Brewery Ommegang
Encyclopedia
Brewery Ommegang is a Belgian
brewery
located near Cooperstown, New York
that specializes in Belgian-style
ales.
farm in the Susqehanna River Valley, four miles (6 km) south of Cooperstown, New York
in the Town of Milford
.
Since its opening, Ommegang has grown rapidly — in early 2005, its owner said they have been unable to meet demand for their ales and as a result would add 40 percent to their production capacity over the next year.
Don Feinberg sold Ommegang in 2003 to Belgian brewer Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, brewers of the world-renowned Duvel Golden Ale. As a result, Ommegang Ales are made both in Belgium and in Cooperstown, New York
. Duvel Moortgat brewed limited amounts of beer for Brewery Ommegang in 2006 to help meet demand, but has not brewed any since then.
Brewery Ommegang currently distributes its beers in 43 states and Washington, D.C.
, including Alaska
and Hawaii
but excluding Montana
, Idaho
, North Dakota
, South Dakota
, Wyoming
, West Virginia
, and Mississippi
. It has also recently shipped beer to Sweden in response to commercial inquiries from that country.
Each summer, the brewery hosts a large beer-tasting event, known as Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. The event, which occurs on a Saturday in July, includes four hours of unlimited beer sampling of over 200 Belgian and Belgian-style beers, followed by food, live music, and a bonfire. The 2007 version of the event added a Friday night beer dinner for 250 people, with 7 courses and 14 beers to pair with them.
On 7 October, 2007, Brewery Ommegang hosted the inaugural "CX @ Ommegang," a cyclocross race, organized by Team SCARR, a cycling team with Brewery Ommegang as their title sponsor. Cyclocross is wildly popular in Belgium
and a cyclocross race on the grounds of a Belgian-style brewery was a natural fit. Well over 150 racers from all over New York State registered for the event. The course included a hairpin turn inside the main event tent.
Ommegang Abbey Ale and Three Philosophers can be aged for flavoring
In 2007 Ommegang brewed another new seasonal
In 2009 Ommegang added:
In 2010 Ommegang brewed these Limited Edition specialty beers:
In 2011 Ommegang plans to brew and release
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
located near Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
that specializes in Belgian-style
Belgian beer
Beer in Belgium varies from pale lager to lambic beer and Flemish red. There are approximately 178 breweries in the country, ranging from international giants to microbreweries..-History:...
ales.
History
Ommegang began brewing Belgian-style ales in 1997. Built by Don Feinberg, an aficionado of Belgian beers, it started up in a purpose-built building based on a traditional Belgian farmhouse, set on a former 136 acre (0.55037296 km²) hopHops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
farm in the Susqehanna River Valley, four miles (6 km) south of Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
in the Town of Milford
Milford, New York
Milford may refer to two municipalities in Otsego County, New York in the United States:*Milford , New York*Milford , New York, located entirely within the town...
.
Since its opening, Ommegang has grown rapidly — in early 2005, its owner said they have been unable to meet demand for their ales and as a result would add 40 percent to their production capacity over the next year.
Don Feinberg sold Ommegang in 2003 to Belgian brewer Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, brewers of the world-renowned Duvel Golden Ale. As a result, Ommegang Ales are made both in Belgium and in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
. Duvel Moortgat brewed limited amounts of beer for Brewery Ommegang in 2006 to help meet demand, but has not brewed any since then.
Brewery Ommegang currently distributes its beers in 43 states and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, including Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
but excluding Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, and Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. It has also recently shipped beer to Sweden in response to commercial inquiries from that country.
Each summer, the brewery hosts a large beer-tasting event, known as Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. The event, which occurs on a Saturday in July, includes four hours of unlimited beer sampling of over 200 Belgian and Belgian-style beers, followed by food, live music, and a bonfire. The 2007 version of the event added a Friday night beer dinner for 250 people, with 7 courses and 14 beers to pair with them.
On 7 October, 2007, Brewery Ommegang hosted the inaugural "CX @ Ommegang," a cyclocross race, organized by Team SCARR, a cycling team with Brewery Ommegang as their title sponsor. Cyclocross is wildly popular in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and a cyclocross race on the grounds of a Belgian-style brewery was a natural fit. Well over 150 racers from all over New York State registered for the event. The course included a hairpin turn inside the main event tent.
