Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend (Quadrupel) - Brewery Ommegang

Jon

Illinois

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

2002 Bottling.

Chestnut burgundy color with a thin, creamy head, trace trails of lace and lightly evident carbonation.

Fruity, yeasty nose is dominated by aromas of apricot, currant, and other vinous characteristics.

Dark fruit flavors complement a dry, tart and minorly acidic finish. Deeply complex with notes of ripe apple, pear, raisin, fig, candy sugar and tart cherries. The finish, once again, is quite dry.

Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, extremely smooth and elegant. Creaminess and lack of alcohol detection leads to a most enjoyable beer.

Complex and deep, but nonetheless and pleasure to drink. The alcohol presence is most difficult to detect, while its fruity and vinous characteristics at this point in its life keep in all in check. One of Ommegang's finest creations, this should continue to mature and develop as both time and production of this beer increases. Great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2003 04:25:16 | More by Jon

86MonteSS

Connecticut

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

2003.

I think you probably have to drink an entire 750 to truly appreciate this beer. The foremost quality of Three Philosophers can best be described as tart and dry. I never realized that this beer included a few shots of cherry lambic, but thank goodness it does, for this is definitely what I'd consider a quadrupel golden boy. The label says that it "inspires your mind" and it really does... quite the vehicle for a fantastic voyage.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2003 06:30:44 | More by 86MonteSS

Brewfan

Connecticut

4.83/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I visited the Ommegang brewery with a friend 3 years ago before we had even heard of Ommegang. Neadless to say, 3 years later, we're both still drinking the brews from Cooperstown on a regular basis. Rare Vos and Ommegang were our brews of choice, and although I still drink all Ommegang offerings, Three Philosophers definately takes presidence.

Upon pouring into an Ommegang chalace, the alcohol was instantly apparent. The color was a nice dark amber. The head and lace dissipated rather quickly, but I have found this to happen with all 3-Philosophers I've dranken, so it didn't surprise me.

The smell, apart from alcohol, which mellowed towards the end of the beer was nice and fruity with a definate black cherry aroma.

Now cherry aromas are nice and amber color is good, but what gets me about this beer is the taste. I have loved this medium body beer since the first time I've tried it. It's one of the few beers my wife, who is not a beer lover, said that she would be able to drink a whole glass of. I love the way the malt flavor mingles with chocolate and licorace overtones. It is such a beautiful, well crafted beer, I figured that it should be the first beer I rate.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2003 16:33:53 | More by Brewfan

oberon

North Carolina

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

2003 version here,pours a nice chesnut brown with a real creamy head that lleaves very nice lacing,aroma ismalty sweet with a slight spicey note with candied sugar very evident.A very nice rounded beer taste wise softly sweet with some spicieness with the cherry taste that lingers in the background,wow what a great tasting beer!I could drink this pretty potent brew all night!

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2003 02:47:47 | More by oberon

francisweizen

Australia

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2003 Vintage: Corked and Caged 750ml brown glass bottle with a vintage date printed on it. This brew is phenomenal. It pours out a dark, rustic caramel colour with some hints of burnt mollasses. The aromas are all across the board, and consist of lovely ripe kriek notes, harsh spicy alcohol notes, belgian malts, belgian yeasts, candy sugar, slight floral and almost citric hops and more!

The taste echoes the aromas, but is even more blended and wonderful than the aromas hint at. Almost 10% alcohol. A quadruple!? This stuff is a far cry from the other quads I have sampled that are up there in abv like this one is. The mouthfeel is lovely and lush in the mouth....like silk and the drinkability is excellent for a near 10%abv brew!

This is quite possibly my new favorite from Ommegang. Good job guys!

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2003 17:56:19 | More by francisweizen

HappyHourHero

Indiana

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

Sampled during the Three Philosophers release party at the Blue Tusk. Small, solid, tan head left a small amount of lacing. Dark burgundy colored liquid lets just enough light through to glow. The aroma is rich with hints of dark ripe plums and cherries along with some acohol, and a banana mellowness. Smooth malty taste with a pinch of dark frout and spices. Mouthfeel is bullay and alcoholic. The dry aftertaste leaves you with a warm stomach. Overall impression is of a young and alcoholic beer. Supposedly some will be sent to the Howe Caverns for aging in the next few months.

