Ommegang (Abbey Ale) - Brewery Ommegang

JednoPivoProsim

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 1 PT 9.4 FL. OZ. corked bottle into a pint glass. SERVE AT 50*F. PKG ON 06/30/10. BEST BY 06/2013. This one is from the cellar - it was time to crack it open before it got too close to the best by date.

Appearance: Pours a beautiful dark ruby. Head is huge due to major carbonation. Cork popped off like champagne. Head begins to recede quickly, leaving little to no lacing.

Smell: Aroma is of pungent figs, dates, nuttier fruits. Straight molasses. Slightly boozy. Really quite a lot going on in the nose. A bouquet of aroma as strong and varied as any other beer I can remember.

Taste: Taste of dark medicinal fruity malts. Sweet but balanced. More figs, other dried fruits, and molasses. A little alcohol, but not overwhelming.

Mouthfeel: Mouth puckering. Very syrupy as this has two and a half years under its belt. Still a fair amount of initial prickly carbonation, which I gather would mellow quickly after aerating for a half an hour or so.

Overall: Obviously a well crafted, artisanal Belgian dubbel. A slow sipper for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 23:17:24 | More by JednoPivoProsim

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

3.81/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Best By April 2015:

Into a chalice:

A: dark brown body yielding a one finger white foamy head that slowly died over a period of five minutes into a film that slowly dissipated into small islands over top the body, really nice to watch.

S: lots of fruit up front such as plum, pear and apple. Some light malts enter in along with some super light Belgian yeast.

T: really sweet between the previously mentioned flavors adding in a bit of caramel and raisin.

M: medium to heavy and really sharp on the tongue, not exactly sessionable

O: I'd say this is a decent dubbel for its style. I'd probably only come back to it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 18:46:49 | More by kangarooAdam59

spoony

Colorado

4.48/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From a 12 oz bottle into a chalice.

A-A medium pour resulted in one and one-half fingers of tan, pillowy foam. The head lasted quite a while. The beer was murky cranberry and brown in color.

S-The first couple of whiffs come up with an intriguing mix of green apple and pear...much lighter fruit than I was expecting. I also get some dry yeast and light malts. Also a bit of alcohol and caramel as the beer nears room temperature.

T-Lots of caramel, raisin, prune, a little bit of that apple tartness, some mildly sweet (and spicy) alcohol to finish. Really well-integrated flavors.

M-The carbonation is fine feeling and smooth, but more vigorous than in many dubbel-style beers. Body is medium.

O-This is an impressive dubbel. Unlike some dubbels, which are full-on sugar bombs, this one dials down the sweetness and lets the other flavors (fruit and malt) do the talking. I found the flavors played nicely off of each other and the alcohol really integrated into the beer for a smooth drinking brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 01:14:22 | More by spoony

TheMultiYeast

Pennsylvania

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

Pours dark brown with orange tints. Healthy two fingers of head

Aroma offers Caramel, raisins, candy like dark fruitiness, big sweet malts

Taste is malt forward with more caramel and raisins. Rich complex malts and burnt sugar

Well carbonated slightly sticky finish

Great dubbel right here

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 02:48:27 | More by TheMultiYeast

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

Twincrasher

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Excellent. Creamy tan head with lots of lacing. Amber color.

S: Spicy Belgian with toasty and clove and dark fruit aroma.

T: Complex dark fruit and candy flavor with balance against alcohol.

M: Dry finish relative to style.

O: Excellent American representation of Abbey style.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 16:38:56 | More by Twincrasher

caulfield

Georgia

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

750 ml (bomber) bottle

Appearance: Medium; golden, semi-thick head

Smell: Caramel, fruity, spices

Taste: Floral, spices, alcohol is hidden

Mouthfeel: Light, Belgium dubbel style

Overall:This is a go-to dubbel. Stays true to the Belgium style; excellent mouth feel, floral aroma, great taste without being overpowering. Probably one of my favorite dubbels

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 20:05:11 | More by caulfield

1Nrwyscotch

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle poured into a tulip glass.

