Ommegang Three Philosophers 2008

Ommegang are a bit hit and miss for me - but this is probably their most solid beer I've had to date. A Quadrupel in style, but fused lightly with cherries, this has a lot of complexity and density for an average priced bottle of microbrewed beer.

The nose was very nice and quite expressive - traditional heavy malts coupled with distinctive belgian yeast (banana, root beer, etc.) However, the cherries are not just a gimmick, but add a dimension of complexity that brings out more complexity in the malt profile. The palate continues the promise of the nose, with a great smoothness despite the high ABV at 9.8%. Yet, there is also a drawn back bitter component that keeps this from being one of those overly sweet Quads. They must have kept the Ph low enough so the cherries wouldn't make this too sweet. And, to cap it all off, this has a tremendously long finish for a beer.

Excellent
$10/750ml at Various US Stores