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2003 16:00:10 | More by HappyHourHero

Stubbie1

Connecticut

4.35/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2003 bottle:
This beer pours a deep cherry red in color. A thick, tight slightly off white (with a red tint) head sits on top my glass. Aromas are of cherry, oak, and yeast. Hints of the Lambic are present through this brew. Flavor is a rush of different things. Malt sweetness then an aged wood/oak tones, musty yeast with a tart cherry finish in the end. At no time could you notice the 9.8 that this brew has. It has a smooth creamy mouthfeel and is enjoyable to drink on a cold winter's night. Another outstanding brew from Ommegang.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2003 13:43:23 | More by Stubbie1

taez555

Massachusetts

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

2003 vintage. Had a bottle with my girlfriend at Anam Cara a couple days after the official release party, served in the official three philosophers chalice. I really like the new white label.

Pours a cloudy dark brown body with a wonderful thick off-white head.

The nose was lovely. Dark malts, phenols and some fruit touches.

The taste was really something. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it started nice and malty. Dark malts, phenols, touches of spice, but then…. It just ends with this amazing dark fruit tone. Not the teeth rotting sort of lambic flavor you’d expect, more of the dark cherry flavor you get with a dubbel or trapist ale, yet just a little bit more intense. Smooth bitterness throughout, and just smooth and creamy from start to finish.

Wow!!! Really a work of art. Omengang has really outdone themselves with this brew. It’s a shame it’s not a year round beer. What’s even worse…. I can’t find this beer anywhere in stores. I might have to take a pilgrimage to cooperstown soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2003 06:51:06 | More by taez555

ManekiNeko

Virginia

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A pre-wide release version bought by my cousin's boss at the brewery, sampled in a Hennepin glass. It's been sitting in his fridge for a few months.

Appearance: Cloudy reddish brown with a short lived offwhite head. Recedes to a film and a ring of bubbles. No real lacing left.

Smell: Smells a helluva lot like a nice hearty cider, and that's a good thins. Caramel malts, pepper, and coriander notes.

Taste: Robust dark malt flavors. Mildly acidic sour apple tastes. Pepper and light medicinal aftertastes.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, but very palate cleansing due to the acidity and carbonation.

Drinkability: Rather drinkable. I was reminded at times of a sour Maudite. Can't wait for the wide release version to make it's way down here.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2003 03:10:26 | More by ManekiNeko

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.78/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Appearance: dark plum to eggplant in color, with visible "floaties" swimming about, a bit lighter near the bottom and around the sides, so far a very good approximation of the trappist abbey dubbel look, with a small, dunnish head, settling swiftly into a negligible collar.
Aroma: sheer intoxication, the first sniff brings such myriad complex flavors that I have to reel back from it...rustic, raisins, cured meats?, dark spices and fruits, soft leather, moss...deep, dank, and transendently indulgent..oh, goodness, oh, WOW!...so much going on here, that's it's extraordinarily difficult to pretend to be detached or objective, this beer unfolds and envelops me, it knows it has me where I want to be had!
..now, how about a taste of it? Simply amazing! A sweet, treacly dose of fruit (grapes, plums, cherries) welcome hops, and a thick, powerful malt backbone, pulling it all together.
Can't quite taste the "dried apricot in the nose" and "pear on the palate" as noted on the label, at least I can't claim to have discovered it on my own.
I now relax, sit back, sip, savor...full-bodied as can be, long, rich, residing finish...no, "finish" is incorrect, for it never leaves the mouth, and I would never wish it to!
A beer so powerful and seductive it consumes every sensory receptor, every inch of the head, all across the brain, down the fingers and toes...I nearly want to "cut & paste" my review of Westveleteren or St. Bernardus, for this experience so closely resembled that which I had with those fine Trappist ales.
Another beer after this would be a tremendous let down, so that's it for tonight...(Notes taken in mid-August)
Abundant gratitude to purplehops for breaking this out of his cellar for me...it was magnificent!

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2003 18:41:04 | More by feloniousmonk

Jason

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml brown magnum, no freshness date but this beer will hold up for years to come. The yeast was very loose so about a third of the bottle was left and swirled into a separate glass.

Appearance: Outstanding lacing, clinging action all over the glass. The clouded brown colour leaves a bit of mystery.

Smell: Light medicinal, herbal, minty, and licorice in the aroma. Hint of solvent alcohol and a layered malt sweetness.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Heavenly smoothness within the full body, creamy from middle to end. Thickly sweet of dark malts, nothing roasted. Deceiving alcohol leaves little warmth until the finish. Bitter phenols and a trace hop help to balance. Very herbal and a bit earthy as well.

