Ommegang (Abbey Ale) - Brewery Ommegang

Murrhey

Montana

3.55/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured on-tap in a flight at Haven Gastropub in Orange, Calif. Reviewed from notes.

A- Little white head with nice lacing. Walnut brown color. Nice clarity.

S- Brown sugar, caramel, some booze. Medium malts.

T- Vinous, brown sugar and booziness.

M- Vinous and light fizzy carbonation. Medium bodied and fairly wet.

O- Strange but very tasty.

Re-reviewing June 1, 2013. Poured from a standard pressure-cap 12 oz bottle into a New Belgium tulip glass at my apartment in high elevation Kalispell, Mont. Reviewed live.

A- Two-finger fluffy white head. Thick and long-lasting. Ruby-colored body that looks very attractive. Nice looking brew.

S- Slightly boozy, candi sugar, brown sugar. Caramel malts and a complex aroma.

T- Slight bit of oakenness, with a boozy backbone that fades into caramel and ruby malts. Weak here compared to the smell.

M- Medium-bodied and a wet, loose finish.

O- Much of my original review stands, although I have expanded upon it a bit. The look has improved by a point, the bottle just made the nice head. Smell is bumped up, possibly a nod to the tulip glass.

Serving type: on-tap

06-02-2013 01:39:31 | More by Murrhey

Bauzen

New York

4.38/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

It pours rich, hazy, and dark-copper color. The head dissipates quickly, but it's uniform and fluffy throughout.

Scent is a full bouquet of typical Belgian-style components. Toasted wheat, bananas, raisins, creamy caramel, a little licorice, and some semi-sweet malt.

Flavor follows the nose, but for an 8.5% ABV , this beer drinks much smoother and simpler than you'd imagine. I actually expected more bite, but there wasn't much. In fact, it's very easy on the palate. Each sip is flavorful and rewarding.

A fine alternative to beers that do their talking with nothing but sharp hops.

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2013 22:43:47 | More by Bauzen

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A - Pours a deep chestnut amber color with loads of active carbonation and a thick, frothy, cream colored head that stays one finger thick on top.

S - A fruity aroma that's yeasty, prunes, raisins, figs, cloves, light Belgian candy caramel.

T - Fruity and yeasty, follows the nose closely. Cloves, zesty Belgian spice, dark fruit (raisins, prunes, figs), and finishes with a coating of Belgian spice with subdued bitterness to round things out very nicely for a soft finish. The ABV is well hidden with very little warming on the way down in the back of the throat.

M - Medium body with soft, sprightly carbonation.

O - Very well done and a year round offering that brings a taste of Belgium from Cooperstown. I've passed this up on the shelf many times and that won't be the case next time when I'm in the Belgian mood.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2013 00:12:06 | More by jzeilinger

Utica_Brew_Review

New York

4.7/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Amazing red amber color. Beautiful. Great head also. Sweet caramel aroma. Sweet, chocolatey, toasted caramel taste with great complexity. Amazing flavor. Bit spicy. It pretty much covers every facet you want in a beer. This beer is just awesome. One of our favorites ever.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2013 18:54:58 | More by Utica_Brew_Review

plaid75

New York

4.24/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

On draft at The Lark, East Northport, NY.

Poured a dark copper hue with a half finger foamy white cap. There was decent retention and lacing.

The smell featured an earthy yeast ester, balmy burnt caramel and tropical fruit.

The taste consisted of overall earthy tone highlighted by burnt candi sugar, hay, pineapple and pepper.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a very tasty and complex ale.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2013 04:03:53 | More by plaid75

martyl1000

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Roast Public House (Madison). I'm downgrading my previous score of 4.75 to ___. I've never had it on tap before--could be its better from the bottle? From the tap it seemed way thinner in the mouth than I remembered it from a bottle.

The hazy rust-colored pour in a tulip glass appeared watery.

The aroma was the star of the show. Ancient Belgian funk, pancake-malt, and stone fruit.

But the flavor was small. To be sure, lots of tart yeast, but that's so dominant as to render the complexity from the aroma a real challenge to pick out on the tongue. And where was the alchohol? Disappointingly un-warming and absent.

I remembered this as a much bigger beer. Has my taste changed so much in a year?

Note: Christy liked it pretty well tonight.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2012 05:08:44 | More by martyl1000

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Chocolaty chestnut brown with a slow-motion beige head with the look of creaminess.