A. It pours a depp amber with a thick turdy off white head that lasts and leaves lacing on the glass.

S. It smells of yeast with some dark fruit and caramel.

T. It starts with sweet malt followed by some sweet fruit and finishes with a hint of spice. The alcohol is completely hidden.

M. Its pretty heavy but smooth and creamy.

O. It is a very good dubbel with sweet fruit and spices that are well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 02:08:50 | More by 1Nrwyscotch

EdwardLongshanks

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

A rich tapestry of deep, sweet, aged flavors. Although this quaff is an infant and fresh as the frigid Buffalo air - it is altogether familiar, as something that was always there. This is a fine Dubbel. Decadent. Sweet. But with a timeless underlying, rare, un-reproduceable, addictive flavor; kind of like how Sambuca Romana is so much more soulful and timeless than the knock-offs. It compares favorably to Gulden Draak, my favorite of all-time.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 05:51:50 | More by EdwardLongshanks

JudgeRoughneck

Louisiana

4.35/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

APP- Lightly-hazy chestnut color, with thick, creamy off-white head with lace.

AROMA- fig date, pear, molasses, rich malt, and tres leches tone throughout...all moderately strong, no alcohol, light diacetyl possibly, light goldings hop note,.

FLAVOR- light roasty flavor is unexpected and out of style. Big cordial cherry character. chocolate-covered raisin, chewy munich/ melanoidin/ bock-like center. Light vanilla alcohol is perfectly smooth. Light cigar tobacco in finish...oxidation? autolysis?

MF- medium-full body with lush malt center and creamy with medium-high carbonation. Lingering bitter and lightly roasted finish.

Overall- very tasty beer but atypical with the roast. A dubbel that drinks like a quad. This sample was lightly oxidized i think.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 06:46:37 | More by JudgeRoughneck

BradtheGreat7

Ohio

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

Review taken in late November 2012. I got 2 of these in a Ommegang 8 pack I bought.

12 oz brown bottle that was poured into an Ommegang Abbey style goblet. Label is dark burgundy with 2 Belgian lads drawing in a game of swords. Label has an ommegang feel to it which sits the mood perfectly.

A - Look is nearly purplish dark burgundy. More of a Mahogany color like abbey dubbels are. Fluffy dubbel head that's tan in color sits pleasantly on top. Head provides a bit of fluffy stick but it never attaches itself to the glass rather slurps itself back to the ring of lace.

S - Lots of delicious dark fruits with a decent portion of spice. Lovely Belgian style yeast within the aroma.

T - Belgian in style for certain. You know it's a dubbel with the dark fruits, and ommegang Belgian inspired yeast flavor that's always delightful. A bit unique with its more American like spices of orange peel, lighter fruit, coriander, and hints of anise. Nice complexity to the flavor.

M - surprisingly smooth and very drinkable mouthfeel. Probably a better suited dubbel for one that doesn't acquire the taste for the style while holding true to it's roots.

O - one of the best American made dubbels I've had and one I'll have again in the future. Ommegang's ability to craft Belgian style ales is unprecedented to The American craft beer enjoyer and time n time again deliver at a top shelf rate. This dubbel is no different and after having this I can see why it's a flagship for Belgian inspired American brews. A delightful and well crafted dubbel straight from Cooperstown, New York. Hats off

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 03:50:01 | More by BradtheGreat7

Murrhey

Montana

3.4/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

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.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2012 03:23:18 | More by Murrhey

JimTeal

Nevada

4.98/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

No sense equivocating, this beer is excellent! I find it a pleasure to enjoy such a fine brew, not too much of anything that disagrees with me, yet bold. Unashamedly bold! I see that this Ommegang Abbey Ale has been reviewed many times, and I hesitate to review one of our fine beverages that so many others have disected and nearly unanimously enjoyed, but this beer is special, a fine dubbel. The flavors have hints of so many real and imagined fine assets, banana, caramel, molasses, alcohol even citrus. It's all in there, waiting to be released and enjoyed. On any given day, this beer can deserve a 100 score, but that would be perfect, and until you try it I'll leave perfection at 98 and I would be happy to try again, and again, and again to find perfection, but Ommegang has found a close fly by to the magical elusive perfection.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 23:40:57 | More by JimTeal

GiantMidget

Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

My brother-in-law bought this large bottle to split after Thanksgiving dinner.

