Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend (Quadrupel) - Brewery Ommegang

kojevergas

California

3.95/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Served on-draught into a 5 oz sampler glass in a gastropub in Orange, California. Reviewed from notes. Expectations were high; I've been pretty impressed with Ommegang in the past.

A: Pours a half finger head of nice cream, fair thickness, and bad retention. Colour is a textbook copper; nontransparent.

Sm: Caramel, milk, lovely amber hops, and incredible dark fruit - the best aspect of the aroma. A mild strength aroma.

T: Lovely candied sugar, dark fruit (albeit unfortunately light in the balance), dominant heavy amber hops, and cream. The promise of the aroma, unfortunately, is unfulfilled. I do love the dark fruit that is present, but I wish there was more. Overall, it's complex, well-balanced, and nicely built.

Mf: Smooth, pleasant, and wet. Suits the flavour nicely. A bit too milky.

Dr: Extremely drinkable. Very flavourful and pleasant. Quite nice.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2011 23:00:21 | More by kojevergas

hippityhops85

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On draft poured into a tulip.

Pours a deep, almost opaque purple with brilliant purple highlights where the light catches the glass. Pours with an offwhite/eggshell thin head that dissipates relatively quickly leaving an oilslick-type head on top.

The nose has tons of dark fruits: plums, dates, figs. I'm really trying to pull out the cherries on the nose but I'm not getting a whole lot though there is an ever-so slight acidic note there as well.

The taste is again dark fruits, very slight acidity, dates, plums, belgian yeast. Pretty nice

The mouthfeel is a little thinner than I expected but it's actually really nice.

Overall this is an enjoyable beer. I'd love to be able to just dates the quad base without the addition of the lambic as I think it would be really freaking good.

Recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

12-10-2011 13:51:58 | More by hippityhops85

Claudius424

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I feel that the best way to have this beer is on tap. That being said it is definitely advisable to "sip" this beer because it is equally strong and thick. Almost has that abbey-ale feel to it with that cherry flavoring added in to make it drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2011 05:15:02 | More by Claudius424

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

First had: at Philly Craft Beer Fest '07

First sampled this on tap at a beer festival. To this day, it remains one of the finest brews I've ever had the pleasure to imbibe. Awesome name, awesome bottle, awesome beer. It's definitely more on the "quad" side than on the "kriek" side, as the cherry taste is more implied than infused, as opposed to other stronger/actual krieks.

Pours a hazy burgundy with a fine, small layer of white bubbles for a head. Complex aroma of yeast, spice, and fruit. Roasty malts in the taste, with flavors of cherry, plum, brown sugar, cloves, and rum. A little boozy, but not harsh. Medium mouthfeel, can be a bit syrupy. Can be enjoyed cold or closer to room temperature. Highly complex, highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2011 19:24:01 | More by Rifugium

jale

Michigan

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

Had on tap at Crunchy's in east lansing.

A:Pours brown with a finger of tan head.

S: Light roasted malt and slight tart cherry.

T: Sweet wine like taste, vinous and small hints of malt. Alcohol comes out as it warms. Reminds me of Quelque Chose.

M: Medium body with great carbonation.

O: More of an after dinner beer for me.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2011 02:03:49 | More by jale

BeerCon5

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark red - amber color with a moderate off-white head, ok retention.

The scent is sweet, dark fruits, some alcohol.

The taste is also sweet, belgian sugar, dark fruits, some cherry notes, and a little alcoholic.

Full body, smooth, moderate carbonation.

this was a very tasty beer, good, balanced flavor. Wouldn't mind having this again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2011 18:27:04 | More by BeerCon5

ehammond1

California

3.63/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

On Tap

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

Dark cherry wood in color. Thin head. Sufficient lacing. Unspectacular appearance.

Nose is heavy in cherry and some chocolate. Fruity and sweet.

Tastes of tart cherry, chocolate and wood. Very sweet. Alcohol is hidden. Not as complex (or interesting?) as other quads.

Full-bodied. Velvety and rich. Spectacular!

Simple and sweet quad with some cherry tartness and a rich mouthfeel. Delicious, though a bit too sweet for my particularly tastes.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2011 03:25:05 | More by ehammond1

ehagedorn

Texas

4.47/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Lovely dark amber color but the head was not as creamy as I anticipated (this may be due to tap settings). Nevertheless, wonderful complex flavor! I was afraid the Belgian Kriek (cherry lambic) would be overpowering, but it was present with wonderful subtlety.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2011 02:37:03 | More by ehagedorn

jdb8507

Virginia

3.65/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An overall good beer. Cherry on the nose, dry finish, but great drinkability. A mild beer overall, but the more you think about it the more complex it seems. I could drink a lot of this, although I prefer more of an IPA myself. I purchased a growler on a whim, and do not regret my decision.