Raisin, fig, date, and other dried fruits with a milk chocolate essence. Creamy nutty yeast feels like there's some dryness.

Dry raisin and prune and milk chocolate with dryness. Bitter, but not semi-sweet. Less than semi-sweet, maybe semi-dry. Very nutty (chestnut, walnut, filbert) and lightly fruity. Yeast offers esters but remains secondary to the maltiness.

Spicy feel for a dubbel. Medium carbonation and an oily body. Lacks creaminess.

Nice Belgian-style ale. A repeat-order kind of beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-12-2012 02:21:57 | More by thecheapies

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Looks nice. It's a bit heartier and spicier than I would have guessed. Carbonation seems a bit too much really. Fairly smooth overall, though I would have anticipated it being a bit more considering who made this and who they collaborated with. Interesting to see my perceptions of this beer now as compared to so many years ago.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2012 02:00:58 | More by RblWthACoz

kylehay2004

Florida

4.23/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: single finger head on a murky crimson and copper body.

S: aroma is light with musty Belgian yeast, mild dark fruit mostly fig and raisin. Nice toffee presence.

T: the malts take a back seat to Belgian yeast, fig and raisin dark fruit and clove. Toffee, caramel and Brown sugar notes.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: this is one of my favorite dubbels. The malt profile is the right amount and it captures the Belgian yeast and spice character you think of for this genre.

Serving type: on-tap

06-23-2012 21:23:58 | More by kylehay2004

estlinska

Arkansas

4.83/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip glass, on tap. This beer is wonderful. Pours a deep, dark burgundy color, very dense with visible particles throughout. The head is a dark khaki, about 2 fingers, and leaves delicate lacing. The nose of this beer is the highlight of this experience. It is full of red licorice, cherries, roasted malts, and toffee. I spent almost twenty full minutes just smelling the beer. The mouthful was very full with a dry aftertaste that really clears off the palate. The taste was again lots of black cherry, toffee, very fruity estery, and complex. Absolutely a beer to experience. Sad my local bar tapped out of it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2012 00:00:17 | More by estlinska

phishsihq

Colorado

4.7/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

With so many good beers we enjoyed that night, abbey Ale, the one that started it all, might be our hands-down favorite. Pouring a deep ruby, almost mahogany, this brew features a thin, off-white head and decent lacing. A powerful bouquet of dark fruit (figs, plums, and raisins) mixes with licorice and chocolate hints. All sorts of flavors erupt on the pallet, including Belgian candi sugar, fig, honey, licorice, and more dark fruits. This amazing beer is medium in body, with a somewhat medium-light level of carbonation. Simply amazing!

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2012 01:26:21 | More by phishsihq

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.3/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap in a chalice shaped glass

Appearance – A deep red color with a bit of a haze. The head is off white and nice and billowy. It fades to give some lacing.

Smell – The smell is of sweet malt and some nice yeast. Caramel malt and dark fruits of cherries, and raisins, dominate the aromas. There are also nice notes of yeast cake, banana, and a bit of citrus mixed with spices, that are hard to pin down, but very nice indeed. At the very end of the aroma there is a hint of the alcohol rounding out the sweet aromas quite well.

Taste – The taste is fruity and malty just as the nose let on. Fruit flavors are up front and the most prevalent among the taste. The dark fruit flavors are quite strong and soon mix with a strong bready backbone. The spices slowly work their way in with the alcohol and some caramel and tropical fruit flavors, which collectively finish off the taste, and leave quite a pleasant flavor residing in the mouth.

Mouthfeel – The body is of moderate complexity with a nice level of carbonation. It coats the mouth but is light and very drinkable.

Overall – This is a very tasty and enjoyable brew. It has great Belgian style qualities and is one nice Dubble.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2012 01:04:55 | More by Darkmagus82

keanex

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a shaker glass on tap at the House of Brews in Turnersville, NJ.

A: Hazy brown with a 1 finger pillowy tan head.

S: Dark druits and some apples picked up with sugar and some other sweetness coming through, couldn't really pick it out though.

T: Lots of fruit and some tart to it with lots of sweetness throughout, sugar I mostly picked up.

M: Full-bodied and lightly carbonated.

