Dubbels, in general, are between 6 and 9 percent ABV, and they originated at the Westmalle Monastery around the turn of the 20th century, where some clever monks decided to commercialize the stuff they drank daily by doubling the ABV for the (admittedly) sinful public. When you say Omm-uh-gang, it almost sounds like what would descend on you with the fury of a thousand Sun Salutations should you ever cross the people at your Meditation Yoga class. In 2003 the family-owned Duvel Moortgat, one of the Belgian breweries that helped found Brewery Ommegang, bought out all the other partners, including Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield (they went on to relocate Vanburg & DeWulf to Chicago before selling it). Ommegang began brewing Belgian-style ales in 1997. Thiel, who left Ommegang in 2008, becamebecame the first American brewer ever inducted. Ommegang recommends ageing Hennepin up to 3 years, and Abbey and Three Philosophers up to 5 years. So what makes a beer Belgian? Its partly the core ingredients (the types of malt and hops), the frequent addition of spices and other flavorings (like coriander, citrus, star anise etc. Featured Products: Hennepin, Neon Rainbow, Witte, 3 Philosophers. The brewery vows to double-down on its newer, more popular beers next year.
Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Brewery Ommegang has spent the two decades since it began making beer in late 1997 blazing trails for both Belgian- and American-style brewing. The vision for Contra is not tied to the tenets of Ommegang, Gershon says, noting that she doesnt rule out further beers under the Contra sub-brand in the future. Since its inception, Brewery Ommegang has been committed to making the best Belgian-style ales possible, and has been recognized for their craft, taking home the Gold Medal in 2004 from the Great American Beer Fest for their Hennepin in the French and Belgian-style Saisons category. Next year will see the brand focus on aggressively marketing a portfolio led by Neon Rainbows, Idyll Days, and even a non-Ommegang-branded Blonde Ale called Deer Slayer. Get the latest in beer, wine, and cocktail culture sent straight to your inbox. Ancient in spirit yet always on-trend (e.g., bourbon barrel-finished Dubbel, anyone?
And its building design -- right down to its signature welcoming archway -- was meant to mimic a traditional Belgian farm brewery. Photo: Head brewer Phil Leinhart in the Brewery Ommegang brewhouse. We still think were a special place.. Here's a look at two decades of innovation and expansion at one of Upstate New York's most renowned breweries. I never talked to or heard my distributor counterparts talking about an Ommegang sales rep.. Now that hes left Ommegang, Campbell says the brewerys next chapter is not for him to write, but acknowledges its focus will likely have to expand beyond the Belgian parameters that have set its course for over two decades. The answer to Campbells question is one Ommegang and its parent company, Duvel USA, believe can be more flexible than it has been. 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. Performers have included Lake Street Dive, Old Crow Medicine Show, Elvis Costello, the Shins and the Avett Brothers. For visitors, one of the most noticeable improvements in recent years has been the 75-seat cafe and bar. Those large-format bottles have long frustrated retailers who cant shelve them alongside other canned beers or six-packs; drinkers, too, have turned toward other formats. Ommegangs Abbey Dubbel lands at the high end of the spectrum, 8.5 percent ABV with a malty, spicy flavor profile meant to be sipped, not crushed. Big plays, smart moves, and otherwise curious indicators of beer's possible future. We still have one foot in Belgium and one foot in the States, said Doug Campbell, the companys president and general manager. A rural brewery in New York can credibly produce New England IPAs alongside Farmhouse Ales or fruited Sours or barrel-aged Stouts without any of those styles feeling off-brand. Deer Slayer is brewed under a sub-brand called Contra, marketed to hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, and sold exclusively in upstate New York in 19.2oz cans. For one of the best bottle-conditioned Belgian-style ale this side of the Atlantic, check out Brewery Ommegang. , NY
By Oct. 4, with 75% of 2020 already over, Ommegang has sold just 45% of its 2019 volume in those stores.
Granted, most of us thought Game of Thrones was more interested in dynamic cross-marketing coffee collaborations. Its citrus and spice notes provide enough bite and acidity to pit against anything fleshy or fried, and yet this saison is summery enough to cool your palate when its time for Thai-style spicy chicken wings, or pulled pork barbecue. Now the brewery says its breaking out. Twenty years ago, a group of visionary beer enthusiasts brought forth on a former hop field in Upstate New York a new idea for an American brewery. ", recently partnered with a start-up called Tenterr. Those six beers -- Abbey Ale, Hennepin, Rare Vos, Three Philosophers, Witte and Gnommegang -- remain the core or year-round beers in the Ommegang portfolio. 
