I finally got to take a tour of my favorite brewery last week. These are some pictures from the tour of Brewery Ommegang, located in Cooperstown, NY. It's one of the top breweries in the country. They specialize in making world class Belgian-style ales.
Oh yeah, samples after the tour. I've already had all their beers before, but I did partake in the post-tour tasting. I also picked up a case of their Hennepin while I was there, which is one of my top five favorite beers.
hennepin is pretty good, but i'd not say it's their best. still, can't go wrong with it! sounds like a great time, i'd love to see the brewery sometime. i'd also love a glass of three philosophers or rare vos right now. i've not yet tried witte or ommegeddon. how are they?
The Witte is pretty good. Obviously it's a witbier, so it's similar to Hoegaarden. This has more flavor, though. The Ommegeddon is a wild ale brewed with brettanomyces yeast. It's a seasonal beer. It's a very different beer, but very good.
sounds good. wild ale - do you mean wild like a saison or more wild like a lambic? certainly, located in NY if it's truly wild fermentors it will tastes significantly different than either a saison or a lambic brettanomyces, though, is typical of lambics, yes?
Yes, it's used in lambics and gueuze. I believe Orval also uses it in their beer, so that gives you an idea what the beer tastes like. Lots of barnyard, horse blanket-like funkiness. Some people like it, other hate it. I happen to like it. The beer is basically a traditional Belgian ale, but brewed with brettanomyces. It's not anything like a lambic, nor even a saison. It's closest comparison is probably Orval, though it's quite a bit different in taste than even that.
Another beer which uses brettanomyces is Rodenbach Grand Cru. I don't know if you've ever had that before.
alright, i think i have at least a general idea now. i'd love to try it, it's just been one of the more expensive offerings of theirs when i have seen it one or two places. next time i see and can afford it, i'll try it.
