Ommegang Three Philosophers

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

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)

Dark brown with a small but solid beige head. Very malty and "brown" aroma with light esters and yeast related fruit notes. The malt itself doesnt supply a very fruity character here. Flavour is similar to aroma but with a even heavyers malt character, a bit raw, clean and ruff around the edges but overall very pleasant and suprisingly heavy on the flavour. Better than other atempts..

Bottle from Food World, Kalamazoo. Dark brown colour, tan head. Aroma of brown sugar, dark fruits, some nuts. Flavour of light toasted malts, dark fruits, brown sugar, molasses. Has a slight sourness. Rich and developing beer.

Beautiful red-amber (like a dark honey) hue. Heady, malty and slightly fruity nose redolent of cherries and plums. Body is stupendous as is taste! Sampling the best of two worlds; belgian abbey excellence intermarried with the fruity wonderment of a cherry lambic! Great stuff!

Pours and earthy dark red. Aroma is mellow with largely of cherries with a hint of oranges. Nose is sweet cherries but the body is far more sour. Finishes just slighly bitter with the fruit flavor returning. A wonderful beer that I can never seem to get enough of.

750mL bottle. Pours dark brown with a fluffy tan head. Aroma is sweet and fruity with just a little hint of spice (clove?). Taste is full of molasses and crisp apples followed by a warming alcohol bite. The 9.8 ABV catches up with you by the end of the bottle, leaving you nice and warm. Good, but not great.

Golden brown pour with modest tan head. Sweet aroma and flavor, too sweet to me. And the palate was quite syrupy and thick with minimal effervescence. I had high hopes for this beer but was fairly unimpressed.