Great news out of upstate NY! We met the southeastern rep for Duvel-Moortgat today, which is the parent of Ommegang (and now Achouffe, too). After a few rough patches in the past few months, including the bottling system breaking down, Ommegang is back on track. While Ommegang is hands-down the premier Belgian-style of the USA, it’s no secret that Allagash has given them a run for their money lately on the inventive-ness scale.

Duvel-Moortgat is putting unbelievable amounts of cash into Ommegang, all the while respecting the actual brewery, unlike the InBev empire, which bought up loads of breweries and then closed them down (R.I.P. Hoegaarden). The beautiful little abbey-style brewery in Cooperstown, NY is about to be quadrupled in size with a whole new “green brewing” system installed. The old brewery will continue to be operational and will be used mainly for tours. By going green, Ommegang will use the heat from boiling to heat offices and harvest energy via solar panels for enough energy to run the brewery and possibly even supply the surrounding town. Hooray!

After the unfortunate bottling menace, which forced Duvel to brew Ommegang in Belgium temporarily (check your bottles, kids, and see if it says “Brewed in Belgium” and try the beers side-by-side with the Ommegang proprietary yeasts v. the Duvel yeasts), Ommegang is back and unveiling a new brew in 2007: Ommegeddon. Word is, it’s already bottled and resting, and once released should be similar to the Trappist Orval. We can expect it sometime this summer. Also, look for a second specialty brew sometime in the Fall that coincides with their 10th anniversary.

Overseas, Duvel is tripling the size of their own brewery as well as Achouffe’s, letting them tend to their little tavern in Belgium. We have no problem with this as long as the beer and the brand isn’t compromised. Duvel also invested in protecting the Maredsous brand.

No further word on the collaboration between Brooklyn Brewery and Achouffe, Cuvee D’Achouffe, and whether or not it will be regularly bottled. If only we were able to go to Zythos this weekend!