This is for you Roberto...

[Drew]

Ommegang Belgian style Abbey Ale. Made in the historic town of Cooperstown, NY. 8.5% Alc/vol. A delicious "Belgian style Ale" made in the good ol US of A. I occasionally enjoy a Belgian Ale, unlike your self [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img], but find the local selection to be either 3 Monts or Chimay Ale. This is very nice and well made. Paid $4.99 for a 25.4 ounce corked bottle of this delicious elixor. Have you tried this and what is your impression. If you can't get it I'll ship you a few.

Drew

[Botafogo]

From our November 1999 Newsletter:

Brewery Ommegang: Guaranteed NOT FRESH!

Many of you have heard us tell the tale of how we ordered 50 cases of a bottle conditioned domestic micro-brew two months in advance of the Holiday / Bowl Game Season so it would be aged and ready for you when you needed it and then nearly had to call the police to keep the industrial brewer who distributes it from trying to replace it with new stock because it was “out of code”! Well our buddy Don Feinberg (importer of such amazing bieres as Clovis, Affligem, Saison Dupont, Scaldis, Rodenbach and Boon) would never do that. In fact, in cahoots with the owners of Affligem, Duvel and Scaldis, he has constructed a beautiful new brewery in Cooperstown New York dedicated to making Belgian-style ales that are not only not fresh (they are warm cellared for two months before shipping) but meant for aging! The first offering is named after the brewery, tastes somewhere betwixt Affligem Dubbel and a grilled pork chop marinated in orange juice and cloves and comes in a 750ml bottle with Champagne Cork finish just $4.99!!!

GOOD Stuff! My favorite from that brewery is the Hennepin (although the Rare Vos rocks too).

PS: I think you meant "a cork-finished bottle" not "a corked bottle", eh???

[Drew]

Yup, corked finished and the store had the Rare Vos which I didn't try. Will go back and get some more of both. The $4.99 price tag was nice as well.

Drew

[Innkeeper]

At Roberto's suggestion we not only tried it, but visited their brewery on a trip to Cooperstown. It is more like visiting a winery than a beer platz. It is beautiful to begin with, and the tour is fascinating. Specifically, the way they flavor the different brews, the way they reintroduce yeast at the end of the process (and use special bottles to hold the resulting pressure), and the way they age their products before releasing them, is all very unbrewery like.

When most people think of Cooperstown, they think of baseball, and there's nothing wrong with that. Surely the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a must stop, as is another interesting place called the Farmer's Museum. But, my idea of nice time is to visit the Fenimore Cooper House on the shore of Lake Otsego, which is very interesting in itself, and to have lunch on their veranda facing the lake. When we did we had baked Brie in crust, and washed it down with bottles of Ommegang Hennepin. It hardly gets any better.

[Drew]

I brought a small stash to the Ocean of Ommegang,Hennepin and 1 bottle of their Three Philosopher's blend which was AMAZING! Very rich, creamy and complex with 9.8%Alc [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/eek.gif[/img]. I'm no expert but the Three Philosopher's is one of the best I've had.

Drew

[This message has been edited by Drew (edited 07-23-2004).]

[lizardbrains]

Sounds like a great experience. Which state of the great U.S. is this in?

-Elizabeth

[Innkeeper]

Nue Yawk.

[lizardbrains]

Said like a true East-coaster!