On a freezing day each mid-winter, 280 cases of Ommegang ale are transported forty five minutes east of Cooperstown to the heart of "cave country." The beer is lowered 156 feet into the celebrated Howe Caverns. This is the only cave-aging of beer on American soil in recent memory. Forty meters below ground, at a constant temperature of 52 degrees F (12 C), Brewery Ommegang's Three Philosophers ale peacefully matures.

Cave-aging (and cellar-aging) were traditional aging methods before modern refrigeration, and today are still used in the Champagne region of France. Remarkably, similar conditions are at hand in Schoharie County in New York. In the section of the Allegheny Plateau north of Cobleskill, which is capped by early to middle Devonian Helderberg and Onondaga limestones, conditions are ideal for cave formation. The most celebrated of these formations is Howe Caverns.

"We set out to replicate as closely as possible the conditions that produce extraordinary champagnes," explained Randy Thiel. "The virtues of cave-aging are well understood by champagne producers. There is no doubt that these dark, silent, subterranean "cathedrals" are the ideal surroundings for secondary fermentation and maturation of wines (and beers). It is further known that cold constant temperature between 50 and 55 degrees leads to great complexity, and that the colder the storage, the slower the maturation."

Thiel continues, "Logically then, beer that has been aged in the cold cellars should taste much younger than beer of the same vintage stored at 65 to 70 degrees." The chalk caves at Reims and Epernay, though half as deep as Howe's are almost precisely the same temperature (between 9 and 12 degrees). Our aging is lasting three times as long (9 months) as a classic champagne's."

Of course, only bottle-conditioned beers would benefit from this type of treatment. The cold aging follows two warm fermentations. A signal feature of bottle-conditioned Belgian beers is their sturdiness. Thanks to live yeast and high alcohol content, they are capable of being aged and improving over time. As those who visit Ommegang see, the beer is first fermented in a tank (an open fermenter). A month later, at the time of bottling, a secondary fermentation is induced. The still beer is dosed with yeast and sugar, then placed in a warm cellar for an additional three weeks. During this time natural carbonation develops. The resulting very fine bead is immediately discernible from carbonation achieved through the injection of gas.

The Belgian brewing practice of inducing a secondary fermentation in the bottle is not coincidentally known as "methode champenoise." Whether Schoharie will become as famous in the wine and spirit world as Epernay and Reims remains to be seen. But, Howe Caverns' celebrity is already assured. It is the second most visited natural attraction in New York State after Niagara Falls.

For further information about Howe Caverns: (518) 296-8900, their fax: (518) 296-8992 and the web address is http://www.howecaverns.com. For further information about cave-aged Three Philosophers, obtaining cases, and Brewery Ommegang, contact Larry Bennett at 607-554-1802; fax: (607) 544-1801, e-mail: larry@ommegang.com. The brewery's web address is http://www.ommegang.com