Brewery Ommegang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brewery Ommegang | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | Cooperstown, New York United States |
| Owner(s) | Duvel |
| Year opened | 1997 |
| Active beers | |
| Hennepin | Saison |
| Abbey Ale | Abbey ale |
| Witte | Witbier |
| Rare Vos | Amber ale |
| Three Philosophers | Quadrupel/Kriek blend |
| Seasonal beers | |
| Ommegeddon Funkhouse | Saison |
| Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout | stout |
Brewery Ommegang is a brewery located near Cooperstown, New York. Ommegang brews Belgian-style ales.
Ommegang began brewing Belgian-style ales in 1997. Built by Don Feinberg, an aficionado of Belgian beers, it started up in a purpose-built building based on a traditional Belgian farmhouse, set on a former 136 acre hop farm in the Susqehanna River Valley, four miles south of Cooperstown, New York in the Town of Middlefield.
The five ales brewed full-time by Ommegang include: the signature Ommegang Abbey Ale (a classic Belgian-style abbey double); Hennepin Farmhouse Saison (a Saison or seasonal Belgian-style rustic golden ale); Rare Vos Amber Ale (a cafe-style amber ale), Ommegang Witte Ale (a Belgian-style wheat ale); and Three Philosophers (a Belgian-style quadrupel with authentic Belgian kriek blended in). Ommegang Abbey Ale and Three Philosophers can be aged for flavoring.
In addition to the five year-round brews, Ommegang began brewing two new seasonals in 2007. The first, which came out in July, is Ommegeddon Funkhouse Ale, a golden ale with Brettanomyces yeast and dry-hopping. The second, released in September, is Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout. It is brewed with authentic Belgian chocolate.
All of Ommegang's five full-time Belgian-style ales have won numerous awards, including Cave-aged Hennepin winning the 2004 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal for French- and Belgian-style Saisons. The two new beers have not yet been entered in any beer tasting events,
Since its opening, Ommegang has grown rapidly — in early 2005, its owner said they have been unable to meet demand for their ales and as a result would add 40 percent to their production capacity over the next year.
Don Feinberg sold Ommegang in 2003 to Belgian brewer Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, brewers of the world-renowned Duvel Golden Ale. As a result, Ommegang Ales are made both in Belgium and in Cooperstown, New York. (Note: Duvel Moortgat brewed limited amounts of beer for Brewery Ommegang in 2006 to help meet demand, but has not brewed any since then.)
Brewery Ommegang currently distributes its beers in 45 states and Washington, D.C., including Alaska but excluding Hawaii. It has also recently shipped beer to Sweden in response to commercial inquiries from that country.
Each summer, the brewery hosts a large beer-tasting event, known as Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. The event, which occurs on a Saturday in July, includes four hours of unlimited beer sampling of over 200 Belgian and Belgian-style beers, followed by food, live music, and a bonfire. The 2007 version of the event added a Friday night beer dinner for 250 people, with 7 courses and 14 beers to pair with them.
On 7 October, 2007, Brewery Ommegang hosted the inaugural "CX @ Ommegang," a cyclocross race, organized by Team SCARR, a cycling team with Brewery Ommegang as their title sponsor. Cyclocross is wildly popular in Belgium and a cyclocross race on the grounds of a Belgian-style brewery was a natural fit. Well over 150 racers from all over New York State registered for the event. The course included a hairpin turn inside the main event tent.
