Name: Three Philosophers

Brewer: Brewery Ommegang

Style: Belgian Quadruple Blend

Cellared On: August 17th, 2007

Original Tasting: September 28th, 2007

Not your typical Belgian Quad, Ommegang’s Three Philosophers is a Belgian-styled strong ale blended with a small amount of cherry lambic straight from Belgium. It’s most definitely a brew meant to be sipped and savored, with an abv% of nearly 10%. It’s also delightfully complex and and a real pleasure to drink.

Three Philosophers pours a dark, dark, brown with a surprisingly vigorous head. I say surprisingly because the rest of the beer was so very low in carbonation, almost flat. I could smell the sweet malt and rich fruit flavors even before I took a sip.

There’s a lot going on in this brew. Sweet malts dominate, with cherry and other dark fruit flavors making appearances. The cherries are nowhere near as strong as I was expecting. I’m also picking up some dark chocolate and even some honey-like sweetness. There’s virtually no bitterness here. Heavy mouthfeel, almosty creamy. As I said before, a very complex beer.

The brew finishes very sweet, with still no bitterness, and a lingering cherry/dark fruit taste in your mouth. I can feel the alcohol going down, but it is not overwhelming. I was starting to feel a little woozy by the end, there’s no way I could do two of these in one session!

Cellar Outlook: This should be another winner for Ommegang in the cellar. I fully expect the dark fruit flavors to get even more intense then they currently are. I also think the sweetness of this beer will start to develop further demensions (toffe, caramel) of flavor. The body will probably develop an even denser mouthfeel. I can’t wait to have another one!

Next Tasting: February 2008

jason@brewbasement.com