Active
Ommegang brews six ales full-time:- Ommegang Abbey Ale (a classic Belgian-style abbey double)
- HennepinHennepinHennepin may refer to:People:*Father Louis Hennepin , Belgian/French explorer of North AmericaIn places in the US:*Hennepin, Illinois, a village*Hennepin, Oklahoma, a small community*Hennepin County, Minnesota...
Farmhouse Saison (a SaisonSaisonSaison is the name originally given to low-alcohol pale ales brewed seasonally in farmhouses in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, for farm workers during harvest season...
or seasonal Belgian-style rustic golden ale)(The first Saison in America) - Rare Vos Amber Ale (a cafe-style amber ale)
- Ommegang Witte Ale (a Belgian-style wheat ale)
- Three Philosophers (a Belgian-style quadrupelQuadrupelQuadrupel is the brand name of a strong seasonal beer La Trappe Quadrupel brewed by De Koningshoeven Brewery in the Netherlands, the only Trappist brewing abbey not in Belgium...
with authentic Belgian kriekKriekKriek is a style of Belgian beer, made by fermenting lambic with sour Morello cherries. The name is derived from the Dutch word for this type of cherry . Traditionally "Schaarbeekse krieken" from the area around Brussels are used...
blended in) - BPA (Belgian Pale Ale). Dry hopped with Cascade hops, going into year-round production for 2011.
Ommegang Abbey Ale and Three Philosophers can be aged for flavoring
Seasonal
In 2007 Ommegang began brewing two new seasonal ales:- Ommegeddon Funkhouse Ale (a golden ale with Brettanomyces bruxellensis and dry-hopping, brewed in July)
- Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout
In 2007 Ommegang brewed another new seasonal
- Ommegang Biere de Mars (an amber ale, bottle-conditioned with Brettanomyces bruxellensis)
In 2009 Ommegang added:
- Ommegang Adoration Strong Winter Ale: 10% ABV, spiced, dark and malty.
In 2010 Ommegang brewed these Limited Edition specialty beers:
- Chocolate Indulgence Stout
- Ommegang BPA (since elevated to year-round sales)
- Ommegang Zuur (a Flanders Brown Ale, brewed in collaboration with Liefmans of Belgium)
- Ommegang Tripel Perfection (a Belgian-style tripel, but with spices)
- Ommegang Cup O' Kyndnes (a Belgian-Scotch ale, brewed with smoked malt and heather flowers)
- Ommegang Adoration Strong Winter Ale, updated from 2009
In 2011 Ommegang plans to brew and release
- Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence (Belgian-Style Stout, 7% ABV)
- Gnomegang (Belgian-style Strong Blonde Ale, 9.4% ABV) - Fermented with Chouffe yeast in primary fermentation.
- Ommegang Aphrodite Tart beer (Belgian-style ale)
- Ommegang Adoration (Belgian-style Strong Winter Ale, 10% ABV)
Awards
All of Ommegang's five full-time Belgian-style ales have won numerous awards, including:- Cave-aged Hennepin winning the 2004 Great American Beer FestivalGreat American Beer FestivalThe Great American Beer Festival is a three-day annual event hosted by the Brewers Association, held in Denver, Colorado, in mid to late September or early October. This year, 2011, the festival runs from 29 September through 1 October. The GABF brings visitors from around the world to sample more...
Gold MedalGold MedalGold Medal is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band The Donnas, released in 2004 on Atlantic Records. It was one of the first albums released in the DualDisc format, but was recalled due to a mastering error which resulted in the final track being partially omitted from the CD...
for French- and Belgian-style Saisons - Hennepin Farmhouse Ale winning the 2006 World Beer CupWorld Beer CupThe World Beer Cup, known as "The Olympics of Beer Competition", is one of several major international beer competitions. It was founded by Association of Brewers President Charlie Papazian....
Silver MedalSilver medalA silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
for French- Belgian-Style Saison - Three Philosophers winning the 2006 World Beer CupWorld Beer CupThe World Beer Cup, known as "The Olympics of Beer Competition", is one of several major international beer competitions. It was founded by Association of Brewers President Charlie Papazian....
Bronze MedalBronze medalA bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale - Witte Wheat Ale won the 2008 World Beer Cup Silver Award for wheat ales, and won the Silver Award again in 2010. 2011 Gold Medal winner at GABF.
- Ommegang Abbey Ale won the Gold Award for Belgian Abbey Ales at the 2010 World Beer Cup