Ommegang Three Philosophers

This well-respected beer is delicious, refreshing, fruity, aley (if that’s a word), and boozy (in a good way) all at once. In the tradition of those Trappists, I can smell Belgium when I breathe in that sweet, boozy, rich beer flavor!

A deep brown core that is clearly lighter on the outside with a very thin tan head. Aromas were of plum, raisin and an herbal spiciness. The palate showed a balanced and restrained sweetness with a nice mix of dry and bitter hops added in. This seems to need some age.

Unfortunately not as complex as the label might imply, with a weakness that doesn’t complement the flavors, but rather waters them down. An aftertaste that comes and goes without leaving much impression. There are worse beers, but there are better ones, and this one is forgettable

Bottle, 9.0%. Weak fruity aroma. Cloudy orange colour. Very small head. The has some cherry, but it is quite subtle. It is quite thin for its ABV, but it gets better after half a bottle or so.

750 ml bottle. 2005 vintage. from a trade but i cant remeber from who so i apoligize for the inadequate shout out but if your reading this thank you very much for the beer! i shared this bottle with jessem and ryanmac13 as well as a non-ratebeerian. pours dark amber with a nice tan head. lots of dark malt aromas with some cherries. no funk. not really Abt/Quadrupel or cherry Lambic to the nose. its not unpleasent but if i was smelling this without knowing what it was id have no idea what style this beer was. flavours are solid. complex with a very progressive change from the dark malt almost sorta belgian ale to the cherry lambic. the blending of the two styles into one beer make for an interesting beverage but im not sure that i wouldnt prefer to enjoy the two halves of this beer by themselves. to sum up, this was enjoyable while being somewhat confusing. thanks again to the person who sent me this!

2005 vintage 750mL bottle, shared with Matt7215 and his brother, his bottle (thanks Matt). Pours a very nice ruby-brown, mostly clear, with a small tan head. Aroma is actually a lot like the Koff Porter we had earlier, very weird for a Belgian ale of any sort, but I guess that could be viewed as a good omen. Sweet, slightly boozy, inky Baltic Porterness, and some cherry. Very interesting smelling. Flavour doesn’t disappoint either. Great complexity with the cherry lambic aspects really shine through. Tart, a touch sour, with decent malty fruity aspects showing up. I guess you could almost call this a Quad of sorts, but I think it might be better classified under the umbrella term of Belgian Strong Ale. Pretty smooth for the abv, though the bottle is 3 years old. Surprisingly good, although I don’t know why my expectations were slightly low to begin with. Flavours blend together decently enough, but the cherry and lambic components really steal the show very quickly into the performance.

12 oz bottle, 2008 Vintage, liberated from BCTC VIP dinner, enjoyed at home. Pours a clear reddish amber body with a fizzy off-white head that settles to a thin film. Big syrupy malt nose with a sweet cherry syrup and chocolate accent. Very noticable alcohol when you get your nose deep down in the glass. The flavor is a bit of a mess, heavy syrupy fruity malt with a cough syrup like cherry flavor that’s only re-enforced by the prominent alcohol. Figs, a little murky yeast and earthiness on the hot finish. Mouthfeel is sticky and cloying with slightly overactive fizzy carbonation. Overall, this was just pretty bad. My least favorite Ommegang beer by far.

Pours brown with a reddish tinge around the glass. Foamy, eggshell colored head. Aroma is sweet, caramel, toffee malts, with sour cherries and a bit of alcohol. Caramel taste with a great sour, cherry finish. Not quite a dream beer, but great nonetheless.