It would be housed in a place called a farmstead. It would make itself a destination (despite its out-of-the-way locale). It was one of the first: New Belgium Brewing had started in Colorado in 1991 and Allagash Brewing was founded in Portland, Maine in 1995. 
Its an acknowledgment of the fickleness of todays drinker: A lucrative marketing partnership with one of the most talked-about TV shows of the decade still failed to pay off in customer loyalty. Upstate New York's most renowned breweries.
Other recent new beers include Rosetta, a sour cherry-infused ale; Fruition, a wit beer with added fruit; and Pale Sour, a puckering blonde ale. So theres an element ofwhat the brewery brand stands for, to what extent should that be tied to a specific style of beer?. And, longer-term, what does it mean for one of the nations most respected Belgian-style breweries? Use the Ommegang beer finderto search for retailers by zip code. They actually dress the tents up really nice. No one who listens to or reads Good Beer Hunting needs to be told that Belgian brewing is not the hot thing these days, he says.
Not that its all high-ABV: Its roster of offerings combines Belgian styles and its own fresh innovations, including a lighter-style, easy-drinking, lower-ABV beer, the orange peel- and coriander-spiced Witte (witbier) originally released in 2004, which clocks in at 5.2 percent ABV. I dont think [Ommegang] was as provenance-driven as some of the other craft brands that started and put other roots down, but hindsights 2020, Gershon says. Its a deep brown beer that includes smoked malt, and is 7.6 percent alcohol. Other Belgian-insipred breweries in Ommegangs cohortAllagash Brewing was founded in 1994, New Belgium in 1991may provide a map. As demand for quality, bottle-conditioned Belgian-style ales increased, Ommegang could no longer keep up, and in 2005 the brewery expanded its production capacity by 40% to meet the new demand. Ommegang Abbey Ale and Three Philosophers can be aged for flavoring. But will that be enough to get the company back to growth? Former president and general manager Doug Campbell left the company in April after two-and-a half years; Campbell declined to discuss the circumstances of this move but called them totally cordial and friendly. Then, in September, brewmaster Phil Leinhart left Ommegang after 14 years. Ommegang Ale 2009 (Belgian-style stout blended with kriek, 6.2), 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 Chocolate Indulgence (Belgian-Style Stout, 7% ABV). There was an opportunity to sell a lot of beer and hopefully convert consumers, she says. The acquisition also cemented Brewery Ommegangs affiliation with other well known Belgian breweries under the Duvel umbrella, including Liefmans, Maredsous and Achouffe. Those beers were then blended and bottled. Brewery Ommegang is situated in a pretty bucolic little spot near the banks of the Susquehanna River. That self-imposed box must have existed because leadership thought, for decades, it would work. There have been many more honors over the year. Their Abbey ale took home the Gold Medal in 2010 from the World Beer Cup, in the Belgian Dubbel Ale category, and their Witte ale took home the Gold Medal in 2011 from the Great American Beer Fest in the Belgian-style Witbier category. Thats when few Americans were familiar with Belgian beers like Duvel, Chimay or even Stella Artois. In 2018, just 13% of tourism dollars in upstate New York State were spent in the Central New York region to which Cooperstown belongs. They include Sooth Sayer, a dark strong ale; Shadow Brewer, a stout; Nirvana IPA, a rare almost American-style hop-forward ale; Fleur de Houblon, a Belgian-style hoppy ale; Hopstate NY, brewed with New York hops and only available within the state; and Grains of Truth, a fall seasonal with barley, oats, wheat and rye. It will, however, soon announce an expansion to the restaurant and its other visitor facilities, said Doug Campbell, Ommegangs president.
