Brewery Ommegang

Founded in 1997 on the site of an old hop farm in Cooperstown, New York, Brewery Ommegang brews imaginative beers in a wide variety of styles, with particular emphasis on Belgian traditions.

History

Ommegang began brewing Belgian-style ales in 1997. It was founded by Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, owners of beer import company Vanberg & DeWulf and three 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 of Cooperstown, New York, on County Route 33 in the town of Milford.

Since its opening, Ommegang has grown rapidly; in early 2005, its owner said they were 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 Duvel Moortgat Brewery, brewers of the 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 distributes its beers in 46 states and the District of Columbia, including Alaska and Hawaii but excluding Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Mississippi. Ommegang has also begun exporting to Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Mexico. As of September 2018, Ommegang has begun exporting to France.

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 seven hours of unlimited sampling of over 200 Belgian and Belgian-style beers followed by food, live music, and a bonfire.

On October 7, 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 popular in Belgium and a cyclocross race on the grounds of a Belgian-style brewery was a natural fit. Over 150 racers from New York State registered for the event. The course included a hairpin turn inside the main event tent.

For more information, visit ommegang.com, or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/Ommegang, on Twitter at @BreweryOmmegang, and on Instagram at @BreweryOmmegang.

Inside the taproom at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York