Ommegang Three Philosophers
It’s long past time I did a mini review here. Yesterday was cause for celebration. My good friend Ben, his beautiful wife Alice and their new and amazingly adorable child are back from a year long fellowship in Atlanta. Yesterday was the first time we have seen them (and met the baby) since they left for Atlanta last July.
So we celebrated, with an amazing meal made my our podcast substitute co-host, and my amazing wife Cindy (@trillian1117). A good bottle of wine, and I broke out the Ommengang Three Philosophers brew that I have had waiting pateniently in my beer fridge for over a month now.
I had been holding on to this belgian style brew for so log hoping that Rob would be able to find it in Texas, but alas he was unable to, and I was unwilling to wait any longer.
Three Philosophers is a blended brew. It is 98% a Belgian style abbey ale but kick ass strong. Considered a Quadruple in their measuring standards it boasts a huge 9.8% ABV. The other 2% is a Cherry Iambic. What you end up with is a very smooth highly drinkable, and decadent brew.
The Cherries do not overpower the beer at all, but enhance and blend with the natural fruit like flavor of the abbey ale. Although the alcohol content is very high you do not get a strong “booze” or alcohol after taste like Rob and I have found in some of these very high ABV beers. (Yes Brooklyn, I am looking at you…)
The complexity and flavors remind me a bit of port wine, and no doubt this would make a great after dinner beer or a good compliment to a dinner with strong flavors, but I would not reserve it just for that. I would not call it a light beer by any means, and I would probably not reach for it on a hot day, but… I’d also say this is drinkable year round.
If I could give this beer a 6 out of 5 I would. I would rather have this than the raspberry lambic we gave a 5/5 to early on in the podcast, any day.
Way to go Ommegang, another home run by the Cooperstown based brewery.
…
