian style dark ale in the fore, with the typical mix of powerful malts and vinous notes of cherries and other dark berries and spicy and herbal yeast. Some caramelized sugar, chocolate and grass. Faint notes of bubblegum and soft candy. In the middle, a gentle tartness develops (might this be the kriek lurking in the shadows?). The finish is slightly bitter with notes of coffee, iron and stale bread, perhaps even some hop notes. The alcohol is noticeable in a not entirely integrated way. The body is not as big as I think I would have wanted it to be, and the lack of body results in the flavors coming out as a bit thin as well. The finish is slightly dry, whilst the mouthfeel is smooth. An impressive tasty and complex beer which I enjoyed quite a bit. But it’s slightly edgy and I don’t think it really manages to succeed in the ambitious task it sets up for itself. Serving type: bottle (Copy of old Beer Advocate review)