Served in a wine goblet, which I recommend as it allowed time to breathe as well as to truly enjoy the variety of scents.
Very light mahogany in color with terrific scents of caramel, raisin, malt and maybe a slight trace of pear.
1-2 inch head which laced nicely in the glass.
This complimented a post-feast celebration very well right before diving into dessert.
Cleansed the palate nicely while setting up the taste buds with it's clove, raisin, bready flavors.

Tremendous mouthfeel, embodies a true dubbel.

Makes me quite interested in trying other selections from Ommegang.
Highly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 02:07:50 | More by GiantMidget

GotWad629

Massachusetts

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

Pours a deep burgundy with a thick tan head

smells of rich malt, caramel, dark fruits, molasses and a slight hint of spice. Beautiful and complex.

tastes just like it smells. Peppery with hints of caramel, molasses, and raisin. The yeast also lingers on your tongue. Not too much bitterness but just enough to give it a solid backbone.

A perfect amount of carbonation to balance the sweetness.

It's a little scary how drinkable this is for 8.2.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 05:31:55 | More by GotWad629

moistnugget

Florida

4.98/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

12 oz bottle poured into a Belgian ale glass. ~45 degrees F or so, 10 minutes out of the fridge. Enjoyed over spaghetti with sweet sausage, while catching up on Walking Dead. Picked up for 9.99 for a 12 oz.- 4 pack.

Looks- Settles into an attractive chestnut burgundy with medium carbonation and good head formation, the head is a khaki tan. The last of the bottle pours with what looks to be a small amount of sedimentation. Head dies down at a medium pace, and drinking brings a nice lacing that stays for about 30 seconds.

Nose- Sweet molasses, clove, fresh bread, so much more behind it. An excellent nose, it certainly picks up where words leave off. I definitely recommend serving this in a glass that allows you to enjoy this delectable nose.

Taste and mouthfeel- Sweet fruit: plums, cherries, pears, and more. Bright, sugary molasses, medium bodied, boozy on exhalation. Sweet fruity flavor stands alongside a warming bready flavor. No bitterness to speak of. Just enough carbonation, dangerously drinkable at 8.5% ABV.

Overall- World-class, without a shadow of a doubt. Deliciously fruity without nearing pungency. A score for anyone who loves a good Belgian Ale. Just 30 minutes and it was gone, but I'm certain to be back!

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 03:33:32 | More by moistnugget

fx20736

New York

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

poured from a 750ml bottle into a chalice, served cool.

Chestnut Brown with baclit Ochre supports a light Khaki head that fades quickly and leaves little lacing.

Aroma of Brown Bread, molasses and cloves.

mouthfeel is medium and spritzy.

Taste; plums and booze stand out. Soy Sauce, toasted rye bread.

Notes; a mere description of this beer cannot begin to give justice to it. Hands down one of the best beers I have ever tasted. This is toe curlingly good.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 19:06:18 | More by fx20736

hardy008

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a mahogany color with a 3 finger foamy tan head with good retention and lacing. The aroma has pears, brown sugar, caramel, cherries, yeast, and pepper.

Tastes just like it smells. Sweet flavor with pears, brown sugar, caramel, cherries, yeast, and pepper. No bitterness for balance, but I didn't expect it in this beer, and quite frankly, it isn't needed.

Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation. Feels somewhat creamy. This beer is so well made, it is hard to criticize anything about it.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 03:32:19 | More by hardy008

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a lovely american dubbel. it pours a rich cherrywood color with a two inch tan head that is fizzy and lasting. the nose is quite yeasty, spiced, and a little sugary like candy. there is a ton of fruit in the flavor, dried and a little sweet, but totally balanced by the yeast, the bubbles, and the alcohol. this is a really fun brew, elegant and sassy. finish is sweet but quick, the yeast lasts on the tongue for a bit. this has infinite culinary potential. mouthfeel is perhaps even a little overcarbonated, its so bubbly i cant always taste every bit of it. it doesnt settle down at all either. medium body and way dinkable for over 8% abv. like all ommegang beers, this is something special.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 01:28:58 | More by StonedTrippin

bmwats

Louisiana

3.95/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a chalice.

