Blending Frank Boon’s imported oak-aged Belgian cherries with raspy American hops, this enticing pinkish amber lambic-fermented creation rivals finest dessert beer from New Glarus. Tart medicinal cherry frontage given muted quince-grape seduction and ester-y grapefruit tang anticipated dry-spiced stone-fruited finish maintains.
NEW BELGIUM SUNSHINE WHEAT
Sweet wheat overtones, husked barley aromatics and hard-candied citric malts caress fizzy hop crackle, but negligible coriander spicing and incidental orange-tangerine souring fade too fast to become effective. Softer and less involving than most German weiss beers, finishing bland and predictable.
NEW BELGIUM MOTHERSHIP WIT
Lilting light-bodied straw-hazed Belgian-styled witbier retains delicate sweet-sour banana-coriander frontage, resilient orange peel bittering and fluttered sourdough backdrop. Softly peppered floral hops spice up Granny Smith apple, lemon meringue and curacao orange fruiting plus scurried chamomile, heather and lavender illusions.
NEW BELGIUM FRAMBOZEN RASPBERRY BROWN ALE
Appealing garnet-hued, pinkish-headed raspberry bombe dessert ale gains cherry kirsch tartness over chocolate liqueur punctuation and creamy vanilla malt soothe to dry wheat drift. Serve as a raspberry-pureed fruit desert. Perfect digestif treat for experienced lambic ale lovers or as crossover to lighter tastes.
NEW BELGIUM 1554 BRUSSELS STYLE BLACK ALE
Busy Belgian-styled dark ale places smoked mocha malt serenade above woody grain bottom as pithy cocoa-buttered grape-nut theme builds to port-like thickness until honeyed chocolate undertone enriches lingered aftertaste.
NEW BELGIUM FAT TIRE AMBER ALE
Seductive soft-toned winner allows luscious cherry overtones to sway sweet nuttiness above gentle hop sass. Its chewy caramel center picks up a mild fruited warmth, caressing minimal bittering by honey-glazed malt finish of well-established, yellow-headed, golden red-clouded Rocky Mountain mainstay. Quite possibly Colorado and Arizona’s best selling microbrew.
NEW BELGIUM BLUE PADDLE PILSNER
Tepid German-styled pilsner picks up sour yeast astringency, lemony tartness, and scattered herbal nuance to quiet dry-hopped finish, allowing slight acidity to cloak grassy mouthfeel and earthy sourdough stridency.
NEW BELGIUM BIERE DE MARS ALE
Faulty golden-hazed Belgian ‘wild ale’ subtitled ‘Lips Of faith’ lacks up-front assertion and genuine appeal. Minty fresh nose, mild herbal spicing, white grape souring, and strident tart cherry finish require better depth.
NEW BELGIUM ABBEY BELGIAN STYLE ALE
Eloquent yeast-candied sugaring envelops bittersweet dried fruited piquancy to creamy caramelized center. Wispy fig-spiced raisin, plum and cherry sweetness contrasts orange-molded banana souring. Dry peat-smoked barleymalts hang in the balance as mild cognac finish unfolds. Less alcoholic and more buttery than Belgian competition, therefore easier for amateur imbibing.
NEW AMSTERDAM WINTER ANNIVERSARY DARK ALE
Dark brown cola hue, robust tan head, and spicy malt aroma provide lead-in for earthy blood-rich seasonal. Bittersweet mocha persistence sways black licorice sensation, coffee-roasted souring, and bland nuttiness. In need of further panache as sea water skank mires bottom end. Brewery defunct: 2008.
NEW AMSTERDAM WINTER ANNIVERSARY ALE
Sweet barley-roasted mocha entry leads to drier chocolate-covered raisin finish, putting this closer to a porter. Flaked oats, instead of expectant nutmeg or cinnamon, contour peculiar full-bodied holiday ale. Barleywine-burgundy undertones add depth. Brewery defunct: 2008.
NEW AMSTERDAM OCTOBERFEST
Rich brown hue and grainy aroma captivate the eyes and nose while heavy crystal malting gets prickled tongue-tingling hop spicing. Better than average Octoberfests. Brewery defunct: 2008.