Theyve helped staunch losses from Ommegangs core group of Belgian beers, which are no longer in fashion in a market dominated by IPA, but overall sales of Ommegang beers in grocery, convenience, liquor and other chains have still been declining for years. The beers are Bourbon Barrel-Aged Three Philosophers, Ginnepin Saison(brewed with juniper berries) and Bourbon Barrel-aged Abbey Ale. Cyclocross is popular in Belgium and a cyclocross race on the grounds of a Belgian-style brewery was a natural fit. Can New Strategies Breathe Life Into Some of Napas Most Storied Wine Brands? Ommegang didnt can any of its beers until April 2018, and relied heavily on 750ml, cork-and-cage bottles for its specialty releases. Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield always envisioned Ommegang as a destination for beer lovers. The event itself is in early August and features 200 or so Belgian and Belgo-American beers, plus entertainment. Brewery Ommeganghas been a frequent winner of national and New York state awards, including its most recent -- a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Fest in Demnver for its Witte in the Belgian style Wit (Wheat) Beer category. But one of the strongest factors is the yeast -- Belgian yeasts often have what Leinhart calls a biological character, creating special aromas and flavors. The question that will make or break Ommegang in the coming years is not just what it brews, but where it plants its flag. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.
They have all been packaged in the 750-ml, cork-and-cage format. Witte won the gold medal in that category in 2016. Each summer, the brewery hosts a large beer-tasting event, known as Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. Allagashs Instagram page could double as a Maine tourism promotion, and New Belgium ties environmental stewardship efforts to its bases in the outdoor-recreation meccas of Fort Collins, Colorado and Asheville, North Carolina. Ommegang Aphrodite Tart beer (Belgian-style ale), Ommegang Belgian Independence Day Saison (Belgian-style saison 7.0%), Ommegang Seduction (Belgian-style stout blended with Kriek, 6.8%), Ommegang Biere d' Hougoumont (Biere de Garde aged on White Oak and Maple wooden staves, 7.3%), Ommegang Belgian Independence Day Tripel (8.3%), Ommegang Scythe & Sickle (Harvest ale, 5.8%. But Ommegang would be different. New darling Neon Rainbows has been one of the few bright spots in the brewerys portfolio; its now the brewerys top-sellera dramatic departure from the companys Belgian-inspired roots. Ommegang is named for an annual pageant in Brussels, whose origins date to the Middle Ages. Ommegang needs to play in this more approachable spaceboth in terms of styles and packagingif its going to survive, CBCs Laxague says. It's aged for 5 months in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels. The Susquehanna River flows nearby, though it's just a small stream at this point. How did Brewery Ommegang end up in Cooperstown, N.Y.? A portion of Ommegangs beers are also brewed in Kansas City. In 2013, Duvel Moortgat acquired the renowned Boulevard Brewing Co. of Kansas City, and then in 2015 formed a business partnership with Firestone Walker Brewing Co. of Paso Robles, Calif. Those deals have allowed for some cost-sharing, some beer collaborations and exchange of ideas, and expanded marketing power. In 2004, Ommegang launched the beer that has become its best-seller: Witte, a Belgian-style wit or wheat beer with hints of coriander and citrus. Given Ommegang's heritage and connection with Belgium, perhaps the most interesting is this: Randy Thiel, who started as Ommegang's brewmaster in 1997, was inducted in 2004 into the prestigious Knighthood of Brewers Mashstaff by the Belgian Brewers Guild in Brussels, Belgium. The next beer up: Smoked Porter. Thats been a challenge even for brewers of Belgian-inspired Wild Ales, which are arguably still more interesting to beer geeks than abbey ales. Currently theyre doing Dry and Ros styles, both of which are filtered and carbonated meaning even if the slightly dryer style is more European, the final product is also close enough to the mass-market-appeal of an easy-drinking American cider like Angry Orchard. The reality is, they were.. Launched in 2019 and called, aptly, Project Cider, Brewery Ommegang has been making two varieties of canned cider by combining the rugged character of local New York State apples with the magic of Belgian yeast. An international brewery? the eponymous quintessential Belgian strong ale, multifaceted and deliciously hard to categorize, some clever monks decided to commercialize the stuff they drank daily, the European roommate from Its Always Sunny., dynamic cross-marketing coffee collaborations, neon yet somehow still classy 16-ounce cans. The brewery was the co-winner in the first ever Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge held in May in New York City. But I dont think it worked as well as we wanted to.. Among them: Mother of Dragons, a combination smoked porter and kriek (cherry-infused) beer thats dark and red and smoky and pretty much deep-down, stone-cold evil; and a Hand of the Queen, a barleywine inspired by the character Tyrion, who loved wine and did his best to be drunk all the time (its not easy). Twenty-three-year-old Brewery Ommegang is considering this question in real time. Despite this somewhat remote location, Ommegang sells beers in 48 states, and draws visitors from far and wide to its festivals, concert series and cafe/tasting room. The Brewery Ommegang Concert Series runs each summer, attracting an eclectic line-up of indie,alternative, folk and rock acts. Ommegangs packaging and the names of the beers were always intimidating to the novice, Laxague says. What does it mean for a brewery if its most recent successes are seen as exceptions to, rather than extensions of, its identity?
Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Brewery Ommegang has spent the two decades since it began making beer in late 1997 blazing trails for both Belgian- and American-style brewing. The vision for Contra is not tied to the tenets of Ommegang, Gershon says, noting that she doesnt rule out further beers under the Contra sub-brand in the future. Since its inception, Brewery Ommegang has been committed to making the best Belgian-style ales possible, and has been recognized for their craft, taking home the Gold Medal in 2004 from the Great American Beer Fest for their Hennepin in the French and Belgian-style Saisons category. Next year will see the brand focus on aggressively marketing a portfolio led by Neon Rainbows, Idyll Days, and even a non-Ommegang-branded Blonde Ale called Deer Slayer. Get the latest in beer, wine, and cocktail culture sent straight to your inbox. Ancient in spirit yet always on-trend (e.g., bourbon barrel-finished Dubbel, anyone?
And its building design -- right down to its signature welcoming archway -- was meant to mimic a traditional Belgian farm brewery. Photo: Head brewer Phil Leinhart in the Brewery Ommegang brewhouse. We still think were a special place.. Here's a look at two decades of innovation and expansion at one of Upstate New York's most renowned breweries. I never talked to or heard my distributor counterparts talking about an Ommegang sales rep.. Now that hes left Ommegang, Campbell says the brewerys next chapter is not for him to write, but acknowledges its focus will likely have to expand beyond the Belgian parameters that have set its course for over two decades. The answer to Campbells question is one Ommegang and its parent company, Duvel USA, believe can be more flexible than it has been. 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. Performers have included Lake Street Dive, Old Crow Medicine Show, Elvis Costello, the Shins and the Avett Brothers. For visitors, one of the most noticeable improvements in recent years has been the 75-seat cafe and bar. Those large-format bottles have long frustrated retailers who cant shelve them alongside other canned beers or six-packs; drinkers, too, have turned toward other formats. Ommegangs Abbey Dubbel lands at the high end of the spectrum, 8.5 percent ABV with a malty, spicy flavor profile meant to be sipped, not crushed. Big plays, smart moves, and otherwise curious indicators of beer's possible future. We still have one foot in Belgium and one foot in the States, said Doug Campbell, the companys president and general manager. A rural brewery in New York can credibly produce New England IPAs alongside Farmhouse Ales or fruited Sours or barrel-aged Stouts without any of those styles feeling off-brand. Deer Slayer is brewed under a sub-brand called Contra, marketed to hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, and sold exclusively in upstate New York in 19.2oz cans. For one of the best bottle-conditioned Belgian-style ale this side of the Atlantic, check out Brewery Ommegang. , NY By Oct. 4, with 75% of 2020 already over, Ommegang has sold just 45% of its 2019 volume in those stores.
Granted, most of us thought Game of Thrones was more interested in dynamic cross-marketing coffee collaborations. Its citrus and spice notes provide enough bite and acidity to pit against anything fleshy or fried, and yet this saison is summery enough to cool your palate when its time for Thai-style spicy chicken wings, or pulled pork barbecue. Now the brewery says its breaking out. Twenty years ago, a group of visionary beer enthusiasts brought forth on a former hop field in Upstate New York a new idea for an American brewery. ", recently partnered with a start-up called Tenterr. Those six beers -- Abbey Ale, Hennepin, Rare Vos, Three Philosophers, Witte and Gnommegang -- remain the core or year-round beers in the Ommegang portfolio. It would be housed in a place called a farmstead. It would make itself a destination (despite its out-of-the-way locale). It was one of the first: New Belgium Brewing had started in Colorado in 1991 and Allagash Brewing was founded in Portland, Maine in 1995. Its an acknowledgment of the fickleness of todays drinker: A lucrative marketing partnership with one of the most talked-about TV shows of the decade still failed to pay off in customer loyalty. Upstate New York's most renowned breweries. Other recent new beers include Rosetta, a sour cherry-infused ale; Fruition, a wit beer with added fruit; and Pale Sour, a puckering blonde ale. So theres an element ofwhat the brewery brand stands for, to what extent should that be tied to a specific style of beer?. And, longer-term, what does it mean for one of the nations most respected Belgian-style breweries? Use the Ommegang beer finderto search for retailers by zip code. They actually dress the tents up really nice. No one who listens to or reads Good Beer Hunting needs to be told that Belgian brewing is not the hot thing these days, he says.