A: Dark brown. Pours about a 1 finger, frothy, brown-white head. Disintegrates slowly leaving a blanket of foam, and a thick beer ring. Thick, substantial, thorough lacing. Head renews fully with each pour.

D: White bread, fresh tea, and honey.

T: Papery malt with a memory of raisin and honey.

M: Light feel disguises the high alcohol content. A hint of sweetness just lingers in the upper reaches of the palette, somewhere beyond reach.

D: Sip and enjoy.

Atmosphere is great. Frothy head and thick lacing. Nose is full, but a basic combination of bready malt and tea leaves. Flavor is again basic, but well done. Light malt with pungent sweetness of raisin with a stronger tone of honey. Light but full. Overall, this is a really good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 03:50:31 | More by bmwats

Beer_Runner

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

No bottling date on the label of the bottle.

A: A slow pour into a standard pint glass yielded a huge head that filled almost three-quarters of the glass. This head was a lighter shade of tan and very foamy. After a few minutes the head dissipated to about a quarter-finger and lasted throughout the duration, but did not leave any lacing. The beer was a medium brown color with a slight golden hue. It was dark but still translucent with only a small amount of light able to pass through.

S: The aroma consisted of sweet fruit like candied pair and plums, and these combined with a mild Belgian yeast funk and some sweet bread and sweet malted barley aromas.

T: The taste began with malted barley sweetness and some candied fruit along with a little Belgian yeast funk. This was balanced by some licorice and some bitter chocolate notes and some slightly spice hops and just a little bit of alcohol bite.

M: The body was medium-heavy, with a medium amount of carbonation; and, it was also very smooth.

O: This was a very good Belgian double. It had plenty of sweetness and complexity with its fruit and licorice notes; and, the Belgian yeast funk is fairly restrained and remained closer to bread or biscuit with only a bit of funk. I might not go out of my way for this beer, but it was a very enjoyable beer anyway.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 00:34:55 | More by Beer_Runner

tjsdomer2

Illinois

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

Appearance: Frothy head in a snifter. Probably 2 inches in total. Dark brown-maroon in hue with decent lacing as I recall.

Smell: Dark fruit and yeast. Nice balance.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Raisins and licorice. Some woody notes. Not overly spiced, but a bit peppery. Excellent rosin mouthfeel that is not too sticky. Very full-bodied.

Overall Drinkability: I've heard a lot of hype about this beer, and I was a bit disappointed. That said, it was stil a very, very good beer. Not a world-changing beer, but I highly recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 22:05:14 | More by tjsdomer2

NarrowG8

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

Served in a tulip glass

A - Dark Chocolate w/ slight amber appearance when help up to light.

S - Banana, Clove, Bread, Alcohol

T - Banana bread, nutty

M - smooth, foamy, creamy

O - Great dubbel, strong with great flavor and feeling good

I like this offering but not the best Ommegang has to offer and personally would choose Allagash's Dubbel or a true Belgian or from Ommegang: Hennepin or Rare Vos. Personal fav = Rare Vos !

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 00:44:02 | More by NarrowG8

tviz33

New York

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

1 Pt 9.4 oz bottle to Notorious BIG pint glass

A- Pours a medium red/brown body with a giant tan head. Head quickly settles to a thin foam cap

S- Dark fruits, sweet malts, and a bit of hops hit the nose all at once. Smells pretty good, but nothing outstanding.

T- Right along the same lines as the smell but intensified. I'm getting a bit of chocolate and spicy yeast here as well.

M- This beer is firing on all cylinders here. Smooth, thick, and biting all at once.

O- Another great Ommegang offering. Right up there behind Three Philosophers for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 02:52:44 | More by tviz33