Notes: Drop dead in complexity, a sipping brew and certainly something you would want to pair with rather than drinking it alone. I varied my pairings from a creamy Danish Blue Cheese with water crackers to dark chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2003 03:37:13 | More by Jason

beerguy101

California

4.45/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Winner of the Brew your dream beer contest. Dark brown color, smallish head, lacy with some arabesques. Figs and apricots in the nose. Very complex flavors. Malts, spices, figs, earthy and fruity. Well balanced. Very smooth taste, a slightly alcohol bite at 9.8%. Great mix of complex subtle flavors. Mouthfeel is smooth and smooth. Finish is very clean and smooth. Aftertaste is malty and sweet. WOW. Great beer from a great brewery. Please make more of this.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2003 02:25:54 | More by beerguy101

daledeee

Iowa

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

Pours a beautiful dark brown with 1" head. Settles to a nice lace. Lots of roasted mast and lots of roasted malt. There are dark cherry and fig tones. Rather astringent on the palate. Chocolate shows up later toward the end. I drink this rather warm (50F) The alcohol is in the nose fairly well hidden while drinking but the throat is nice and warm.

If I close my eyes and not read the label, I would swear this is a very fine Belgian. I let the second one age several months and it was more along the fruit profile. Still tasty.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2003 23:15:38 | More by daledeee

Jarod

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Learned that this batch was over 1 ½ years old. She aged beautifully. Connoisseur tasting, Kennett Square

This beer poured a dark ruby/mahogany color that was cloudy in appearance. The head that was produced was minimal and short lived, just a thin covering that was tan/beige colored. No lace. The aromas were intense and bold! Smells of bourbon, port wine, wooden aging barrels, big dark fruits (raisins, plums, black cherries), sweet dark caramel malts, and alcohol. After I took my first of many whiffs I hoped that the flavors would and had to be as good as the nose. And they absolutely were. Tastes of rich dark sweet malts, dark fruits, fruits macerated in alcohol, port wine and the barrels that they were aged in, caramel, spice (hints), alcohol and a wisp of granny smith apple tartness at the end. Aftertaste was filled with port wine and fruit. Heavy bodied, and thick. Big complex flavors that are rich and heavenly and the warmth from the alcohol were truly inviting. Wow what a beer truly amazing how all the flavors compliment each other so well. Glad I had the chance to experience it, several times in one day.

Serving type: cask

09-09-2003 15:30:05 | More by Jarod

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I tasted this beer with other Belgian style beers such as Hair of the
Dog Rose and Raison D'etre and I must say that this was my
favourite. The nose was full of fruit and spices and the colour
was a deep auburn . What impressed me the most was the
complexity of flavours yet smoothness of drinkability. Yes, the alcohol was there but it did interfere with the experience. These
guys are playing on the same level as Unibroue 11 which is available in B.C. This beer came from a buying trip to Portland.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2003 21:26:20 | More by canucklehead

TheDM

Indiana

2.93/5  rDev -29.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

This brew pours a small head of light brown moslty lasting bubbles and a brown colored body. It had a strong bubblegum and alcohol aroma with an overpowering alcohol flavor. THe alcohol flavor was so strong I couldn't get passed it to any of the other flavors than may have been present.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2003 22:49:43 | More by TheDM

purplehops

Maine

4.8/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Three Philosophers poured a deep rosewood color with plum highlights. The head was light tan frothy and quick to disperse with little or no lacing. Aroma was fruity and malty with smells of fig, plum, raison, cherries, mace, caramel, and some pear and alcohol in the background. The taste starts with flavors of caramel and toffee mixed with black berries and plums. This is quickly followed by a rush of soft alcohol flavors and black cherries with hints of fig and allspice and pear. The finish keeps the complexity moving with notes of green tart apple blending with a dry maltiness and some earthy and citrus flavors. Aftertaste is a smooth warmth of dried fruits and spices and alcohol. As it warms it becomes more and more port like in the finish and aftertaste. Mouthfeel is smooth and rich with a medium full body and a very faint effervescence.
Overall an interesting and complex offering from Ommegang. Would one expect less? This is a special occasion beer that should cellar nicely and bring joy and warmth for years to come. The best part is that it is to become a regular part of the brewery line up instead of a specialty product. Thank you Mr. Duvel.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2003 22:20:00 | More by purplehops

Bighuge

Minnesota

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

Deep russet brown color. Just a thin film of a head, but a nice collar. Light brown in color. Lacing is spotty. Nose is thick. Chewy molasses, rum, raisin, dates, figs, black cherries and alcohol. Very nice. Form the first sip, I can tell this is the kind of Belgian style beer that I really like. Subtle bready, yeasty tones kick it off. Rum soaked raisins come and go. Alcohol is a presence, but it fits in a good way with this beer. Prunes, plums, wood, cherry, dates, figs......damn this is a tasty concoction. Carbonation is low, but fitting. Body is about medium full. Great beer.