O: Very flavorful and easy to drink despite the slightly high alcohol content.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2012 18:04:23 | More by keanex

mattcrill

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Aroma: Wonderful pronounced fruity esters of plum, raisins, and grape jam. Some pepper and clove spiciness that is also in the forefront. No hop aroma.

Appearance: Slightly hazy ruby colored pour with brick edging. Sticky moderate tan head with good retention and lacing.

Flavor: Strong clove phenols with background melon esters. Pepper spiciness as in the aroma. Some background white bread crust maltiness. Low toasty flavors provide a nice base. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is lingering with pepper spiciness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium-high carbonation. No alcohol heat.

Overall impression: A highly drinkable complex Dubbel. A wonderfully complex beer that has all the classic elements of a Belgian Dubbel. Seek out.

Serving type: on-tap

01-08-2012 20:52:36 | More by mattcrill

paulginva

Virginia

4.33/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

APPEARANCE: Poured from the tap into a goblet, this beer produced a 1" creamy tan head with excellent foamy lacing that dissipated very slowly. The body was a somewhat cloudy deep amber color with ruby highlights and moderate carbonation.

AROMA: A clean, soft, not too prominent light breadiness with a tart, zingy hops note and hint of earthy yeast, light tropical fruit, cloves and a very light hint of alcohol. all in all a pleasurable scent.

TASTE: Soft caramel, bitter hops, light alcohol as well as bananas and cream.

MOUTHFEEL: Medium bodied with a creamy texture, this beer had excellent, foamy body lacing that dissipated slowly, moderate carbonation and an initial flavor that was moderately sweet and spicy. The finish flavor tended toward a very light sweetness combined with a light dryness. The finish was of medium length and there was a slightly dry aftertaste.

DRINKABILITY: This is definitely an easy-drinking, repeatable beer, though I wouldn't recommend more than two unless you have a designated driver. I'd buy it again, serve it to my friends, entertain with it -- anything to drink more. Complex and creamy, it's a fruity-malty hybrid and a nice exemplar of a Belgian dubbel.

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2011 00:31:57 | More by paulginva

morebeergood

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I ate dinner with some family on Saturday night at The Elephant Walk in Brookline, and was surprised to see a decent draft lineup here. I started with an Abbey Ale. It was served in an Ommegang-branded stemmed tulip glass. Dark brown color with a slim white head on top. Aroma was rich with cherry, plum, and red licorice. Taste was also quite delicious. Ripe, dark fruit really stood out as potent flavors. It was also sweet at the end, like they used Belgian sugar to brew. Mouthfeel was a slight bit hot from the alcohol at the end of the sip. This is a surprisingly boozy beer. It's been a long time since I've had the Ommegang dubbel, and I almost forgot just how good it really is.

Serving type: on-tap

10-25-2011 04:06:54 | More by morebeergood

One2Remeber

Florida

4.18/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz poured into a snifter

A: Tannish-white head, almost to the point of light brown. Thick and creamy, carbonation looks lively. Body is a dark ruby red, brownish color.

S: Dark red, tropical fruits in a combination of a potent, yet not offensively dominant, Belgian yeast aroma. Hint of spicy clove in undertones. Smells extensively clean with a hint of boozy alcohol.

T: Pungent candie sharp tartness that is not over the top by any means. Creamy banana taste lingers on the back.

M: Dominant bitterness from a combination of spice, carbonation and hops which are all kept in check giving Abbey a solid backbone to allow the fruity and yeasty notes to shine.

D: This is a real treat, one of the most well balanced beers relative to the style I've encountered. So much flavor going on yet not one characteristic tries to outshine another, letting the pallet experience multiple sensations on the taste buds as one swishes the fluid around.

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2011 21:19:33 | More by One2Remeber

brewskifan55

Mississippi

4.22/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Avenue Pub in New Orleans. Served in an Ommegang pint glass

Appearance: amber color with a creamy, one finger head that lingers.

Smell: malt, toffee, caramel

Taste: Malty, lemony, yeasty, with raisins, spices, and a cherry finish. The dark fruits really dominate.

Mouthfeel: medium with chewy carbonation

Overall: Been wanting to try this since it came to Louisiana. Love it. Complex and creamy. A very fruity/malty hybrid that warms the soul. Ommegang does Belgian right.

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2011 16:45:48 | More by brewskifan55

billiardman1

Rhode Island

4.4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - It appears carmel with nice even head.

