Ommegang Three Philosophers

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

12 oz. bottle -- 2008 brew. Deep red amber pour. Light head. Strong wine aroma -- alcoholic and fruity (cherry). Flavor comes in two stages. The primary stage is malty cherry and dark fruit. The secondary stage is alcoholic -- with a cherry base -- with some limited floral hints. The body is of medium thickness. The flavor and aroma are sophisticated and complex and lead into a delicate finish. If philosophy is an intellectual method of elucidation compared to a scientific doctrine of propositions, then beer philosophizing is too an activity that clarifies our thoughts of the fine brew. The Three Philosophers quadrupel exemplifies this activity.

Dark cider/brown color; Medium creamy body; Aroma of malt, dark fruit, floral, and spice; Flavor of sweet malt; fruit - notably plums & cherries, raisons, and spice; Nicely balanced with a dry finish; Alcohol is less noticeable than other Abts; Overall, I was pleasantly surprised how good it was.

Beautiful looking beer, ruby red with a huge head. Smells extremely malty and faintly alcoholic. A bit of fruitiness. Extremely thick beer, too thick for my liking, I drank it at room temp (from a basement, in the winter, think cellar temp) though and might have had better luck colder. Huge and complex flavour with lots of fruity and malty flavours all over the place. Very sweet. A nice beer overall, but not what I’m personally looking for in a quad. Well made.

This is a nice beer. Pours dark and looks delicious. The aroma is malty. The flavor was complex and what you would expect from a good quad. nothing too amazing though.

12 ounce bottle 2009. Text above says limited edition, but going on 1,500 ratings right now. Pours dark, red-tinged, superfluff head. Full body with soft carbonation. The cherries are subdued both in nose and tongue. Instead, it’s a very yeasty brew, lots of raisin-like notes. Not in the cocoa/chocolatey range of many Belgian strongs.

750-ml bottle NapaCabs.com - Aroma: sweet (malt), fruity esters of raisin, prune, date, cherries, spicy (yeast/spices), alcohol; Appearance: cloudy, reddish-brown color, tan head, some laces; Flavor: sweet, salty (malt), bitter (hop), sometimes sour, spicy, fruity esters of raisin, date, cherry, nutty, bready (yeast/spices), alcohol; Mouthfeel: full bodied, creamy-sticky texture, lively carbonation, long-dry finish; Overall: an extremely enjoyable beer with a wonderful balance of complex fruity and malty aromatic and flavorful with a slight sweet backbone, and malty, bitter, and long-dry finish.

Bottle. Pours a faintly hazy super dark, brownish amber with a tan, red hued head that leaves sporadic whisps of lacing. Aroma is incredibely rich, with a yeasty bready character. Flavor is potent, sweet, spicy with a somewhat sour bitter finish attributable to the cherry kriek infusion. A lot going on, and fairly aggressive flavor-wise, but not unpleasant. Full bodied, creamy in the mouth with an overriding hint of sweetness in the middle that gives way to a mildly sour finish.

Bottle at The Half Pint, NYC. Nice dark red body with slight tan head. Nose of lots of fruits, malts, caramel. Taste also of caramel, bitter and fruits. Sweet, but not too much. But quite fruity (or bitter) to me. Enjoyable all the same.