New Belgium

COMING SOON: New Belgium’s Sahti

Headed to the “Lips of Faith” series by New Belgium is “Sahti”.  Sahti is actually a style of beer hailing from Finland.  Sahti while a beer is a little different from general notion the term conjures up. Sahti uses a Continue Reading →

COMING SOON: New Belgium/Allagash Vreinden

Looks like Atlanta will be receiving a new collaboration brew. New Belgium Brewing and Allagash Brewing are teaming up together to make a very unique beer – “Vreinden”.   The name Vreinden means “friends” in Flemish.  That might indicate Continue Reading →

NEW RELEASE: New Belgium’s Belgo

It seems like Belgian style IPA’s are catching on in the U.S.  American IPA’s are obviously quite popular, and adding a Belgian yeast to the brew gives the beer some depth that people seem to love.  New Belgium just recently Continue Reading →

NEW RELEASE: New Belgium Belgian Blonde

Following on the heels of Eric’s Ale in the Lips of Faith collection is Belgian Blonde Ale from New Belgium Brewing (Ft. Collins, Co.)  Belgian Blonde Ale is a strong golden ale, with a Belgian flair.

New Belgium description –

“This strong Continue Reading →

Posted in Coming Soon, New Belgium

COMING SOON: New Belgium’s Sahti

Headed to the “Lips of Faith” series by New Belgium is “Sahti”.  Sahti is actually a style of beer hailing from Finland.  Sahti while a beer is a little different from general notion the term conjures up. Sahti uses a variety of common beer grains ( rye, oat, barley — malted and unmalted, and wheat.) In traditional brewings, Sahti is flavored with juniper berries. Unlike many American ales, Sahti has fewer hops, in some instances none — focusing on the berry flavor.

Commercial Description:
Inspired by Finnish Sahti, a traditional rye ale brewed with juniper, our sahti Ale is a hazy amber ale with a sturdy mouthfeel and a crisp and lively “finnish”.  Brewed with Pale, Crystal, rye malts and whole oats, our version bittered with Cascade and finished with Cascade and Amarillo hops.  Juniper boughs are added to the mash and juniper berries, orange and lemon peel are pitched in the whirlpool creating a festive olfactory of citrus and juniper notes.

Arrival: Late October 2010. (Could be sooner)

7.2% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Allagash Brewing, Coming Soon, New Belgium

COMING SOON: New Belgium/Allagash Vreinden

Looks like Atlanta will be receiving a new collaboration brew. New Belgium Brewing and Allagash Brewing are teaming up together to make a very unique beer – “Vreinden”.   The name Vreinden means “friends” in Flemish.  That might indicate that this beer will be a sour ale.  New Belgium brewed at Allagash in Portland, ME and vice versa.

Vreinden also boasts an interesting set of ingredients (which may differ with each brew): Elderberries and Dandelion Greens, Hibiscus flower.

From the label:
Get a Belgian Brewmaster and a master of Belgian brewing together and theres sure to be spontaneous imagination that leads to micro-organisms mingling in fermentation. Allagash and New Belgium are pleased to offer you our collabeeration brewed with the slightly fruity hibiscus flower, the aromatic Brettanomyces, and the flavor-boosting Lactobacillus. We recommend pairing it with creamy, soft cheeses and charming Vrienden- that’s ‘friends’ in Flemish.”

Each edition will be bottled by the brewery where it was brewed.  Allagash will be 750ml Corked & Caged.  New Belgium 22oz Bombers, part of the Lips of Faith series.

Arrival: Late October 2010

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Belgium, New Releases

NEW RELEASE: New Belgium’s Belgo

It seems like Belgian style IPA’s are catching on in the U.S.  American IPA’s are obviously quite popular, and adding a Belgian yeast to the brew gives the beer some depth that people seem to love.  New Belgium just recently released their first full time IPA ( and I believe it’s first IPA at all) – Ranger IPA very recently.  It sells quite well.  This new release Belgo was just a natural progression.  It’s an aggressive IPA brewed with 5 different hop varieties.  Authentic Trappist yeast was used instead of an ale yeast.   Belgo joins this “Lips of Faith” series by New Belgium.

Ingredients:

Kettle Hops: Simcoe, Cascade, Amarillo, Willamette

Dry Hops: Cascade, Amarillo, Willamette

Flavor Description: Medium bodied, Belgo opens with citrus and floral tones from generous hopping, then gives way to soft fruit tones implied by the authentic Trappist yeast strain and finishes clean.

Availability: 22oz Bombers.  Limited draft offerings

8% ABV

70 IBU’s

Looking for this? 7/28 – Reported at Hop City

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Belgium, New Releases

NEW RELEASE: New Belgium Belgian Blonde

Following on the heels of Eric’s Ale in the Lips of Faith collection is Belgian Blonde Ale from New Belgium Brewing (Ft. Collins, Co.)  Belgian Blonde Ale is a strong golden ale, with a Belgian flair.

