Ommegang XV - 15th Anniversary Ale - Brewery Ommegang

Greywulfken

New York

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: bottle packed in handsome tin cannister (like a bottle of single malt Scotch); great packaging and presentation; poured a thin black body of beer into a tulip, kicking up a fat head of tan foam that left behind plenty of lace

S: immediate dark fruit, over-ripe; burnt sugar and roasted malt

T: the soft dark fruitiness from the malts and yeasts is populated by notes of carob and even a little espresso coffee; hints of plum pudding and dry cocoa

M: medium body, thin; sparkle of carbonation, slight coating, well-masked alcohol

O: a good BSDA, with a fairly typical flavor profile; about par for the course for Ommegang, which is to say, they represent the style well and brew with great craftsmanship; an afficionado of the style may respond to this differently, but I found it good, but not noteworthy - the presentation was better than the delivery

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 21:42:08 | More by Greywulfken

HattedClassic

Virginia

4.26/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance:
Pours a very rich tan head. The beer itself is an opaque dark brown with bits of red.

Smell:
A nice bouquet of dark fruits and Belgian sugar with a hint of caramel. The dark fruits that I get are plum and raisin.

Taste:
The main tastes that I get are dark fruits and the Belgian sugar. The aftertaste is very sugary and not pleasant but the overall drink is.

Mouthfeel:
Biting carbonation. However, the feel is surprisingly smooth and crisp for such a medium bodied beer.

Overall:
A very good beer. One that I hope they bring back or top with their 20th Anniversary ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 01:15:00 | More by HattedClassic

djs467

Colorado

4.75/5  rDev +15.6%

04-30-2013 16:10:41 | More by djs467

Rope

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25

Appearance-
Murky brown, but a lovely swirl of red, two finger straw colored head fritters away in a minute or so.

Smell-
Delightfully rich in dried fruits and caramel.

Taste-
Sweet, a touch of sour, and it melts into a smooth Belgian yeast finish. The only detractor is a smidgeon of alcohol peeks through, this may be mellowed with aging.

Mouthfeel-
For as rich and smell in flavor, it doesn't leave a heavy presence. The delightful sharp carbonation helps to scrub mouth and throat clean.

Overall-
A fantastic entry for Dark Belgians, shame I picked up the last one on the shelf for I would have liked to have aged one for comparison.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 05:00:38 | More by Rope

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.54/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle into a snifter

A: Pours an opaque black with hints of amber and brown. Very dark for a BSDA. Two fingers of light tan head forms with superb lacing and retention.

S: Quite complex - nothing comes out as overly strong and nothing takes center stage over other flavors. I get a nice plum fruitiness with a bit of prune, but lots of spicy flavors keep this beer from being sweet. I get a spicy, slightly musty oak presence with some nutmeg, peppercorn, and a touch of orange peel. Fortunately the oak adds to the complexity and does not overwhelm.

T: Prunes are now stronger with a solid bitterness for the style which I attribute to the oak. Peppercorn comes out more in the flavor than the aroma, but the other spices are pretty subdued.

M: A touch on the thin side with high carbonation.

O: The aroma is very nice with this beer, but the flavor is a bit dry, bitter, and straight-forward. Still a solid attempt at a BSDA from an American brewery.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 22:05:45 | More by coreyfmcdonald

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -14.8%

04-15-2013 04:17:10 | More by BrownAleMale

Amerikon

California

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%

04-10-2013 04:53:18 | More by Amerikon

animal69

Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

04-10-2013 04:17:00 | More by animal69

spointon

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I poured this one from a 750ml corked and caged brown bottle into a stemmed tulip glass.

A= This ale poured a super clear, dark mahogany brown color with ruby highlights. The beige head rose over an inch with a medium strength pour. Steady carbonation release.
Lots of lace stickage on my glass.

S= I smelled rich malt, dark fruits, and a sweet boozy alcohol note. Nothing over the top, with the aromatic components in balance.

T= Started off with a restrained sweetness, just a kiss really, followed by some rich and complex malty notes. The esters are where this beer was really exceptional. Flavors of dark fruit, raisins, and figs were all detectable. The yeast character was appropriately Belgian, with the aforementioned esters and some spicy phenolic character coming through. The alcohol was big but not hot, and it gave a perfumey sweetness to each sip. Finish was on the dry side, but with a kiss of malt that made me want to take another sip right away.

MF= Medium bodied with a firm carbonation that still felt pretty soft on the tongue. Not hot or boozy and no astringency.

D= I found this to be a very drinkable beer. The flavor was all Belgian Dark Strong but the drinkability was more in the range of a good Dubbel. A nice tribute beer to a wonderful brewery's 15th anniversary. Highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 01:09:46 | More by spointon

BKArmstrong

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

03-31-2013 04:25:49 | More by BKArmstrong

mcaulifww

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

03-18-2013 14:23:24 | More by mcaulifww

Hopheadjeffery

Illinois

5/5  rDev +21.7%

03-14-2013 00:50:27 | More by Hopheadjeffery

Dope

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a clear and very deep ruby red. Huge, enormous effervescent and fluffy light brown head. Fades obnoxiously slowly. Top notch retention, huge island of foam. Decent but thin lacing left behind.

