In discussing beer, one usually finds they fall into simple categories. There are ales or lagers; dry stouts or bocks. Then occasionally, one comes across a beer that is a duck-billed platypus of a fermented beverage.

That beer is “Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend” from that Belgian area of New York that is the Ommegang brewery. As entailed by the label, it is “98% ale – 2% ale with cherries added.” In short, Ommegang brewed a strong Belgian ale and then mixed it with a kriek, or cherry lambic (lambic is a Belgian style of beer that, traditionally, is brewed and then left to ferment by the wild indigenous yeasts of the area). The result is a beverage that provokes much contemplation. Indeed, it is truly worthy of the name “Three Philosophers.”

Packed in the traditional Belgian style of a champagne-like bottle, the beer is accessed through unwinding a wire cage and cork that requires some careful massaging to open without blinding one of your mates, or worse yet, yourself. After opening it, a smoky haze exits from the bottle and into the glass where the beer’s wonderfully reddish brown tone shines through.

an image I found online

A sniff of the wide-mouthed glass into which it was poured, reveals cherries, alcohol, and the familiar hints of yeast and bread one typically finds in Belgians. The first sip of the beer explodes with phenolics, or clove-flavored compounds, rich malt, cherries, and a bit of alcohol fumes. It finishes flavorful and creamy.

As a beer just shy of 10% alcohol, this is a pretty big beer in a pretty big bottle. Ommegang has, rather impressively, produced a world-class beer that offers delicious complexity while in our own time-zone.

More info at the Ommegang website: here.