Brewery Ommegang — Attraction in Town of Middlefield

Note: This isn't a review of the brewery itself, but the event I attended on their grounds.

I was here for the first time in order to attend the Lumineers concert. Unfortunately but understandably, the brewery itself was closed to the public due to the special event. I was really hoping I'd be able to check it out, but that's the way it goes. If there's a special event such as a summer concert, chances are the brewery itself will be closed. They did a courtesy by sending an email a few days prior so it was at least expected.

The event ground is pretty nice. They had souvenir tents, food trucks, and plenty of portable toilets. I never had an issue with waiting for a bathroom where I was located, but during an opening act my wife did wait roughly 45 minutes for additional food. Some of those lines were ridiculously long, but since we were waiting for the gates to open there was no issue getting food quickly upon arrival. Later on as it filled up the lines became crazy. There was definitely lots of space for additional vendors so long as there are more options for them to choose from in Cooperstown.

Prices were reasonable. A beer ticket was $5 and the food I saw ranged from $6-$10. Two pulled pork sandwiches at the one stand were $9 a piece which seems a little pricey until you compare it with average event/concert prices. I've definitely paid more money for food and beer elsewhere.

The beer selection was a little disappointing, but the beer was also good. They had the Witte, Rare Vos, Hopstate Pale Ale, Nirvana IPA, and a cider (possibly 1 more beer). Since the pale and IPA were new beers for me I got those and quite enjoyed them. I was just hoping to have a better selection of their more Belgian-styled brews.

The concert was sold out and the crowd was a practical size. They fit a lot of people in there, but unless you wanted to be in the pit area in front of the stage there was room to move around, sit down on a lawn chair, or sprawl out on a blanket.

All in all, I'd come again for a concert, especially now that I know what to expect. The Lumineers put on an excellent show. Now I just need to come back so I can visit the...

!!!Warning to Large parties on weekdays!!! Basically don’t go. First thing they do is explain their restaurant rules. They will not put tables together, one check per table even though there’s multiple families, a parent must be seated while children are eating and they cannot have their own table. There are specific tables to eat at and tables to drink at. I’m not sure what world they live in where any of this is acceptable. Literally any other restaurant would at least make an attempt to accomodate whereas we get a list of rules from the Third Reich at the place.

Friday’s are more accommodating but you can only eat and order inside or eat and order outside. You can also not order inside and take it outside. Again, more asinine rules.

Otherwise the property is nested at the bottom of a hill with lots of space outside for families and ball players to spread out and have a great time when they’re allowed to. They could fit a lot more seating but I guess they just don’t. So expect limited seating. Not a lot of session IPA’s. Would have liked to see a couple Hazy options on tap but Neon Rainbows about it. Friday night’s have a bon fire and live music. Food was unfortunately underwhelming. Really had high hopes from seeing other pictures, but reviews are pretty accurate that the food is solidly OK. Chicken and Waffles tasted more like a donut. Very sweet, chicken reminded me of a frozen patty. Would have like to have seen fresh breaded and a nice crunch added to the bite. Brussels just needed some more bacon, but otherwise good. Alabama wings were oily, under-seasoned. Alabama sauce seemed watered down. For such an established brand very disappointed and underwhelmed. If you go with a group, go on Friday, otherwise go...

This past weekend, I visited Ommegang with my family and had a very strange and upsetting experience. I’ve wanted to visit for years, and since we were only 30 minutes away visiting colleges, I decided to finally make the trip. Naturally, I was very excited.

When we arrived, the place was fairly empty—maybe four groups of people, all seated in the main areas. We greeted the hostess, but she wasn’t hospitable at all. She left to check on tables and returned about five minutes later. When she came back, she gave me a strange look before seating us on the complete opposite side of the restaurant, near the bathrooms. On our way there, we passed countless empty tables in the main area. It felt deliberate and unwelcoming.

What made it worse was that multiple people in my group immediately voiced what I was already thinking—that we were being treated differently because we were the only people of color there. It’s a terrible feeling to experience something like this, especially when you’re excited about visiting a place and bringing your family along to spend money there.

We ordered lunch, but unfortunately, the food was disappointing. My chicken sandwich was so underseasoned that I didn’t even touch it. While our waitress was friendly (and these comments don’t reflect her service), the overall experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Even after paying for lunch, I went to the store and purchased additional items, but the entire visit was overshadowed by how unwelcome we felt.

This was truly a horrible experience, and I will never return. In this day and age, an establishment like this...