Serving type: growler

02-02-2011 02:48:14 | More by jdb8507

psuKinger

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

1/6 barrel keg downstairs in my kegerator poured into my Ommegang snifter glass. I've had this beer numerous times, and I know I like it a lot, but I've never gone through the formal "review process" with it, so I'm excited to see how this goes.

A: Pours a beautiful hazy reddish-brown with a thick 2 finger head on top. The bubbly head looks like pancake batter in the middle. Perfect.

The lacing clings to the glass with each sip I take.

S: Yeasty smells of dark fruits and candied sugars are of near-ideal amplitude here.

T: Sweet creamy flavors of candied sugars, figs, and prunes balance out subtly and perfectly. This beer starts warm with the candied sugars before the dark fruits rush in to say hello. It finishes with a nice balance of yeasty-flavors and a nice touch of sweet cherry syrupy flavors.

M: Light, creamy, and bubbly initially, but this beer finishes dry, with the sugars and the cherry syrup coating the tongue nicely.

D: High. Thoroughly enjoy this beer, and would gladly quaff it all evening long.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2011 19:12:26 | More by psuKinger

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tasting notes from 1-11-11
On tap at Zenos in State College, PA

A - Dark amber with red glow. Small amount of cream coloured head

S - Yeast, raisins, dark fruit, brown sugar

T - Dark fruit, brown sugar, caramel, hop bitterness, strawberry, raspberry

M - Medium body, silky, smooth

D - A touch boozy but very drinkable for a quad.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2011 01:06:28 | More by TheSevenDuffs

lordredsnake

Pennsylvania

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

A: Served in a Chimay goblet at the Terrace Taproom. Cloudy deep reddish amber color, without much head. Leaves a fair amount of lacing.

S: Malty, yeasty, slightly fruity.

T: Definitely malty, I could not taste any cherry as hard as I tried, but it did have more of a sweet caramel flavor than the bottle I had before.

M: Carbonated but still smooth and creamy.

D: I tried this on tap a few days after being quite disappointed by a bottle serving. I usually prefer the taste of bottle-conditioned beers being served from the bottle, but this seemed quite a bit more appealing to me on tap. I'll give the bottle a re-review some day. The draft serving lacked the carbonation and alcohol burn that turned me off from the bottled serving and seemed maltier which I enjoyed. It seemed also to have lost the slight cherry taste it had from the bottle, but this could be due to the bar serving it too cold. I tried to let it warm up but had a hard time resisting. All in all an enjoyable quad but unlikely to be a regular choice for me.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2011 17:44:02 | More by lordredsnake

dahlen22

New Jersey

4.68/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Dark brown with a decent head (if poured correctly).

Aroma: Candied fruits, cherries, mint, and malts.

Taste: Very smooth and creamy with some fruits, a slight bit of tart cherries, and deep malts and cloves.

Overall: Had this on tap at a sports bar (it was the only thing worth while on tap) and am very happy I did. Easy to sip, but the alcohol is deceiving, so I suggest pairing with some cheese or pizza (that is what I did), because 3 of these bad boys went down very easily, and the alcohol content caught me off guard in a good way. Cheers!!

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2010 01:48:40 | More by dahlen22

BeerNemesis

New York

4.6/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Three Philosophers | 750 ml. | 9.8% ABV | 2008 vintage

Brewer: Brewery Ommegang
Style: Quadrupel
Glass: Ommegang chalice

Presentation:
After a year of cellaring, I popped this bottle out. A line of sediment has settled at the bottom.

Appearance:
Coca cola brown with a lackluster mocha head and a lot of bubbles. Subpar lacing. Much of this is due to the aging I think.

Aroma:
Dark fruits--raisins, plums, and cherries--drenched in sweet alcohol. There's an ominous musty, earthy smell as well.

Taste:
Mon dieu, this is delightful. I wasn't sure what aging would do to it, but there's an inexplicable brightness to the earthy flavors. The dark fruit tastes recede a bit, and while the alcohol is definitely prominent, its saccharine quality is less evident with age. Sweet finish. Very nice.

Mouthfeel:
Amazingly prickly carbonation after all this time--a nice counterpoint to its velvety body.

Harmony:
Aging was a success!

Would I cellar it again?:
Yes. It is a better beer with 2-3 years on it.

Bottled: 2008
Served: November 26, 2010

Serving type: cask

11-26-2010 19:01:18 | More by BeerNemesis

nickfl

Florida

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours with one finger of off white foam on top of a slightly hazy, amber brown body. The head settles quickly and leaves nice lace.

S - An aroma of tart cherries and spicy caramel malt.

T - Tart pie cherries up front with some sweet caramel. The caramel is joined in the middle by toasted grain and spicy yeast. Clove and coriander notes remain though the finish with some increasingly medicinal cherry.

M - medium body, moderate carbonation, and a balanced finish.

