Ommegang Abbey Ale

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

Serve in Trappist glass

Poured a reddish light brown color with an off white head. Aroma was of sweet candy sugar and some spices. Flavor was really sweet and spicey, very complex for a belgian

Nothing spectacular going on here. Pour was a dark brown with a puffy white head. Aroma of malt and dark fruit. Taste is dark fruit and honey with a caramel and malt aftertaste. Thick chewy mouthfeel. A little too sweet for my taste.

Date and raisin nose. Clear ochre, with a thick tan head. Flavor is dark roasted malt, dates, and smoke. Finishes with a nice smoke and subtle charred bell pepper. Not my favorite, but distinctive. Would pair well with any cheese.

UPDATED: MAR 12, 2009 (Bottle) Pours a light hazy dark reddish brown colour with and off white to light brown head. The aroma is fantastic and fat with clear tones of, malt, caramel, toffee, sugar, honey, doughy yeast, dark fruits like resins, figs and plums, lighter fruits like apples, sweet oranges and pineapples. Sweet but also a bit sourish. In addition, some berry notes of grapes and cherries. Undertones of tobacco and liquorice. The nose is more like an English BW than a Belgian strong. The flavour is sweet malty, sugary and dark fruity but also a bit tart and sourish. Vinous tart with grape sand cherries. The caramel and toffee tones are more laidback in the flavour. Finish is dry and spicy with a touch of chocolate/cocoa and anise. The mouthfeel is quite rich, warming, round and creamy with a champagne carbonation that dies out pretty fast. Light bitter. The sourish orange notes plays well with the sweetness and make the beer less cloying. Medium to full bodied. This is a very special example of the style and in my book a better example than many of the beer in the same category.

UPDATED: FEB 1, 2010 ++++ Re Rate 29 January 2010 ++++
12 oz bottle given to me by my friend Brent. Poured into my Ename Abbaye chalice, served between 45-50 degrees. Pour is slight haze burgundy ruby brown with a one inch tan head that falls with noisy carbonation bubbles. Aroma is thick malt, with dried fruit (plum and cherry) sweetness. Behind the malt is a nice vanilla and spice yeast that fills out and softens the sweetness of the nose. The taste is sharply sweet (again the dried fruit) initially, then moving beyond that to more of an earthy straw maltiness. The yeast picks up in the back, and this time is strong on the spice - clove and cinnamon. The flavors lack amplitude, and really jut out in a number of directions. There really is none of the softness of the nose. Palate is medium bodied, mouth coating, which is lifted by active fine carbonation. As it warms, the heat of the alcohol becomes apparent. An OK take on an Abbey style, though lacks the integration of the classics. Thanks for leaving this behind, Brent. (8,4,6,3,14 - 3.5)

++++ Original Rating 28 December 2008 ++++
750 ml bottle shared by my friend Brent. Pour is mahogany, a bit more red than brown with a well formed 1 1/2 inch tan head. Aroma of bit maltiness, raisin fruit, clove, and spicy yeastiness. The taste mirrors the nose closely, with the big maltiness being the main component. The sweetness is nicely balanced to the malt, and there is some nice earthiness in the finish. Nice beer. (8,4,8,3,15 - 3.8)

UPDATED: JUL 31, 2011 12 oz bottle. Dark garnet brown with a smooth, dirty-tan, custard head. Settles to a skin. Strong banana; mango, cereal, toffee and currants. Smells good enough to drink. Starts bitter with a good fizzy mouthfeel then smooths. Just the slightest sweetness behind some lime. Dry celery aftertaste. 7/30/11 - 25.4 oz bottle, cave aged March through September 2004 then to my cellar. Nose is wet oak, cedar, pine and stale raisin. Medium body with a tingle. Taste is plum, portabellas, green olive and brown bread. Richer with age but loses points for aroma.

Rater #1600! Yeah Me! Tasted 5/31/11. 750ml cork and cage bottle. The first pour is heady with a creamy colored hue. Filtered with lively body. Dark amber hue. Aromas of dark fruits, piedras, and cocoa dust. Green apples and raisins. Very well rounded olfactory! Full bodied and just as tasty as I remember. I know I’ve had this a hundred times, I just never took the time to tick. Full and sweet. Bitter and tangy. Nice mix of citrus and chocolate. A very sticky and spicy. Subtle flavors of cola and spicy pepper. Medium dark toast and brown sugar. Dark fruit and dark chocolate wafers. This is a standard for a reason!

Hats off to the gang in Cooperstown for really understanding how to make Belgian ales. Ommegang really captures that abbey ale essence. It compares nicely to Chimay red. It has all the soft ale-fruit taste, like hints of apple and banana, with a nice moderate hoppiness, and cloudy brown color. Its a little harsher than the great Chimay red, though, but I can’t complain.