Despite muddy grounds that may have been somewhat reminiscent of the historic 1969 Woodstock Festival held about 85 miles south, Brewery Ommegang’s annual festival in Cooperstown, New York, last weekend drew about 3,000 craft beer enthusiasts who imbibed a wide array of world-class beers produced by numerous breweries.
The two-day festival, dubbed "Belgium Comes to Cooperstown," began Aug. 3 in a gigantic tent with a five-course beer-pairing dinner for VIP ticket holders and continued the next day with a four-hour tasting for general-admission ticket holders.
Many festival goers camped on the expansive, scenic Ommegang grounds nestled in the magnificent rolling wooded hills. Rock bands entertained, bean bags flew in cornhole competition, a drone hovered, late-night movies were shown and bonfires were lit. But the real stars of the show were the draft beers poured by nearly 100 breweries and cideries, including numerous brews with lofty ratings at various beer-geek websites.
"Belgium Comes to Cooperstown offers 3,000 lucky guests the opportunity to taste the very best Belgian beer in the world, including hard-to-find Belgian imports as well as Belgian-inspired beers from the top breweries in North America," Brewery Ommegang, owned by the Belgian company Duvel Moortgat, said when announcing the event. "Since its inaugural in 1999, BCTC has grown from a modest gathering to a full-fledged festival."
The theme of this year's festival was the original Ommegang festival of 1549 which welcomed the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to Brussels, Belgium. The Belgian event, for which the brewery is named, is still a popular annual festival in that city.
Brewery Ommegang's newly renovated, expanded facilities and picturesque grounds were a perfect setting for this year's Cooperstown gathering. Opening night was touch-and-go weather-wise with muddy grounds and threatened thunderstorms and flash floods, but a deluge didn't arrive, and the five-course dinner under a gigantic tent was a success.
The food, particularly the whole wild trout, was delectable, and the beer pairings, notably the Ommegang Candi Stout with dessert, were spot on. A Long Island-based rock band, Danke Baby, filled the tent with musical energy, playing outstanding sets with rare cover versions of songs, including Jimi Hendrix's "Wait Until Tomorrow" and the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer."
On the festival's second day, the sun shined brightly, and it was a magnificent afternoon for a party. There were so many top-quality beers served that day, so it is difficult to name the best ones tasted.
Some of my favorites were the following:
*Redbeard de Garde, a brett-fermented biere de garde with sorghum molasses aged in Bordeaux wine barrels from Wild Heaven Beer in Decatur, Georgia.
*Turf Wars, a hazy New England-style IPA from Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn, New York.
*Zen & Zymurgy, a barrel-aged "mixed fermentation sour" with a saison base from Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York.
*Faith & Fortitude, a sour farmhouse saison from Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York.
*Zingabeer, a Belgian pale ale from Hopshire Farm & Brewery in Freeville, New York.
*Wheels Gose 'Round, a lemon and raspberry gose from Left Hand Brewing in Longmont, Colorado.
*Forsaken Fields, a saison with creeping thyme and spruce tips from West Kill Brewing in West Kill, New York.
*Hayburner, a citrusy IPA from Big Ditch Brewing in Buffalo, New York.
I could go on and on, but it may be best to let you decide for yourself at Belgium Comes to Cooperstown 2019.
