Brewery Ommegang

Brewery Ommegang is a brewery based on a former 140-acre hop farm in Cooperstown, New York, in the Susquehanna River valley. Its founders, Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, worked with Belgian breweries Duvel Moortgat, Affligem, and Scaldis to establish an American farmstead brewery focused on Belgian-style beer. The company describes its tradition through the historic Ommegang celebration of Brussels, a name associated with “coming together” and “walking about.” The brewery opened in winter 1997 with Abbey Dubbel, an 8.5% ABV traditional Trappist-style dark ale. Its early range grew to include Hennepin Farmhouse Saison and Rare Vos Amber, followed by Three Philosophers, a Belgian-style quadrupel ale with Belgian kriek cherry beer. Witte Wheat Ale, an authentic Belgian-style witbier, became its first beer packaged in kegs. The brewery packages beer in bottles, kegs, and cans. Ommegang distributes across 47 U.S. states and says it sometimes exports beer to Canada, while most of its beer is sold in the United States. Its Cooperstown site also serves visitors through a tap house and restaurant, a tasting room, a store, and events. The tap house has 32 draft lines and indoor seating for 200. The current official website presents the brewery, its beers, visitor experiences, and history; the supplied sources do not identify its current owner or parent company.

The name and historical story behind Brewery Ommegang refer to the Ommegang celebration in Brussels. The brewery’s history page says that in 1549 Holy Roman Emperor King Charles V visited medieval Brussels with members of his court. Merchants, cooks, brewers, musicians, performers, and other participants gathered around the city walls for a celebration as the entourage passed. The page connects that procession with the word “Ommegang,” which it explains as meaning, in different interpretations, “coming together” and “walking about.” It also notes that the Brussels Ommegang Festival continues to the present day. The modern American brewery was established in Cooperstown, New York, through a collaboration involving Belgian breweries Duvel Moortgat, Affligem, and Scaldis and importers and entrepreneurs Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield. They chose an old 140-acre hop farm in the Susquehanna River valley, in an area the brewery describes as once known as Nova Belgium, to build what it calls an authentic Belgian-style farmstead brewery. The brewery’s timeline dates this establishment to 1996 and says it opened in winter with its first beers in 1997. The first beer was Abbey Dubbel, an 8.5% ABV traditional Trappist-style dark ale. The brewery says it was brewed with a complex array of spices and packaged in 750 ml bottles, a presentation that stood apart from the emerging American craft beer scene. In 1997, Ommegang expanded its range with Hennepin Farmhouse Saison, Rare Vos Amber, and 12-ounce bottles. The brewery says that culinary magazines and restaurants across the United States took notice of the range during its early years. In 2001, the brewery introduced Three Philosophers, a Belgian-style quadrupel ale inspired by a fan’s idea of a perfect beer. Its distinguishing feature was a touch of Belgian kriek, a cherry beer, which the history page says contributed a delicate dark-fruit note. The brewery also describes Witte Wheat Ale as an authentic Belgian-style witbier and identifies it as the first Ommegang beer packaged in kegs. Ommegang continues to operate its brewery and visitor facilities in Cooperstown. Its official website promotes the tap house restaurant, tastings, events, and concerts. The company’s people page describes brewing and cellaring, laboratory analysis, maintenance, sales, packaging, and tap-house service as parts of its operation. It reports distribution in 47 states and occasional exports to Canada, with most beer sold in the United States. The supplied official sources do not establish the company’s present ownership or name its current executives.

• 2001

  Three Philosophers introduced

• 1997

  Brewery opens with Abbey Dubbel

• 1997

  Early portfolio expansion

• 1996

  Farmstead brewery project in Cooperstown

• 1549

  The historic Brussels Ommegang celebration

An American farmstead brewery centered on Belgian-style brewing, with an on-site tap house, restaurant, tasting room, and visitor events.

• Abbey Dubbel

  An 8.5% ABV traditional Trappist-style dark ale; the brewery describes its original release as spice-forward and packaged in 750 ml bottles.

• Hennepin Farmhouse Saison

  A farmhouse saison added to the brewery’s portfolio in 1997.

• Rare Vos Amber

  An amber beer added to the brewery’s portfolio in 1997.

• Three Philosophers

  A Belgian-style quadrupel ale introduced in 2001, with a touch of Belgian kriek cherry beer.

• Witte Wheat Ale

  An authentic Belgian-style witbier that the brewery identifies as its first beer packaged in kegs.

1. 1Brewery Ommegang – Where Heaven met earth ... and stayed awhile. - Breweryommegang.com
2. 2Brewing History - Brewery Ommegangommegang.com
3. 3About Us - Brewery Ommegangommegang.com
4. 4Our People - Brewery Ommegangommegang.com