New Belgium Old Cherry

Had a New Belgium Old Cherry tonight.  Had very high hopes going in, to be honest.  I was dissappointed.  After having the likes of Kasteel Rouge or even Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat, I think I have potentially unrealistic expectations for the cherry beer genre. 

I believe the only way you can get this beer right now is in their Folly Pack, but to be honest, I am not sad.

The beer was very blah.  Smelled of cherry, has cherry on the label, but just fell short of giving me a good chery flavor.  Very mild and does not blend well.  Feels like the underlying beer is potentially Fat Tire, and then they threw in a dash of cherry for good measure.  Doesn’t feel like it was truly brewed with cherry flavored goodness in mind. 

JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road

New Belgium Springboard Ale

With a Hokusai-inspired label and New Belgium’s reputation for inspired brewing, I was looking forward to an intriguing beer when I picked this up in QFC over the weekend. Promising a combination of “oats, ancient Chinese herbs, and Mt. Hood hops to maintain a balanced equilibirum” this blonde ale certainly hits the spot.

Like the label claims, this is a pretty refreshing brew - unfiltered, so there’s a certain creamy cloudiness to the pour that charms the eye. There’s a definete herbal bent to it, too. Not as far along the weird white wheat spectrum as a Hoegaarden, but a definite tang that adds to the complexity of the flavour. Peaches and coriander are what it reminds me of, though they’re not on the ingredients list.

Not overly hoppy, this beer found me in a relaxed and generous mood as I watched the kids bounce on the trampoline with the sun going down in the background. This was a decent ale to round off the late afternoon and get the evening started… definitely recommended for the summer drinking season.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

New Belgium Mighty Arrow Pale Ale

Seems like no posts for a long time.  That would be due to travel and craziness.  Well, I think we are back for at least the long weekend and I hope to drink plenty and post plenty.

Picked up one of the best sampler 12 packs ever the other weekend.  New Belgium’s Folly Pack.  This one came with New Belgium Mighty Arrow, which I am reviewing here and they say is new, but according to good ol’ Chipper Dave, you can also find it with Old Cherry Ale (which I think I would really like).  My pack also came with the 1554, Mothership Wit, and Fat Tire.  All outstanding beers.

As far as the Mighty Arrow is concerned, I really, really liked this pale ale.  I opened it as my first beer on a freakish 90 degree day in the Seattle area and it immediately quenched my thirst.  Bright and sunny, this beer out of the bottle hit my taste buds like a refreshing Fresca but with some really nice hops.  I let the rest of the group know that this beer was not to be forgotten.  Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

New Belgium Sunshine

I have all of this great, strong, high ABV beer in the beer fridge and what do I decide to go for?  New Belgium Sunshine wheat beer.  Not that it turned out to be a bad thing at all, though… just an interesting decision based on what is in my fridge. :) 

Here’s how it went… my son opened the bottle for me (at-a-boy) and I started to pour what really surprised me… a very lager-looking wheat beer.  I paused… kept pouring until the bottle was drained and there was a 1/2 inch head in the glass.  I proceeded to explain to my son why it was good to have a bit of a head on the beer and he just kind of looked at me like, “what the hell are you talking about?”.  I often ask myself that, so I had no answer.  Anyhow… first word that hit my mind as I drank this (not knowing what to expect) was “mild”.  Very, very mild.  Second word was “refreshing”.  Very, very refreshing.  I don’t think I tasted coriander or enough citrus to call it out, but this filtered wheat beer is going to be outstanding this summer as I need something cool, mild, and refreshing to keep me going.

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

New Belgium Mothership Wit

I have been looking forward to New Belgium Mothership Wit for quite some time now and tonight was the night to put it to rest… my only problem… I made the same mistake tonight as I did last night and I drank it straight out of the beer fridge.  My problem = my beer fridge is too cold… colder than our other fridge, so it has been good for some brews and not so good for others.

