Hours Update: The Tap House, Brewery, and Restaurant will be closed on Sunday, March 31st.
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Brewery History

Denys van Asloot, ce.1616

A Tradition Born in 1549

Holy Roman Emperor King Charles V visited medieval Brussels in 1549 with hundreds from his Royal Court. To welcome the King, merchants, vendors, cooks, brewers, musicians, theater troupes, dancers and more lined up around the city walls and joined in a celebration as his entourage passed by. That parade became known as the “Ommegang,” a word that variously means “coming together” and “walking about.” The Brussels Ommegang Festival continues to this day.

1549

The First Farmhouse Brewery in America in 100+ Years

Belgian breweries Duvel Moortgat, Affligem, and Scaldis join with importers/entrepreneurs Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield to build an authentic Belgian-style farmstead brewery in Cooperstown, NY. They locate this cultural transplant on an old 140-acre hop farm in the Susquehanna River valley, in a part of upstate New York once known as Nova Belgium.

1996

Our First Beers

We open in winter with Ommegang Abbey Dubbel, an 8.5% ABV traditional Trappist-style dark ale. Brewed with a complex array of spices and packaged in 750ml bottles, Abbey breaks the mold of the emerging American craft beer scene. 

1997

Our Portfolio (and Reputation) Grow

We expand our offerings with Hennepin Farmhouse Saison, Rare Vos Amber, and 12oz bottles. High-end culinary magazines and restaurants across the US take notice.

1997-2002

Ponder the Profound

Responding to a fan’s fantasy of “the perfect beer,” we introduce Three Philosophers, a Belgian-style quadrupel ale. A touch of Belgian kriek – a cherry beer – makes it distinctive, and offers a delicate note of dark fruit.

2001

Witte and First Draft Offerings

Witte Wheat Ale – an authentic Belgian-style witbier – becomes the first Ommegang beer packaged in kegs. Other Ommegang beers are also now available on draft. Distribution expands to 44 states.

2004

Belgium Comes To Cooperstown

Our first full-scale beer festival is held in July. Over 40 breweries and importers join 1,500 beer aficionados in a celebration of Belgian-style brewing that includes tasting, camping, local foods, and music. The festival is a hit. Over the next 15 years, more than 50,000 people participate.

2004

Five Million Bottles

Brewmaster Randy Thiel (1997-2006) holds bottle number 5,000,000 – a commemorative three-liter Jeroboam of Three Philosophers.

2005

Expanding Production

Demand for Ommegang beers leads to the expansion of our brewing facilities, increasing capacity some 40% by 2008.

2006

Visitor Center

Our first Visitor Center opens, complete with tasting room, store, 100 seat cafe, and outdoor patio.

2010

The Curtain Rises

The natural amphitheater behind our brewery becomes home to our Summer Concert Series, which  kicks off with performers such as Wilco, Lyle Lovett, Jack White, The Avett Brothers, John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, and The Old Crow Medicine Show. Concerts continue today, drawing as many as 40,000 people per year.

2011

Game of Thrones

HBO and Brewery Ommegang initiate a historic partnership that will run through 2019, with over a dozen beloved brews that honor the characters and storylines from the hit fantasy series. 

2013

Honoring Upstate Hops

In cooperation with Cornell University, we establish an experimental hop yard to promote local hop farming and introduce Hopstate NY, a beer made exclusively with NY-grown hops. The recipe evolves each year, employing the best hops New York has to offer. Starting in 2018, the beer includes New York barley, further supporting local agriculture.

2016

Sours, With a Little Help From Our Friends

Partnering with Liefmans, our sister blendery in Belgium, we create two aged and blended sour beers: Ommegang Rosetta, a kriek-style beer, and Ommegang Pale Sour, a delicious and highly drinkable mixed-culture sour ale. Americans begin to develop a taste for the style – both beers quickly become top sellers.

2016-2017

Farm-Fresh Beer

Deepening our dive into hop-forward styles, we launch The Farmhouse Series, featuring exceptionally interesting and impeccably fresh beer available only at the brewery and limited locations in NY state.

2018

Mixing it Up

Reinventing an age-old Belgian tradition, Blenderie Ommegang offers extremely limited releases only available at the brewery in 750ml bottles. These customized creations blend our own brews with others from our extended Belgian and American family of iconic brewers.

2018

Hospitality, Reimagined

An expanded and radically renovated Tap House opens with a 20 tap bar, 10 tap tasting room, enlarged café and kitchen, covered patio and expanded store, enabling us to properly host several hundred visitors at a time.

2018