Not that its all high-ABV: Its roster of offerings combines Belgian styles and its own fresh innovations, including a lighter-style, easy-drinking, lower-ABV beer, the orange peel- and coriander-spiced Witte (witbier) originally released in 2004, which clocks in at 5.2 percent ABV. I dont think [Ommegang] was as provenance-driven as some of the other craft brands that started and put other roots down, but hindsights 2020, Gershon says. Its a deep brown beer that includes smoked malt, and is 7.6 percent alcohol. Other Belgian-insipred breweries in Ommegangs cohortAllagash Brewing was founded in 1994, New Belgium in 1991may provide a map. As demand for quality, bottle-conditioned Belgian-style ales increased, Ommegang could no longer keep up, and in 2005 the brewery expanded its production capacity by 40% to meet the new demand. Ommegang Abbey Ale and Three Philosophers can be aged for flavoring. But will that be enough to get the company back to growth? Former president and general manager Doug Campbell left the company in April after two-and-a half years; Campbell declined to discuss the circumstances of this move but called them totally cordial and friendly. Then, in September, brewmaster Phil Leinhart left Ommegang after 14 years. Ommegang Ale 2009 (Belgian-style stout blended with kriek, 6.2), 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 Chocolate Indulgence (Belgian-Style Stout, 7% ABV). There was an opportunity to sell a lot of beer and hopefully convert consumers, she says. The acquisition also cemented Brewery Ommegangs affiliation with other well known Belgian breweries under the Duvel umbrella, including Liefmans, Maredsous and Achouffe. Those beers were then blended and bottled. Brewery Ommegang is situated in a pretty bucolic little spot near the banks of the Susquehanna River. That self-imposed box must have existed because leadership thought, for decades, it would work. There have been many more honors over the year. Their Abbey ale took home the Gold Medal in 2010 from the World Beer Cup, in the Belgian Dubbel Ale category, and their Witte ale took home the Gold Medal in 2011 from the Great American Beer Fest in the Belgian-style Witbier category. Thats when few Americans were familiar with Belgian beers like Duvel, Chimay or even Stella Artois. In 2018, just 13% of tourism dollars in upstate New York State were spent in the Central New York region to which Cooperstown belongs. They include Sooth Sayer, a dark strong ale; Shadow Brewer, a stout; Nirvana IPA, a rare almost American-style hop-forward ale; Fleur de Houblon, a Belgian-style hoppy ale; Hopstate NY, brewed with New York hops and only available within the state; and Grains of Truth, a fall seasonal with barley, oats, wheat and rye. It will, however, soon announce an expansion to the restaurant and its other visitor facilities, said Doug Campbell, Ommegangs president.
Theyve helped staunch losses from Ommegangs core group of Belgian beers, which are no longer in fashion in a market dominated by IPA, but overall sales of Ommegang beers in grocery, convenience, liquor and other chains have still been declining for years. The beers are Bourbon Barrel-Aged Three Philosophers, Ginnepin Saison(brewed with juniper berries) and Bourbon Barrel-aged Abbey Ale. Cyclocross is popular in Belgium and a cyclocross race on the grounds of a Belgian-style brewery was a natural fit. Can New Strategies Breathe Life Into Some of Napas Most Storied Wine Brands? Ommegang didnt can any of its beers until April 2018, and relied heavily on 750ml, cork-and-cage bottles for its specialty releases. Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield always envisioned Ommegang as a destination for beer lovers. The event itself is in early August and features 200 or so Belgian and Belgo-American beers, plus entertainment. Brewery Ommeganghas been a frequent winner of national and New York state awards, including its most recent -- a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Fest in Demnver for its Witte in the Belgian style Wit (Wheat) Beer category. But one of the strongest factors is the yeast -- Belgian yeasts often have what Leinhart calls a biological character, creating special aromas and flavors. The question that will make or break Ommegang in the coming years is not just what it brews, but where it plants its flag. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.