D - This certainly isn't a drain pour, but I am kind of disappointed. I hadn't had this beer in a couple of years and I remembered it being much better than this. The aroma is spot on, but the flavor is dissonant and unpleasant. The spicy yeast character seems inappropriate for a dark belgian and it clashes with the cherry. Maybe it its just that this beer is better in the bottle or maybe it has lost something in the last couple of years, but it seems like a shadow of what I remember it as.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2010 04:55:36 | More by nickfl

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a nice reddish brown with a light tan head that stays around at about half a finger and leaves some good lacing. Nose brings forward subtle hints of cherries along with some light caramel and dark fruits. Hints of molasses. The taste really doesn't bring much cherry flavor at all. Really, I can't detect it, and it was faint enough in the nose. The taste does bring some Belgian yeasty esters and some caramel. Good, sturdy body that is slightly creamy. Not nearly as complex as I'd like to see, but pretty good overall.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2010 11:16:22 | More by Thorpe429

Imsothirsty

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Pour House

Dark slightly reddish, with a slim tan head.

Smell is pretty solid, malty and a little fruity, couldn't detect much alcohol but I know it's there.

Taste is a moce blend of flavors which has quite a long finish. First thing I taste is like Molasses, followed by bourbon notes and then some fruit and slightly bitter towards the finish followed by BAM lots of alcohol.

Mouthfeel is much smoother than I expected, just a little tingly carbonation. Right down the middle neither heavy nor light.

Drinkability wise, the alcohol was hitting me a little too hard for me to want more than 1 additional serving.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2010 21:28:33 | More by Imsothirsty

david18

New York

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I'm not the biggest quadrupel fan, preferring the paler belgian ales like strong pale, blonde, tripel, etc. But this is one of my favorite dark belgians. Very good malty aroma without too much dark fruit, extremely drinkable for 10%. This is the ultimate winter beer for me.

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2010 23:34:44 | More by david18

jeepboy76

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap into a tulip glass. Deep, rich amber color with a medium head. Smell had a lot of fruity undertones. Nice lacing on the glass. Good mouth presence; doesn't scream of the 9.8% ABV like some brews. Very drinkable beer for a casual evening out (well, anytime really). I have had Three Philosophers in bottle form several times.

I was very excited to have the opportunity to sample this on tap, as I currently reside half way across the country from Brewery Ommegang. I was not disappointed. I am a believer in Belgian style brews, and while Ommegang is not in Belgium, I believe they have represented the style well.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2009 23:36:07 | More by jeepboy76

Cakanator

Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Ommefest on tap. I've ever only had this on tap but can't wait to open my 07 at home. Pours dark with a malty cheery chocolate nose and follows straight up on the pallet. Very complex and a great desert beer with dark chocolates. It's one of those beers I can't wait to see in 5 years. So damn great, my favorite ommegang.

Serving type: on-tap

11-23-2009 04:51:24 | More by Cakanator

cbutova

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the Sierra Grille, amazing beers and prices. Pours a dark blood red with a half finger head that leaves almost no lacing. A nice cloud coats the beer. Smells of dark fruits, malts, and an alcohol bite. Taste is dark fruits, malts, citrus, raisins, alcohol and cherries keep coming to mind. Mouth feel is moderate bodied, low carbonation, a good warming and a real nice oily coat of flavor on the tongue. Drinkability is good, good taste, decent price, alcohol may kill this one over time, a very nice twist on a quad.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2009 04:40:29 | More by cbutova

SShelly

California

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at verdugo, first pour off of a new keg (whoohoo?)

dark mahogany, with 2" white foam (wall behind me is dark wood so who knows what color the beer really is...)

Dark and malty with a hint of fruit, possibly the cherries in the nose.

Malt forward with a slightly tart finish, I feel like the cherries have blunted my favorite part of a quad, the malty sweet finish, and left it slightly tart.

overall very tasty but probably not something I would have all of the time.

Serving type: on-tap

04-04-2009 05:48:24 | More by SShelly

RichT73

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at Andy's Corner Tavern in Northern Jersey, one of my favorite places to go for great beer. While I'm not usually a fan of this type of beer, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this one. For the amount of alcohol in this beer, it was very drinkable. There was a strong aroma of cherry on every sip, which I really wasn't crazy about, but I could have definitely knocked back a couple more easily. Would love to have this one again, but wouldn't rush back for it.

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2009 22:28:17 | More by RichT73

midnite2sixman

Michigan

4.03/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this one as a special edition draft at Butch's in Holland, Michigan. Kudos to Lance for pulling in 2 sixth barrels from Ommegang!

Nice reddish brown color.

Big cherry smell on the nose. Not big in a bad way. Also some brown sugar.

Cherry on the tongue, nice smoothness. Black cherries, smooth, quad style.

Quite a wonderful beer!

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2009 19:32:11 | More by midnite2sixman

dpuia

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from a Ommegang anniversary glass, out of a home keg. Has a dark amber color, with little head. Smell is over the top very rich with fruity overtones. Taste is a full flavor and can clearly tell is of a higher ABV, but yet still suttle.

I would reccommend this beer over and over again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2009 04:21:20 | More by dpuia