S: Very malty. Lots of sweet caramel and some toffee. Raisins but not overpowering. Even has some decent cocoa. Nice and mellow with lots of sweet notes.

T: Again, loaded with sweet malts. Very sweet in fact. Caramel is most prominent but there are hints of toffee in there. Nice sweet chocolate covered raisins into the middle. Finish gets a little drier but not much, mainly the chocolate and raisin with caramel coating everything. Mild belgian yeast earthiness and spice too. Lingering spices and cocoa in the aftertaste. Mild alcohol spiciness in the finish too. Not quite perfectly hidden.

M: Medium bodied, smooth and almost silky. Just a touch spicy and dry in the finish.

O: A great BSDA. Super sweet and malty from start to finish. No sharpness to the flavors at all, very mellow with nice layers of flavors. Good balance too. Easy drinking, goes down very easily. Overall a really nicely crafted brew. It honestly reminds me a lot of Westy 12 with the smooth, sweet flavors and overall easy drinkability. Just not quite as perfectly refined - not a knock on this beer but more of a testament to how good Westy is.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 03:41:52 | More by Dope

ChopperSmith

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 750 ml bottle at cellar temperature into a Duvel tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep dark opaque brown with a two finger creamy foam head that doesn't last long, but leaves some nice sticky lacing behind.

Smell: A lot going on in the aroma. Funky yeast, spices, coffee and fruit aromas. Also a boozy alcohol beneath it all.

Taste: Like it smells. Big flavors of dark fruits, raisins, spices, yeast and dark roasted malts. Also a definite alcohol taste and initial burn. This is a good sipping beer, and at cellar temps it warms quickly and releases the flavors even more. Has a very spiced winter ale flavor to it, with the Belgian yeasts and sugars to keep it firmly in the Belgian Dark Strong style.

Mouth feel: Crisp and sharp, with a little bitterness and bite on the back end.

Overall: Wow. A very flavorful Belgian Dark Strong style for Ommegang's anniversary, and it's perfectly fitting for the brewery. I received this as a gift and planned to cellar it, but I just couldn't wait (which is too bad, this one would probably cellar well and mature nicely over a few years). But the impatience paid off, it was a damn fine ale and I enjoyed it tremendously.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 21:36:19 | More by ChopperSmith

ajdemma

Georgia

4/5  rDev -2.7%

02-25-2013 15:24:10 | More by ajdemma

bsopko

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%

02-25-2013 03:40:09 | More by bsopko

Gww1864

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%

02-23-2013 06:12:13 | More by Gww1864

Syraquse

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%

02-17-2013 18:52:47 | More by Syraquse

pianoman511

New York

5/5  rDev +21.7%

02-11-2013 01:09:04 | More by pianoman511

NickyDee21

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.7%

02-10-2013 18:58:44 | More by NickyDee21

comradekyle

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -2.7%

02-10-2013 01:09:58 | More by comradekyle

kingmaker

Louisiana

4.75/5  rDev +15.6%

02-08-2013 02:05:49 | More by kingmaker

Haybeerman

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%

02-06-2013 13:34:49 | More by Haybeerman

dogfishandi

New York

3.95/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to BryanK for sharing the bottle!

750ml. Cork and caged bottle poured into a pint glass.

Pours out a very dark brown color, almost black, but not necessarily stout black. Some nice ruby highlights when held to the light. A decent 1/4 inch or so worth of tan colored head, big bubbles. Decent retention, but not a whole lot of lacing to speak of.

Some bright plum like fruit aromas with a bit of darker spice.

Again, big on the plum, berry, and maybe a bit of other lighter dark fruit flavors. Lots of nutmeg like spice.

Medium bodied, carbonation is about right for the style.

This beer reminds me a bit of Westy 12, which I wasn't super impressed with based on its ratings. A worthy beer, but maybe not worthy of its rather big price tag.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 01:32:22 | More by dogfishandi

socon67

New York

3.86/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A - Dark brown pour with a cola colored foam. Only slight lacing on this. Opaque look and no carbonation.

S - Impressive scents of cherries, plums, and molasses. Esters of belgian yeast give a tangy smell.

T - Sweet flavors of dried fruit, brown sugar, and candied sugar. Finish has a boozy quality that I thought was a bit much. I suspect this improves much more with age.

M - Slightly syrupy thick, and leaves a warming burn as I was drinking this. I could not see having more than a normal pour. It is a dominant style that works best as a cordial or after dinner drink.

O - Enjoyable to try and if I get another bottle I'm aging it a year. With that said I preferred Art of Darkness and other Ommegang limited releases more than this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 23:45:13 | More by socon67