They have all been packaged in the 750-ml, cork-and-cage format. Witte won the gold medal in that category in 2016. Each summer, the brewery hosts a large beer-tasting event, known as Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. Allagashs Instagram page could double as a Maine tourism promotion, and New Belgium ties environmental stewardship efforts to its bases in the outdoor-recreation meccas of Fort Collins, Colorado and Asheville, North Carolina. Ommegang Aphrodite Tart beer (Belgian-style ale), Ommegang Belgian Independence Day Saison (Belgian-style saison 7.0%), Ommegang Seduction (Belgian-style stout blended with Kriek, 6.8%), Ommegang Biere d' Hougoumont (Biere de Garde aged on White Oak and Maple wooden staves, 7.3%), Ommegang Belgian Independence Day Tripel (8.3%), Ommegang Scythe & Sickle (Harvest ale, 5.8%. But Ommegang would be different. New darling Neon Rainbows has been one of the few bright spots in the brewerys portfolio; its now the brewerys top-sellera dramatic departure from the companys Belgian-inspired roots. Ommegang is named for an annual pageant in Brussels, whose origins date to the Middle Ages. Ommegang needs to play in this more approachable spaceboth in terms of styles and packagingif its going to survive, CBCs Laxague says. It's aged for 5 months in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels. The Susquehanna River flows nearby, though it's just a small stream at this point. How did Brewery Ommegang end up in Cooperstown, N.Y.? A portion of Ommegangs beers are also brewed in Kansas City. In 2013, Duvel Moortgat acquired the renowned Boulevard Brewing Co. of Kansas City, and then in 2015 formed a business partnership with Firestone Walker Brewing Co. of Paso Robles, Calif. Those deals have allowed for some cost-sharing, some beer collaborations and exchange of ideas, and expanded marketing power. In 2004, Ommegang launched the beer that has become its best-seller: Witte, a Belgian-style wit or wheat beer with hints of coriander and citrus. Given Ommegang's heritage and connection with Belgium, perhaps the most interesting is this: Randy Thiel, who started as Ommegang's brewmaster in 1997, was inducted in 2004 into the prestigious Knighthood of Brewers Mashstaff by the Belgian Brewers Guild in Brussels, Belgium. The next beer up: Smoked Porter. Thats been a challenge even for brewers of Belgian-inspired Wild Ales, which are arguably still more interesting to beer geeks than abbey ales. Currently theyre doing Dry and Ros styles, both of which are filtered and carbonated meaning even if the slightly dryer style is more European, the final product is also close enough to the mass-market-appeal of an easy-drinking American cider like Angry Orchard. The reality is, they were.. Launched in 2019 and called, aptly, Project Cider, Brewery Ommegang has been making two varieties of canned cider by combining the rugged character of local New York State apples with the magic of Belgian yeast. An international brewery? the eponymous quintessential Belgian strong ale, multifaceted and deliciously hard to categorize, some clever monks decided to commercialize the stuff they drank daily, the European roommate from Its Always Sunny., dynamic cross-marketing coffee collaborations, neon yet somehow still classy 16-ounce cans. The brewery was the co-winner in the first ever Taste NY Craft Beer Challenge held in May in New York City. But I dont think it worked as well as we wanted to.. Among them: Mother of Dragons, a combination smoked porter and kriek (cherry-infused) beer thats dark and red and smoky and pretty much deep-down, stone-cold evil; and a Hand of the Queen, a barleywine inspired by the character Tyrion, who loved wine and did his best to be drunk all the time (its not easy). Twenty-three-year-old Brewery Ommegang is considering this question in real time. Despite this somewhat remote location, Ommegang sells beers in 48 states, and draws visitors from far and wide to its festivals, concert series and cafe/tasting room. The Brewery Ommegang Concert Series runs each summer, attracting an eclectic line-up of indie,alternative, folk and rock acts. Ommegangs packaging and the names of the beers were always intimidating to the novice, Laxague says. What does it mean for a brewery if its most recent successes are seen as exceptions to, rather than extensions of, its identity?