Thank you cokes for expanding my philosophical horizons with a little Plato, a little Socrates and a little Aristotle.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2003 19:54:40 | More by Bighuge

jcalabre

California

4.58/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Origianlly reviewed 26 January 2003. Copper/red color w/ a thick tan head. Lots of banana in the nose. The taste has Lots of complex fruits: plums, apples & others. A slightly sweet malty finish makes this an all around world class beer. I wish that this was more readily available.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2003 07:08:41 | More by jcalabre

BeerAngel

Texas

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a lightly hazed dark brown tea color with a modest light tan head that disappears rapidly. The sweet smell of mixed fruit but predominantly raisons and light alcohol notes make up the aroma of this brew. A repeat in the taste of what made up the aroma along with a chocolate covered raison being the dominant flavor along with a light bitter and again alcohol notes. This light bodied brew is just a tad under hopped IMO, but it does go down surprisingly easy. Another solid beer from this brewery. Thanks once again for the chance to experience this McCall! Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2003 13:07:47 | More by BeerAngel

cokes

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A blurred, glassy burgundy below a short-lived khaki bonnet.
Fumes of bourbon drenched cherries, bananas, permanent markers, maple and moss.
Burnt prunes yield to smoked kiwis, which succumb to charred figs, fended off by blackened raisins. Covered in toffee sweetness, sugarcane and esters of banana. Cotton candy airiness towards the center; Rum-soaked pound cake later on. Towards the finish, a chlorophyll sensation materializes. Green ponds in August, with tire swings and lilypads. Ends lightly chocolaty, rum-sweet and algae-like.
Medium-thin body with sparse carbonation, yet enough to keep this from being overly sweet or cloying. Easily, and thoughtfully consumed.

Now the only question is: Which three philosophers?
I’ll go with:
1.) Jung for the manifestation of the Belgian Dark Strong Ale archetype in the collective unconscious.
2.) J.S. Mill for Utilitarian darkened fruits.
3.) Thoreau for the essence of a pond

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2003 20:53:39 | More by cokes

GreatPondBrewer

Oregon

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

After having visited the brewery and actually reading the essay that was the inspiration for this beer I was ready to get the taste poetry in motion as it were. The philosopher poured a deep, foggy mahogony with a tan/yellow head which dissapeared quicker than most Belgians I have tried. The lace was real clingy and looked good on the cup. Several strong sweet aromas came out almost immediatly. There were cherry, raisen and maple which abounded in the nose. The taste was distinct with some notes of bannana mixed with honey, figs, pears and cloves. They tour guide at the brewery said Ommegang uses none of the spices that it adds to its other beers. I sm still a tad sceptical, but if it is true then this is truly a triumph of a beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2003 18:27:03 | More by GreatPondBrewer

frank4sail

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sweet floral yeasty nose. Cherry color to the brew with a nice white lace that becomes your following friend. Sweet strong sour plum taste with banana chips and a citrus bite in the finish. Fuller mouth. A very complex beer with lots of stuff going on in there. The plum and banana chip taste really swirls in there. It's bold sweetness and tastes make this a sippin' brew that should improve with maturity.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2003 13:06:40 | More by frank4sail

Suds

Pennsylvania

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

I bought this a year ago. It's been aging in the cellar, and I thought it was time to give the beer a try. Very dark brown color with moderate carbonation. The head is a tan color, but is very short-lived. I love the aroma: very strong fruit overtones....raisins, plums, apple. Intensely fruity and sweet smell, with a lot of alcohol as well. Taste is very malty with a jagged graininess. Peppery and fruity. Alcohol warming is predominant. Medium body, and very drinkable. I admit that I had higher hopes, but this is still a very nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2003 06:28:45 | More by Suds

Marty

Maine

4.33/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a dark amber and mostly cloudy. Head dissipated fairly quickly; this beer has very little carbonation by design. Smelled and tasted of all the fruits mentioned on the label, particularly raisins and apricots. The sweetness is much more prominent than the alcohol, which you can definitely feel coursing through your veins after a full glass. This is a very good strong beer that’s surprisingly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2003 17:25:17 | More by Marty