Ommegang began brewing Belgian-style ales in 1997. Founded by Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, owners of Vanberg & DeWulf beer import company, and three family owned Belgian breweries including Duvel Moortgat. Ommegang started up in a purpose-built building based on a traditional Belgian farmhouse, set on a former 136-acre (0.55 km2) hop farm in the Susqehanna River Valley, four miles (6 km) south ofCooperstown, New York in the Town of Milford.
Since its opening, Ommegang has grown rapidly — in early 2005, its owner said they have been unable to meet demand for their ales and as a result would add 40 percent to their production capacity over the next year.
By 2003, the Belgian breweries had all been absorbed into large corporations. Feinberg and Littlefield sold their share of Ommegang in 2003 to Belgian brewer Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat, brewers of the world-renowned Duvel Golden Ale. Duvel Moortgat brewed limited amounts of beer for Brewery Ommegang in 2006 to help meet demand, but has not brewed any since then.
Brewery Ommegang currently distributes its beers in 44 states and Washington, D.C., including Alaska and Hawaii but excluding Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Mississippi. Ommegang has also begun exporting to Canada and the US Virgin Islands.
Each summer, the brewery hosts a large beer-tasting event, known as Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. The event, which occurs on a Saturday in July or August, includes four hours of unlimited beer sampling of over 200 Belgian and Belgian-style beers, followed by food, live music, and a bonfire.
On 7 October 2007, Brewery Ommegang hosted the inaugural “CX @ Ommegang,” a cyclocross race, organized by Team SCARR, a cycling team with Brewery Ommegang as their title sponsor. Cyclocross is wildly popular in Belgium and a cyclocross race on the grounds of a Belgian-style brewery was a natural fit. Well over 150 racers from all over New Yok State registered for the event. The course included a hairpin turn inside the main event tent.
Place Categories: Local Beverage Trail, Pubs & Taverns and Restaurants