S - The smell when this beer is moved to your nose is a comfort.
T - The beer taste like a cool fall evening with hints or fruits rasins and a unique licorice
M - great level of carbonation thanks to our balanced draft system
O - I like but 8.5 is a bit high for me to drink mainly because I can't get drunk at work Ha Ha

Try this one on tap somewher near you or me.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2011 03:31:21 | More by billiardman1

mostpoetsdo

Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Opaque copper-red, looks nice in the light. Beige head, the lacing is lacking.

S: Tart cherries, spices, and yeast. Lots of yeast.

T: Fruit and Belgian yeast up front. Has a really cherry-like sweetness and tartness to it. Quite sweet, little bitterness. A hint of musk.

M: Surprisingly thin, and on the lower end of carbonation. No real alcohol burn for the ABV.

O/D: It's a solid beer all the way through, but just gets rather boring at times, and the flavors become monotonous.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2011 04:10:51 | More by mostpoetsdo

socon67

New York

3.88/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours dark brown with carbonation that creates a nice cremne colored foam head.

S - Scents of cherries, caramel and cinnamon. This is a fairly complex mixture of smells.

T - Tastes like a rich candy bar. Flavors of cherry caramel, candied fruit, and a syrupy sugar. Very rich in texture. Only at the end does a hint of booziness remind you that this is not dessert.

M - Medium bodied, but packs a punch. Has an acidic burn on the back of the tongue.

O - A suprisingly great domestic dubbel from a brewery that makes solid belgain crafted ales.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2011 00:46:14 | More by socon67

metter98

New York

3.9/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear brownish amber in color and poured with a thin yet dense off white head that faded away, leaving only a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are sweet aromas of candi sugars in the nose.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste is very sweet with flavors of candi sugars.
M: It feels medium-bodied and relatively smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. The sweetness is slightly cloying.
O: The beer isn’t that difficult to drink because the alcohol is well masked from the taste (provided you can get through the sweetness).

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2011 23:19:44 | More by metter98

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY

Poured a cloudy copper-brown with a small beige head that dissipates quickly. Dark sugars in the aroma, with dried fruits, and sweet malts. Similar taste, with brown sugar, molasses, raisins, peach, and a hint of clove and allspice. Alcohol comes through just a bit. Complex and flavorful, well-balanced, medium-bodied, and a pleasant drink.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2011 18:41:24 | More by Rifugium

alleykatking

Indiana

3.55/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at Fiddler's.

A- Pours a deep amber red color. One and a half finger tan head shows great retention. Nice sheeting lacing on the sides of the glass.

S- Darker fruits come through in the front of the aroma. The belgian yeast comes through next with a nice blend of cherry and fig. Light alcohol comes through next with a almost sugary sweetness as well. It isn't as complex as I thought it would be but it did smell good.

T- Bready malts and darker fruits come out first. Plum, fig and light raisin are blended quite well. Once this warms the cherries really come out more in the front going against the other darker fruits. Middle of the beer has some caramel bready notes to it along with a light alcohol flavor. Belgian yeast flavors come on out with a sugary sweetness and light fruity malts. Alcohol does come through more in the ending giving a crisp warming alcohol warmth.

M- Medium mouthfeel. Cabronation is good for the style. Darker fruits and a begian yeast are left on the palate. Aftertaste shows alcohol, a sugary sweetness, darker fruits, and caramel malts. Beers overall flavors are well blended together for the style with no off flavors present while drinking this beer. Medium palate drying from the alcohol.

O- This beer is a good rep of the style but I don't see why it always gets such high scores. A clean tasting beer that I would have a couple pints of but it is a once in a blue moon kind of beer for me. ABV is just about right for me to really enjoy this but...yep...an ok beer for me.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2011 05:44:20 | More by alleykatking

Motladiwa

Indiana

4.9/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Sippin on this beer from the taps at Fiddler's Hearth in South Bend. This beer is wonderful!

It was poured into a tulip with about an inch of head that slowly revealed fantastic lacing on the side of the glass. Looks like liquid redwood and smells like a candy store. Reminds me of Michigan cherries.

At first sight it comes off as being a sipper, as it is a dubbel, but this beer is so refreshing and very easy to drink. The flavors dance on the tongue. Not too sticky, medium body. Very smooth and well balanced. This is a wonderful beer and I think that I will have many more of these.

Serving type: on-tap

04-04-2011 19:50:07 | More by Motladiwa