Brewery Ommegang's Three Philosophers Quadrupel

A few months ago, I bought a bottle of Three Philosophers from Brewery Ommegang in New York.  I don’t have any special story for this one; I just saw it and picked it up.  I had no idea what to expect, I based the purchase on recommendation from a few different people.  Even though many people have enjoyed this brew, only a few of people attempted to describe it, I got a lot of different answers.  Even today, I’m not sure how to classify this brew; it really IS one of a kind.

No Tyler Durden, you're wrong this time

Three Philosophers is 98% Belgian-style quadrupel Abbey ale blended with 2% kriek lambic.  Did you catch all that? If you’re a normal person, that sentence meant absolutely nothing to you.  I think I need to break this brew down into its components, take it piece by piece. Let’s start with ‘Belgian-style quadrupel’:

Quadrupel, or Quad, is a strong style of ale originating from ancient Trappist ales.  The Trappists were a certain branch of Cistercian monks in La Trappe, France that formed their own strict order of Catholicism.  One of the guiding rules of the order was the need to have self-sufficient monasteries.   This involved every facet of life, including the need for beer.  These monasteries, which slowly spread across Europe, brewed their own unique styles of ale called Trappist ales.  Many of these monasteries no longer exist; there are only 7 official Trappist breweries today, 6 of which are located in Belgium.  These Trappist breweries, such as Chimay and Orval, are some of the most celebrated brewers in the world.  Many craft breweries attempt to recreate these Trappist styles, however they cannot label themselves as licensed Trappist beer.So that’s part of this brew, what about that other 2%? Well, what really makes Three Philosophers unique is the addition of a beer called lambic.

 

Lambics are fruit beers.  In the brewing process, during fermentation of the wort, whole fruits are added to the mix.  This not only adds a lot of new flavors, this also adds a new sugar source for the yeast to metabolize.  There are several types of lambic; kriek lambic is made by adding cherries.

 

Just saying Three Philosophers is 98 parts strong ale and 2 parts cherry beer doesn’t really do justice to the history and creativity contained in this brew.  Even the bottle it comes in is worthy of admiration.

Unedited photo, believe it or not

One night last week, I just made the decision to pop open the bottle.  The brew poured a velvety dark red color, the word luscious came to mind.  The head was 3 fingers strong with a slight reddish tint. 

This was a very aromatic beer.  I picked up on strong notes of cherry, red licorice, raisins, and roasted grain.  There was also a bit of a sour, spoiled fruit smell.

This was also a very flavorful beer. The three predominant flavors in the beer were sour cherries, irish cream, and smooth barley malt.  A few other flavors that made quick appearances were dark fruits (like raisin and plum) and a medicinal cough syrup taste. The 9.8% abv was very apparent in this beer.  It had the alcohol warmth equal to that of  a dry red wine.

After a lot of consideration, I decided to rate Brewery Ommegang’s Three Philosophers 4 out of 5.  This beer deserves to be slowly sipped from a wine glass, or tulip, and paired with a fine cigar. Its main appeal is drawn from its richness of flavor, and smooth textures.  However, I felt the alcohol was a tad harsh and cherry isn’t always a flavor I enjoy (that's my personal preference).  Even though this beer wasn’t really for me, I can still appreciate it, and I applaud Ommegang for brewing with honest passion. 

Not to mention a sense of humor