New Belgium description –

“This strong golden ale is light in color, with moderate body and a crisp finish. Saaz and Styrian Golding hops offer a distinctive Nobel hop aroma. A Belgian yeast strain produces banana and clove notes for a remarkably crisp flavor profile. Belgian Blond is delightfully inviting and approachable with a decidedly adult 8.5% alcohol content.”

Hops – Saaz, Stryian Golding  (All Noble)

Taste Expectations –  Banana and clove from the Belgian yeast strain.  Some grassy, straw flavors and hop spice.  Inviting.

Availability – 22oz Bombers.  Draft. Limited release in both mediums.

8.5% ABV

Notes: Just to recap – the Lips of Faith collection by New Belgium is a program, much like Dank Tanks, or Side Projects you see from other breweries where there brewer is given free reign to play around and experiment.  Not every release follows style, or precedent.  Its as NB says “boundary-free imagination.”

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Belgium, New Releases

NEW RELEASE: New Belgium’s Eric’s Ale

This one is quite interesting.  Just released by New Belgium – Eric’s Ale.  (FT Collins, Colorado)  Eric’s Ale is an American Wild Ale and a part of the Lips of Faith series.  Wild Ales are beers that have a wild yeast added during the brew process.  Brettanomyces is one of the more popular wild yeasts.  There are several techniques to add this yeast, but for the sake of this update know there’s wild yeast in it.  This yeast will give the beer a “funk” which is entirely intentional, and sometimes sour.

Eric’s Ale is both fruity and sour.   Its a sour beer aged up to 3 years in oak with peach juice.  From New Belgium –

Eric’s Ale, named for long time New Belgium brewer Eric Salazar, combines a dry, sour beer aged up to three years in oak foeders with a semi sweet, higher alcohol base beer. The resulting blend is re-fermented with peach juice, creating a smooth ale with subtle peach tones and a warm, spicy finish. The aroma has pleasant hints of vanilla and tropical fruit, the wood characteristics are present but nicely muted.

A sour beer for those who don’t like sour beers. And a fruit beer for those who don’t like fruit beers.

Availability – 22 oz bombers.  No draft offerings specified.  Retail around $8 a bottle.  Very few cases shipped to Georgia. Don’t hesitate.  It’s gotten rave reviews

7% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Belgium, New Releases, Seasonal Return

NEW (ATLANTA) RELEASE – New Belgium’s Skinny Dip

This full bodied “light” offering from New Belgium took it’s time getting to Atlanta.  Skinny Dip is an American Blonde Ale, which is both light and drinkable.  You don’t see a lot of craft breweries making “light” options.  The accepted notion is that light beer equates to less flavor.  That’s not the case with Skinny Dip.  It’s definitely full favored for being a lighter option.

Ingredients –

Hops – Cascade

Flavors – Drinkers have describes notes of citrus ( from the cascade hops) and hazelnut.  Also a light malt backbone that is not overbearing, or overly sweet.  New Belgium even touts this brew as having hints of lime leaf.

Skinny Dip is also a beer that stands for something.  New Belgium is a wind powered brewery, that takes a big interest in water.  (Beer is mostly water, I’m sure you see the correlation.)  The water from the Colorado river that NB brews as any water source is potentially threatened.  Teamed with savethecolorado.org to help individuals understand the plight of the Colorado River, and what individuals (and beer drinkers) can do to help conserve.

4.2% ABV

Availability – Skinny Dip is the summer seasonal, joining the lineup with Mighty Arrow, 2 Below, and Hoptober all which have already arrived here.  12 oz/6 pks & draft offerings.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in New Belgium, New Releases

New In Bottle – New Belgium’s Mighty Arrow

This post is a little late, but here it is.  New Belgium just released their first IPA – dubbed Ranger last week.  Alongside Ranger comes Mighty Arrow Pale Ale, a seasonal release.

Mighty Arrow is named after a New Belgium employee’s dog “Arrow,” a Aussie/Border Collie mix who walked the brewery grounds for 12 years.  Arrow would make office visits for belly rubs.  Commemorating Arrow, is this Pale Ale.  Here is your ingredient rundown –

Hops – Amarillo, Cascade.

Malts – Honey Malts

ABV – 6%

IBU’s – 35  (Low bitterness)

Mighty Arrow is very easy drinking, with a nice hop nose.  There are hints of grapefruit and citrus, and not very bitter.

Available seasonally – in 12oz/6 packs.  Also current tapping now at various places all over Atlanta.

by Reid Ramsay