Profiled by Ken Carman
I have had Ommegang Abbey many times. I’ve met the brewers and shared a mutual goal: brainstorming a trube problem for another brewer in Pensacola. It is a very complex Belgian Brown Ale fermented in open fermentation tanks right here in the states in Milford, NY just south of Cooperstown, NY. Half moon Belgian farmhouse brewery. You drive through the middle of the building to get to the parking lot.
Some list it as a Dubbel. Taste wise, that could be accurate. Brown might work too. But while all Browns aren’t Flanders sour, there is a tendency to think of Belgian Browns as such.
Out of the bottle it foams, and foams and… hard to pour. A bit more of a very dark, hazy, amber, or light brown with a tinge of red. Head fades fast but lingers with just a bit of head at the very end.
Mouthfeel pure foam at first. Caramelization in the malt and that very obvious Abbey yeast that dominates the taste on the roof of the mouth. It clings with an almost brassy feel.
The taste is, again, the yeast and the caramelized and brown malts. The foam adds to the pleasure. The viscosity is moderate, yet the seems to complexity belie that. I’m guessing most think of this as a “heavy” beer, but it’s not. Hops are very background and… aged?
I would recommend this for anyone looking for an interesting, complex, less than sour Belgian Brown, or a Belgian Dubbel. In short: I recommend it. And on the plus side, brewed in America!
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Dogfish Head fans in Rhode Island will have to cross the border to enjoy their favorite brews.
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