Name: Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend (Quadrupel)

Anyone who’s followed my beer column knows that I love the Ommegang Brewery and have given stellar reviews to two of its beers before.

As expected, Three Philosophers is equally as spectacular. My Belgian blood probably gives me a genetic predisposition to love beers brewed in Belgian style, but given our nation’s obesity statistics, beer and chocolate seems just as American as it does Belgian these days.

Smell: Three Philosophers is 98 percent ale and mixed with 2 percent of ale with cherries. Despite the small percentage that cherries constitute, they dominate the aroma of the beer in pleasant and intriguing way — think real cherries, not cherry syrup. Also yeast, figs, caramel, and spices can be detected. 4.9/5

Look: A white, two-finger head sits on top of dirty ruby-colored body. The lacing  lasts well after the head fades. The beer deceptively appears lightly carbonated and thick in the glass. 4.7/5

Taste: The flavor begins with a tart sweetness on a bread- and yeast-flavored base. The tart sweetness is followed by lighter but striking hop flavors tinged with lighter fruits. Surprisingly, the mouth feel is relatively thin in consistency and heavy in carbonation. It also does not coat the mouth as the taste fades to bitter hoppy aftertaste. 4.9/5

If I haven’t been able to persuade my readers to try an Ommegang product yet, hopefully, the knowledge that this unique beer is my favorite yet will entice you to give up your traditional light beer for the weekend. If you’re disappointed, you can hold me personally responsible. 14.5/15