Ryan and I are really fortunate living where we do that we have a lot of things around us. This past Saturday we drove about an hour or so out to Cooperstown, New York. Baseball fans will know that's where the Hall of Fame is. Farmers might know it for the museum, or because their farm's out that way. Beer snobs nerds will know it for one of the bigger craft breweries in New York.
Brewery Ommegang is located on a back country road just outside the heart of the city. We got a late start going out there so as much as I wanted to stop and walk through all the adorable shops. we headed straight to the brewery. Next time, Ryan's gonna deal and I'm gonna walk around to my heart's content. And we're going to the Farmer's Museum because I'm going to pet a damn cow. There were live ones outside that you could just walk up to! Anyway...
The brewery was built in 1997 modeled after a Belgian farmhouse and it fits right in with the landscape. It's perfect.
Thanks to a LivingSocial deal we were able to get a tasting in, a couple teeny, tiny glasses, and a Duvel shirt. for a steal. We even hopped on a tour. Duvel, a Belgian beer maker who put up a huge capital investment in the beginning, owns Ommegang now, after the family sold the remaining shares to the company.
The tour was okay, learning about the different spices that go into Belgian beers. The history of the brewery was a little too short. We've been on enough tours, and Ryan's brewed enough, that we know how beer gets made and the different techniques of heating/cooling/storing. The fermenters are still pretty impressive.
While the plant wasn't running, we did get to see the bottling/kegging lines. It's nice to see the different stages at some breweries. These guys still hand pack pallets with boxes of beer. Wouldn't that be cool to say you got jacked arms from beer?
The tasting room had six beers on tap Saturday: Witte, Hop House, Rare Vos, Hennepin, Abbey Ale, Three Philosophers. The store sells their really nice tap handles for the very reasonable price of $56.99 - guys slinging said taps are not included.
For tastings, beers are typically laid out lightest to darkest, or lowest alcohol content to highest. Like the good wife I am, I tried each and every one of them. Have I mentioned I'm NOT a beer person. Bleh. The first one, Witte, wasn't so bad. I was able to drink the two ounces by myself. The rest of them were gross and I relinquished them to my husband who dutifully drank them.
The glasses are pretty much glorified souvenirs. They're so teeny! Adorable but impractical when it comes to drinking beer. We'll probably get a chuckle and use them if anyone asks for a small glass of beer.
The trip was definitely fun and I love hanging out with the hubbs - even if his driving makes me crazy. Ommegang was a little underwhelming but we'll be there again soon. If only for Modest Mouse on May 23rd.
May you dream of beer tonight. Or if you're not into that, dream of petting adorable cows! I will be. Dreaming of the cows I'll someday pet - not beer. Man, I sound like a creeper.
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