Being a problem solver, though, I have already ordered the necessary equipment to ensure my beer drinking is as ideal as it can be.  Here you go:

• Instant read thermometer to insert into the brew prior to drinking to ensure the appropriate temperature: Taylor Waterproof Digital Thermometer
• Refrigerator thermometer to keep the fridge at the ideal temp (not to cold, not too hot): Taylor Professional Freezer-Refrigerator Thermometer

Now, that isn’t going to be enough, so I have scoured the web for ideal beer drinking temperatures and here is what I have found:

• The folks at realbeer.com have a great summary… too bad I didn’t find this 30 minutes ago… http://www.realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20000921.php. 
• Taken from the above link:
  • “Some general guidelines:”
    • “Serve fruit beers at 40-50° F”
    • “Serve wheat beers and pale lagers at 45-50° F”
    • “Serve pale ales and amber or dark lagers at 50-55° F”
    • “Serve strong ales, such as barley wines and Belgian ales, at 50-55° F”
    • “Serve dark ales, including porters and stouts, at 55-60° F”

So… now that I know all of this, here is the review… New Belgium has to be one of my favorite breweries.  They consistently produce great beer.  This one isn’t far off as long as you drink it at the right temperature.  At first, when cold, all I could smell was yeast and all I could taste was plain.  It wasn’t impressing me and I didn’t have a good feeling about it.  As I let it warm up though (remembering last night), it started to open up and get some flavor.  I started to taste some of the citrus and unfiltered-ness of the beer and I ended up with a overall solid perception.  A good white beer with a good balance.  I will have to say, though, that the White Rascal from Avery is a better choice… sorry New Belgium!

JBB6 Rating: Will Buy Again

    

New Belgium Trippel

We may have a contender for brewery of the blog… New Belgium has continued to produce some amazing and outstanding beer and tonight’s New Belgium Trippel is absolutely no exception.  I have been on a bit of a Belgian Style kick lately and have tasted some ranges of strength and depth.  While New Belgium Trippel might be on the lighter side of both, it has to also be one of the most approachable Belgian Style Ales I have ever tasted.  Its strength lies in its careful balance of hoppiness.  Not too overpowering, but you can definitely taste that this was made in the traditional style and has some bottle fermentation going on.

Oddly enough, I had this with breakfast-for-dinner tonight, so you might not think that it would really go with fried eggs, pancakes, and bacon, but I will tell you that you are wrong… wrong, wrong, wrong.  In fact, I think I might have one with breakfast tomorrow, as well… hmmm.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

New Belgium Springboard Ale

New Belgium Springboard Ale… I like this brewery.  I don’t think I have met a beer that I didn’t like that was brewed at the New Belgium Brewery (I particularly like their Skinny Dip in the summer time).  So that brings us to their Springboard Ale.  The first of two new beers from them in my fridge. 

So, how did it go?  Well, as good as I would expect from these folks… it didn’t disappoint at all.  Very light and refreshing, this blonde ale brings home a lightness and full flavor that I honestly wasn’t expecting.  It had just enough kick to keep it interesting and little enough of the bad beer side effects (bitterness and tart aftertaste) that I didn’t even understand how I had drained my mug so quickly.  A good head and beautiful light yellow color made it just as easy to look at as drink.  Highly recommended.

As a side note, their story is one that strikes optimism into the hearts of every serious beer drinker out there… read it here and tell me you don’t want to start brewing your own… especially if you happen to have an artist next door.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday… it goes by so fast. 

Had an oustanding couple of beers with dinner tonight.  My first being New Belgium’s Fat Tire Amber Ale.  Let’s be clear on this… I have had this beer before and I will continue to have this beer in my home and on the road (not literally of course).  This is a great amber ale.  Probably one that is close to being a benchmark for all other amber ales.  Amazingly full flavored but so easy to drink that I am a bit dissapointed I only had one big bottle. 

Context for my state of mind tonight:

Today was amazingly sunny here in Seattle.  Probably some of the first sun (this weekend) that we have seen in a couple of months.  Truly nice weather all day long.  We took advantage of it by going to the aquarium and then having some good ol’ fashioned ribs on the BBQ.  This BBQ, to be exact: http://www.chargriller.com/.  This was the first time I have actually had briquettes out in about 3 or 4 months, so I definitely needed a good beer to go with it and I knew Fat Tire wouldn’t dissappoint. 

Anyhow… bottle and pour: