Ommegang (Abbey Ale) - Brewery Ommegang

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4.55/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a thick, hazy, dark reddish/amber to brown color with a large head that lasts and leaves plenty of lacing. Gorgeous to look at!

A sweet and fruity smell, reminiscent of plums or raisins, some malt and slight smell of alcohol. Not an especially strong smell, but very nice nonetheless.

Taste is just fabulous. Malty sweet and spicy, with fruity overtones and some caramel and molasses. Just a smidge of alcohol taste, but not overpowering for a beer of this strength. And most notably, despite my preference for beers with lower alcohol than this one, it remains very much in the "damn friggin' good can I have another" category. Excellent stuff that improves as it warms up. Poured after allowing to warm slightly (was just out of the liquor store's fridge) but consumed slowly, as I let it breathe and warm, the aroma, character and flavors increased nicely. The last sip was probably the best.

There's a rich and creamy feel on the pallet, with lingering flavors on the top and tip of the tongue. There's plenty of carbonation, but it doesn't detract from the sensations on the pallet. Mouthfeel is excellent and I give it a five in this category.

For me to rate this strong of a beer so very highly on the drinkability scale, that's saying A LOT. Seriously, drinkability should be bumped to 20%, especially with this brew. I won't give it a five, because it's pretty darn strong, but given the 8.5% alcohol content, this is a slam dunk for this brew in my little world.

I've gotta say that I'm pretty darn friggin' impressed with Ommegang Abby Ale, and plan to drink it again soon, as well as look for other brews from this brewery. Being American made is also a good thing as well, as we need more great American beers that don't require scantily clad females as their only selling point.

ETA: I'm going to buy another one of these this week, and possibly change my review to Taste=5. Don't want to be hasty on the matter, but by the time I got to the end of my 750 I was second guessing myself on my review numbers. time will tell.

ETA2: I'm essentially re-reviewing this beer right now. Since I questioned my numbers on the first go-round, I'm starting all over again, and editing/changing my first review. Although I didn't change much, I did upgrade the smell to a 4 and change that section of my review. Perhaps I was a bit stuffy last time, who knows, but it smelled even better this time around.

I'm also upgrading the drinkability to 5. Reason being that I'm not even 2/3 done with this bottle and I'm already planning to buy some more as a special surprise for a buddy who's getting back from vacation and will no doubt be in need of something special as a relief from the fact that he'll be going back to work soon. It's just damn good stuff and I can't get my mind off my next glass of this wonder brew.

I decided to leave the taste at 4.5 (although I wish the rating system went in quarter point increments, lol). On my second go-round, I could taste the alcohol more, but that didn't lower my rating, it just kept me from the full upgrade to 5. I appreciate the ratings system on this site because I can see just how elusive the all-perfect 5/5/5/5/5 beer will really be.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2010 17:47:21 | More by AlCaponeJunior

BColton1

Rhode Island

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

06-18-2013 01:35:47 | More by BColton1

swimnadd

California

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-17-2013 17:31:34 | More by swimnadd

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

4.34/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hadn't had this in years and when I saw it offered as a single bottle at Top Hops, I picked it up hoping that it would be just as enjoyable as the last time I had this. Sure enough, it was and just like the head and carbonation, this beer held its own over the long haul. I didn't realize that Ommegang was part of the Duvel family, but given how good they are at brewing Belgian-style beers, I can see why they'd want the upstate New York brewer in their portfolio!

Loved the pour to this, even from a 12 oz. bottle. The hue was a cross between ruby and plum with a thick head that almost looked solid, lacing that slowly slid down the sides of my pint glass, and quite a bit of sediment at the bottom of the bottle that didn't need to be disturbed. Candied sugar, booze, and dark fruits were all over the aroma and strongly repeated in the mouthfeel. I couldn't taste the spice that the Alstrom brothers found here but the mouthfeel was a bit lighter than the aroma was, as fruits like apple and pear also made their way in. This felt slick too and never too heavy or terribly malty, even though the body was there from start to finish. The back had just a hint of dark bread and cherry that slowly faded away, leaving a nice coating of booze and dark fruit that lingered for quite some time.

Amazingly, this tasted less strong than it smelled and that was a testament to the strength of this beer. It's easy to kick back with a few of these at once, even though the alcohol would become apparent after a short while. The oily coating that this left behind on my mouth was so subtle and slick that I could have gotten hooked on that alone but there's a good reason why this has so many positive reviews on here - this was great from start to finish and worthy of its lofty rating on here. A must-try for any Belgian beer lover and those who doubt that an American-brewed offering can match up with overseas counterparts.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 08:09:12 | More by JerzDevl2000

Jersh67

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

06-16-2013 22:17:26 | More by Jersh67

GMUPatriot_inKansas

Kansas

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

06-15-2013 23:57:15 | More by GMUPatriot_inKansas

Skyjmpr

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

06-15-2013 23:04:34 | More by Skyjmpr

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-15-2013 21:51:53 | More by IchLiebeBier

Azpittil57

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

06-15-2013 19:45:17 | More by Azpittil57

bluffpoint

New York

1.75/5  rDev -58%

06-15-2013 19:11:44 | More by bluffpoint

Artjsantos

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

06-15-2013 12:05:27 | More by Artjsantos

Desmodoc

Georgia

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-14-2013 14:53:04 | More by Desmodoc

VictorWisc

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%

06-14-2013 07:35:55 | More by VictorWisc

reitzbrewing

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%

06-13-2013 02:32:38 | More by reitzbrewing

VDODSON

North Dakota

4.75/5  rDev +13.9%

06-12-2013 19:53:21 | More by VDODSON

dbossman

Nebraska

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-11-2013 21:02:25 | More by dbossman

freebirdbm14

New York

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

06-11-2013 18:35:39 | More by freebirdbm14

utopiajane

New York

4.16/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

The Abbey Ale pours a handsome dark copper and has a sweet malty nose with a pleasant bursting of citrus. It’s loosely carbonated and has 2 fingers head with excellent retention. Lots of foam hugging the glass, lingering sweetness on the palate. This beer has full body and a hint of chocolate. . Ommegang does this dubbel perfectly.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 12:12:02 | More by utopiajane

andy1701

Florida

3/5  rDev -28.1%

06-10-2013 22:34:47 | More by andy1701

tehmogue

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-10-2013 14:43:42 | More by tehmogue

mcaulifww

Virginia

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-10-2013 13:05:37 | More by mcaulifww

superspak

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into signature tulip glass, bottled on 10/10/2012. Pours very hazy and cloudy deep ruby red color with a nice 2-3 finger dense and fluffy khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of big raisin, prune, apple, fig, molasses, banana, brown bread, clove, light pepper, floral, candi sugar, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of malt and fruity/spicy yeast notes; with good strength. Taste of raisin, apple, prune, fig, molasses, toast, banana, candi sugar, clove, floral, light pepper, light chocolate, bread, and yeast earthiness. Lingering notes of light and dark fruits, molasses, toast, banana, candi sugar, light clove, floral, bread, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast ester flavors; with moderate malt balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a creamy and fairly slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent Dubbel style. Great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy ester notes with malt balance; and very smooth to drink. A highly enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 04:24:25 | More by superspak

backphish

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

06-10-2013 01:09:38 | More by backphish

Resuin

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

06-10-2013 00:42:28 | More by Resuin

zrab11

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

06-09-2013 16:53:28 | More by zrab11