Ommegang Brewery | Pete Slosberg | Ale | Gambrinus Company

OMMEGANG ALE ($8 PER FOUR-PACK)

There's been a renaissance of interest in Belgian-style beers in the past few years, both imports and domestically produced versions. This one, a rich ale in the abbey style, comes from Ommegang Brewery in upstate New York. Ommegang is one of America's most specialized breweries, founded in association with the Belgian makers of Duvel and Scaldis. Appropriately, the beautifully designed facility, which manages to look both ancient and futuristic at the same time, sits on the site of an old hop farm.

The company's portfolio is based on various Belgian styles, and they also import several distinguished brands from Belgium. The flagship brew is Ommegang, which debuted in 1997 and has garnered rave reviews. (Ommegang, which means "walkabout" in Flemish, is the name of a pageant devised in the 16th century to celebrate the visit of Charles V to Brussels. It's still celebrated.) Ommegang is a great winter warmer with chocolaty notes and a beautiful cloud of a head.

PETE'S WINTER BREW ($7 PER SIX-PACK)

Also founded by a home-brewer, Pete Slosberg, in the mid-1980s, Pete's was originally based in Palo Alto, California. Slosberg was in the right place at the right time with the right beer. Silicon Valley computer techies are notorious beer guzzlers, and Pete's was a phenomenal success from the start. The company reported a nearly 4,000-percent increase in sales between 1988 and 1992. The brand was acquired in 1998 by the Texas-based Gambrinus Company. Named after a famous Belgian king and patron saint of beer, Gambrinus is the U.S. importer of Corona from Mexico and Moosehead from Canada, as well as the owner of one other American brand.

Thanks to an early start, Pete's is now one of the largest operations of its type in the country. Pete's Winter Brew is a seasonal offering that's meant to complement the company's flagship brand, Pete's Wicked Ale, during the winter months. It's got medium body, a nice amber glow, and a tantalizing tinge of raspberry fruit and nutmeg spice.