Ommegang Art of Darkness

Brewed by Brewery Ommegang (Moortgat)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Cooperstown, New York USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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750 ml bottle into signature tulip glass, bottled on 2/20/2012. Pours moderately cloudy extremely dark reddish brown color with a 2 finger dense and fluffy khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of big raisin, prune, apple, pear, molasses, toast, toffee, chocolate, dark bread, light roast, pepper, clove, floral, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark malt and fruity/spicy yeast ester notes; with good strength. Taste of raisin, prune, apple, molasses, toast, chocolate, dark bread, toffee, floral, light roast, clove, pepper, and yeast earthiness. Lingering notes of dark and light fruits, molasses, toast, toffee, chocolate, dark bread, floral, light roast, clove, pepper, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice balance and complexity of dark malts with yeast ester flavors; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a creamy, moderately slick, and lightly foamy mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is and excellent Belgian strong dark ale! All around nice balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt and yeast ester flavors; and very smooth to sip on for a the gravity. A very enjoyable offering.

Torpedo bottle. Poured a black color with 1 1/2 tall finger head. Aroma of black licorice, belgium candy, some dark fruit notes, belgium yeast. Medium light sweetness. Creamy texture. Slight raisins in taste. Dry finish. This is good stuff.

A soft pour into my Teku glass produces a three finger thick, nicely brown tinged, creamed amber colored head. The beer is a concentrated, burnt amber color that is close to black, and is almost opaque, but does just show a clear, concentrated ruby hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of raisins, toasted caramelized brown bread, touches of chocolate coated berry notes, some ripe clove notes.

The beer is sweet, which accentuates a fruit character up front, then starts to pick up spicy, warming, higher alcohols, touches of roasted malt bitterness, and a lingering phenolic note of clove in the finish. The beer is fairly light bodied, but does have just a touch of viscosity to it, but is quite dangerously light and drinkable. The alcohols do add enough kick though that this beer is certainly a sipping brew. There is a rounded, caramelized nutty note here, joined by unrefined, fruit accentuating, slightly dark rum like, roasted dark sugar notes. A light toasted, whole grain character joins the light roasted flavors that are in this beer. As the beer warms the sweetness gets a bit rounder and better integrated with the malt character.

This is a nice beer, it can be a touch to alcoholic and spicy at times, but for all that is actually quite an enjoyable sipping beer. It is pretty amazing that they didn’t use any sugar in this recipe.

Copper red brown in color with a off white head. Deep dark fruity aroma. Deep malty caramel dark fruity flavor. Plum, and raisin notes. Full bodied. Spicy finish. Very nice beer.

A solid beer from Ommegang. Aroma was a huge hit of Belgian yeast. You can tell beers from this brewery from the aroma alone and this is no exception. Pour was a beautiful deep dark brown with a big 2 finger tan head that left quickly. Taste was a good, if not typical, dark Belgian ale. The yeast and malt are big and tasty. Fig, plum and raisin mix with bubble gum and yeast flavors. Very well made beer. Light carbonation which was a little disappointing for the style, but still a good solid beer.

Draft. Dark black color with light head and lacing. Nose is minimal but roasted malts and fruit. Taste of fig, roasted malts, raisins. Finishing a hint of sweet chocolate and caramel with a bit of warmth.

Dark malty goodness. Be sure not to serve too cold. Rich and smooth on the palate. Ommegang has another winner.

Light tasting Belgian strong. Pours dark brown with decent head and lacing. Aroma of booze, florals and light dark fruit. Watery texture, not much different from most Ommegang beers. Finishes with light sweetness. Soft carbonation. On tap at Blue Monk.

Bottle sample at Beoir Go Leoir. Sweet caramel malt, dark fruit, and Belgian yeast aroma. Deep chestnut with a small tan head. Musty Belgian yeast, sweet raisin-banana, light spice flavor. Medium body, soft carbonation.

Bottle. Pours a very dark, lightless and deep reddish-brown. Aroma is straightforward enough; sweet, Belgian yeast, fruit, grass. Taste is similar; sweet fruits, bubblegum, spicy, alcohol, Belgian yeast. Medium bodied. Medium carbonation, very appropriate. Some lacing. Nice, overall. This is a beer that does a great job of having taste and personality while still being relatively simple. They may have used several malts in the brewing process, but this beer wins in what it achieves in simplicity. Well crafted.