Brewery Ommegang: Take Me to the Country for Beer and Music

Greetings, Great Beer Now fans! I recently embarked on a sports- centric brewery tour to the village of Cooperstown, New York, home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The Great Beer Now Base Hits and Brews Beer Tour 2018 is all about the beer and the sports that have made this part of the country so popular. Pop open a cold one as I explore Central New York and take in the sights and sounds of the area. Cheers!

 

Cooperstown, New York is a city synonymous with Major League Baseball. Ask any MLB fan to name places he/she would like to visit at least once in their lifetime, and you can bet that the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will rank somewhere in the top five. But as I learned on my visit to this storied village in Central new York, Cooperstown has many other things going for it besides base hits and home runs and one of them is beer. And at the pinnacle of Cooperstown’s craft beer scene is a brewing operation known the nation over. It’s Brewery Ommegang, located at 656 County Hwy 33, Cooperstown, New York.

Belgian Background

Brewery Ommegang specializes in Belgian- style beer. Opened in 1997, Ommegang was founded by Don Feinberg, Wendy Littlefield, and three different Belgian breweries, one of which happened to be Duvel Moorgat. The brewery grew quickly as craft beer fans across the United States developed a deep appreciation for Ommegang’s yeasty brews. The quick growth and other factors led to Ommegang’s complete takeover by Duvel Moortgat Brewing in 2003.

Brewery Ommegang features a large, rural style building that looks like a farm and there is much open space, which they often use during the warmer times of the year for live concerts and other events. The brewery utilizes a 60 barrel system and they package in both bottles and cans. They had been outsourcing the more recent move to canning, but they will be doing their own canning going forward.

With its large brewing system, Brewery Ommegang is able to produce about 45,000 barrels of beer annually for distribution to 46 of the 50 U.S. states. The only states that do not have Ommegang distribution are Utah, Montana, Mississippi, and Wyoming. There is a restaurant on site, too, so you can enjoy a hearty meal while you drink.

Belgian Brewed

Brewery Ommegang was going through renovations when I visited, but I toured the facility anyway and was able to get my hands on some bottles and cans of beer. Here is a summary of what I sampled, listed alphabetically by name, followed by my Untappd rating on a five point scale:

• Bigger and Bretter, Biere de Garde, 4
• Candi Stout, Stout, 4
• Game of Thrones- Valar Morghulis, Belgian Dubbel, 4
• Gnomegeddon Blonde Ale, Belgian Strong Ale, 4.25
• Goudenhop, Belgian IPA, 4
• Nirvana IPA, American IPA, 3.75

Overall average rating: 4.00

The beer brewed by Brewery Ommegang tends to lean toward the bold side and is generally meant to be sipped and savored. Every beer they serve is quite delicious in its own way and while I liked the Gnomegeddon Blonde Ale best, I would gladly accept another serving of any beer on the list above.

Belgian Inspired

Brewery Ommegang is one of the best- known craft breweries in the United States. Located just minutes south of downtown Cooperstown, Brewery Ommegang is a must- visit destination and makes a great way to round out any Cooperstown experience.

I have been drinking and loving Ommegang beer for many years, dating back to my first sip of Ommegang Three Philosophers Quadruple Ale, a beer I tasted for the first time back in 2005 or thereabouts. It was unlike any other beer I had tried up to that time and like other Ommegang drinkers before me, I became an instant fan.

I was fully aware that Brewery Ommegang was located near the storied town of Cooperstown, New York but I had no idea that it was a country brewery. Having never done any research or looked up any images until I was ready to take my trip to Cooperstown, I didn’t know what to expect. But I can say with certainty that I did not picture it the way it turned out. I envisioned a modern facility with perhaps some European elements blended into the décor but the actual Brewery Ommegang facility is nothing like that. It was built from a former farm and the surrounding mountains and open fields make it far different than I imagined.

Being located in a country setting is different, but it has many advantages and the people who run the brewery know this. With the open space, it is common to find live concerts here, many of which are attended by thousands of people at a time! The average, urban American brewery couldn’t host live entertainment of this magnitude even if they wanted to. And with so much space, they even offer camping with a valid camping pass! When was the last time you visited a brewery for live music AND were able to pitch a tent? Like I said, Brewery Ommegang takes full advantage of its abundant, natural assets and its many fans are the ultimate winners.

Most of us are familiar with Brewery Ommegang thanks to its 46- state distribution. The bulk of the beer is packaged and sold in large, 750 ml bottles, but there are now canned options as well. This is certainly a step in the right direction and one I was happy to discover when I visited. Cans have many advantages, but the added advantage in the case of Ommegang is that, with the smaller 12 oz. cans, you don’t feel so obligated to consume a large 750 ml bottle like you may have before. This move will most definitely increase interest in Ommegang beer, as I am sure it already has.

Brewery Ommegang is certainly in a class by itself and a visit here should be on every beer lover’s bucket list, if it isn’t already. Yes, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum might very well rank higher on the list of travelers’ must visit attractions in Cooperstown, New York. But for craft beer fans, a visit to Brewery Ommegang needs to rank just as highly. It’s a brewery like no other, so be sure to pay a visit to Brewery Ommegang the next time you’re in Cooperstown, New York. And tell them Great Beer Now sent you.