Ommegang Rosetta

Family is always there for you. Ommegang Brewmaster Phil Leinhart’s desire to create a soured fruit beer wasn’t a possibility at his brewery in Cooperstown. The climate and current infrastructure don’t permit it. Fortunately for him, Belgian sister-brewery Liefmans not only has the capability to make such a beer, they have been definitive standard-bearers for over three hundred years. Several phone calls, e-mails and most enjoyably – taste testings – later, Rosetta was born and ready to hit America.

Leinhart’s recipe calls for a perfectly balanced blend of old (aged on cherries at least three years) and young Flemish brown ale (or oud bruin) with a lively and fruity kriek, or cherry beer. The result is a complex yet refreshing mahogany-brown brew that is an intriguing interplay of tartness and sweetness. Its elegance and depth would make Madame Rosa Merckx proud – Liefmans’ former Brewmaster and the first Belgian woman with that title in whose honor the beer is named.

“I wanted a sour fruit beer that invites you to have another,” said Leinhart, Ommegang’s Brewmaster since 2008. “So many of the ones I find today are either so tart or so fruity, that I think beer lovers struggle to have more than one. Balance and the right blend was the key for me, and I really believe we hit the sweet spot, so to speak. I am looking forward to hearing back from drinkers on what they think and if the response is favorable, consider bringing this beer in draft next year as well.”

Rosetta is a moderate 5.6% ABV and its tart/sweet flavor pairs perfectly with light fare such as salad, chicken liver pâté or a pork terrine, soft cheeses such as Brie or Camembert, or a smooth chocolate mousse. (Description provided by company)