Looking through my fridge and boxes of beer, I actually had a hard time choosing what to review today. I obviously had an even harder time on Monday, because I really did plan on writing something but I blankly stared into the abyss that is my fridge as people often do and eventually started to feel like this cartoon and proceeded to walk away, giving up all hope of writing something decent because all I really wanted to do was find some silly Billy Blanks workout video on youtube and do just enough of it to exhaust me to the point of falling asleep so I could enjoy a full eight hours of rest.
I think I would change "What am I doing here?" to "Stop fucking up the electrical bill."
But today, while I almost fell into the same trap of staring at said fridge listlessly, I saw a shinning beacon of hope and inspiration in the back on the second shelf.
I HAVE NEVER TRIED ANYTHING FROM BREWERY OMMEGANG BEFORE.
It's a fault of mine, I know. I am well aware that I am behind on this. But I got lucky with this one, this was a lucky find at the very bottom of a pile of broken bottles (our company allows for employee sales of bottles at a discounted rate if a case is partially broken). Normally I am ravenous when I dig through these piles, never concerned of covering my work clothes in dust or broken glass to get the best I can find every Friday, but a few weeks ago I was particularly determined. This Ommegang was a gem, and there was only one.
So tonight I'm going to be talking about Three Philosophers (9.7% abv)from Brewery Ommegang. This Belgium-style quad is brewed with cherries, so I'm really anticipating that in the flavor.
Despite not having the right glass for this beer, I'll do my best to overcome.
Huge head at first but not a lot of retention there. The middle fades to an off white while the rest clings to the side of the glass and holds a slightly orange hue. Pours a murky brown with a really nice sienna orange glow. Really fragrant right out of the bottle, sweet like sun dried raisins or dates. There is also some cloves there and a touch of peppercorn. It actually smells exactly like these raisin tarts we always ate with my grandparents in the summer up in Canada. I never adored raisins but I have fond memories of the sweet, buttery taste.
They look like this! You know what I mean? You can find the recipe here
At first, the taste is fruity, possibly cherry but without knowing prior that the ale was brewed with cherries it could be mistaken for plum or fig. Much more juicy than the aroma, which would have led me to say prune or date. Then following there's some unsweetened chocolate to add a touch of bitter, a little brandy, and some roasty malts. The finish has just the tiniest bit of booziness that you can feel in your nose (and later in your legs).
It has great, lasting carbonation, but it doesn't overwhelm how deliciously buttery and smooth this beer is. This is superb work on Ommegang's part, I have great respect for this beer.
I guess I'll just have to find out the hard way whether whether all of their offerings live up to this one!
