Ommegang - Abbey Ale

Tonights review is from a brewery out of Cooperstown, New York.  Sound familiar?  If you are a baseball fan you may already be aware that this town is home to the baseball Hall of Fame and known as the birthplace of baseball.  Luckily for us, the town is also home to one of the most prominent American breweries focused on crafting the best Belgian brews this side of the pond.

Brewery Ommegang was established back in 1997 at the location of a former hop farm.  The brewery itself was built from the ground up as a traditional farmhouse structure.  They wanted to ensure everything they did while producing their beer was authentic and traditionally Belgian.  Today they boast a year-round line up of five award winning beers along with a handful of seasonal and specialty brews that can be enjoyed throughout the year. The first beer they released, and what I would imagine is their flagship beer, is the beer I'm drinking tonight, Abbey Ale.

A dubbel style Belgian, Abbey Ale comes in a 750ml corked champaign bottle.  The label already has me excited describing this bottles contents as a "rich, fruity, and aromatic, burgundian brew".  There are also pouring instructions on one side and a brief history lesson on the other.  Ommegang wants to ensure you have the best experience possible when you open one of their hand crafted beers.

This dubbel is a slightly cloudy, deep caramel amber.  The foam is a similar caramelized brown.  My first thought when this filled my glass was "beautiful".  A little cheesy, I know, but if you take the time to enjoy the entire process of drinking a craft beer you may think the same with this one.  A complex bouquet of aromas are immediately present as I dip my nose past the rim of the glass.  Toasted caramel, spice, dark fruits, plum, licorice... very pleasant.  The flavors are more of the same with some brown sugar, alcohol warmth and cinnamon added into the already complex, yet enjoyable flavor profile.  The carbonation is higher than average to help dry out the bold, malty body of this 8.5% ABV brew.

Overall - This is great.  If you have been reading my posts for a while you will know I'm a big fan of Belgian brews, and this Abbey Ale satiates my craving.  Brewery Ommegang makes it cost effective for me to enjoy an authentic version of Belgian style beers year round.  Luckily they distribute most of their line up out to MN.  Ill certainly be looking up their other products during my next trip to the beer shop!