Brewery Ommegang has taken steps to make sure that Belgium Comes to Cooperstown isn’t ruined by its own popularity.

The brewery has capped tickets sales for the festival, July 21 this year, at 800. Last year 1,400 attended, with 40% of tickets sold day of the festival.

The explanation:

William Blake, the inspiration for Three Philosophers name, once said, “You never know what is enough, until you know what is more than enough.” In 2006, we discovered how much is more than enough, and this year Belgium Comes to Cooperstown is going to be a bit smaller … and a lot better.

Ommegang has added VIP passes (200 only), with holders gaining entrance to a Friday night dinner and many other perks.

Details.

How do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo in San Marcos, Calif.?

How about with a bunch of Belgian-inspired beer, some other limited releases and an unlimited taco bar? The essentials:

When: Noon-9 p.m., May 5.
Where: Lost Abbey/Port Brewing, 155 Mata Way, San Marcos.
Admission: $15 at the door. Includes 8 tasting tickets, the taco bar featuring the food of Port’s own Vincent Marsaglia.

New releases
Cuvee de Tomme - This is the first release of CdT to be barrel blended. Only 420 bottles will be sold. There will be a maximum of 4 bottles per person. $15 per 375ml cork-finished bottle.
Ten Commandments - Lost Abbey’s once a year Anniversary beer. (A new generation of dark farmhouse-style beer many of you knew in an earlier incarnation as Pizza Port’s SPF 8.) Brettanomyces added at bottling, so it’s guaranteed to be something special. It will be $12 per 750 ml cork finished bottle and no limit on the number of purchases (plus 10% off on a case), but there’s only 280 cases.

Special/limited releases
En Garde -a barrel-aged version of Lost Abbey’s flagship, Avant Garde
Amazing Grace - a barrel-aged issue of the Abbey-style ale, Lost and Found
Bourbon-aged Angel’s Share - a release of Lost Abbey’s acclaimed Angel’s Share aged in Bourbon rather than Brandy barrels
High Tide IPA - An autumn seasonal India Pale Ale made with fresh hops
Santa’s Little Helper 2006 - A winter seasonal Imperial Stout
Older Viscosity 2006 - A 100% single bourbon barrel version of Old Viscosity.

On tap
The full line of “house beers” on draft, including Amigo Lager, Shark Bite Red Ale, Wipeout India Pale Ale, Hop 15, and Old Viscosity. There will also be a special tasting of an upcoming Lost Abbey release named “Devotion,” a blonde Belgian-style ale.

How do you save room for the tacos?

Lew Bryson asks “whether Massachusetts retailers, both on- and off-premise, or Massachusetts drinkers, get Belgian beer, and whether they’re selling and buying enough of these big-bottle, big-flavor, big-ticket beers. From my Philadelphia perspective, living in the biggest Belgian beer market in the country, where I have five local Belgian restaurants to choose from, Massachusetts is behind the curve. Is that a fair assessment?”

It’s a business story for Beverage magazine but it’s about one of our favorite subjects, beer from Belgium and beers inspired by Belgium, so you might learn a little bit.

Darron Welch of the Pelican Brewery and Pub in Oregon has begun a blog to chronicle his adventures in brewing Belgian-style beers, beginning with his new Saison du Pelican using Wyeast 3726 (sourced from Brasserie de Blaugies).

He plans to begin (next post) with observations about our fermentations and overall yeast performance with the Wyeast 3463 “Forbidden Fruit” that he has used in the past.

Alan McLeod has a recap of Friday’s “The Session,” with scores of bloggers drinking and writing about Belgian-style dubbels. I recommend taking the time to click through all the links. For one thing you’ll see a range of descriptions of Westmalle Dubbel.

(Personally I went with a local brewpub dubbel.)

You may well have a different takeway, but it seemed to me that one thing drinkers liked without ever using the word was the “digestibility” of many of these beers. Attentuation sets Trappist beers apart from many “abbey” beers produced at other Belgian breweries, and further from many American efforts.

A couple of examples.

Lew Bryson, writing about Rochefort 8 (OK, according to the BJCP guidelines it isn’t a dubbel, and who cares?):

Its depth continues to intrigue me, and it is a wonder how this beer can be 9%, rich and chocolatey and complex in flavor, and yet drink like a session pale ale.

From Adam at The Brew Lounge, who was drinking Westmalle Dubbel:

So what did it taste like? It was subtle in a way that a water color painting can be subtle. Light malt, super light dried figs, very light pepper from the alcohol and well a subtle bready yeastiness that really enticed me to have more, but, alas our “night out” was coming to a close.

Are all dubbels like this? I don’t know, I don’t drink them that often or maybe I just don’t remember. I’m interested to hear what others have to say about the dubbel they tasted. I want to know how a beer can be so soft, subtle, complex and all out delicious in a liquid bread sorta way at the same time. I guess the question is, “Should all dubbels taste like this?”

As I wrote in Brew Like a Monk: “Belgian brewers talk often about making sure a beer is ‘digestible.’ Laurent Demuynck, a Belgian native who heads Duvel Moortgat USA, wasn’t kidding when he said: “For breakfast, I put Duvel in my waffle batter … Lightens it up.” Duvel or Orval or Rochefort 8 perfectly complement and compliment a Belgian waffle loaded with whipped cream and strawberries. These beers are strong and full of flavor without being cloying.”

More American brewers are beginning to recognize this, and if drinkers do as well we’ll be more to choose from.

Or you can just go out and buy a Westmalle Dubbel. Life could be worse.