new belgium brewing

New Beer Blog New Belgium Frambozen Ale (2014)

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In this special beer blog, we are going to get into their holiday beer from New Belgium Brewery.  It is their Frambozen Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this mountain area craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know New Belgium Brewery.  Let us get into this American Brown ale.

It has a clear ruby-red color when held up to the light. The smell has a heavy sweet raspberry notes. The taste has a sweet malty with raspberry wine notes. The brown ale calms wine notes. The aftertaste has a sweet raspberry finish. It is a nice sipping but kind of drinkable beer for the holiday season.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Flemish for “raspberry,” Frambozen is our big, luscious celebration of the ruby-red fruit. We discovered the perfect marriage between the fruity complexity of northwestern raspberries and the rich chocolate, roasted maltiness of a Brown Ale. Frambozen pours a warming, deep red of seasonal festivity.

Here is a description from their website (www.newbelgium.com):

Frambozen begins with the aroma of fresh red raspberries, followed by the ripe seductiveness of a fruity brown ale with depth and delicate malt notes. It is deep ruby in color, with flavors just as rich. Every year, New Belgium sends a delegate to the Pacific Northwest to oversee the process of turning freshly picked berries into a pure juice to be added in fermentation. The coming of Thanksgiving at New Belgium is ushered in with the first sighting of our cellar operators scuttling about, covered head to tow in a festive crimson berry wash.

Here is their website and twitter:

Website:  www.newbelgium.com

Twitter:  @newbelgium

In the end, I have been wanting to try this so many seasons.  I miss it season after season.  I saw it on the shelf this winter season.  I knew I had to pick it up right away.  I knew the raspberries would go over pretty well with the brown ale.  This is before trying this brew.  I love the nice color.  It has that Flemish Brown color but it is not a sour.  I love it. There is a nice balance from the raspberries and the brown ale.  It kind of has a little wine like notes which is a little unique.  This is by far the best winter seasonal on the market this season.  I highly recommend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog New Belgium Pumpkick Ale (2014)

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In this fall beer blog, we are going to get into this year’s limited release from New Belgium and it is Pumpkick Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this employee owned brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know this craft brewery.  Let us get into this pumpkin ale brewed with cranberries.

It has a clear copper to bronze color with a white constant head on this fall seasonal.  The smell has a pumpkin to cranberry notes.  The taste has a slight pumpkin but the cranberries take over the taste profile.  The aftertaste is a heavy cranberry notes.  It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

What’s that bite of tartness doing in a pumpkin beer?  Adding the unexpected kick of cranberry juice to brighten this traditionally spiced seasonal ale.  PUMPKICK is brewed with plenty of pumpkin juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, but it’s the cranberries and touch of lemongrass that’ll have you hunt and pecking for more.

Here is a description from their website (www.newbelgium.com):

What’s that bite of tartness doing in a pumpkin beer? Adding the unexpected kick of cranberry juice to brighten this traditionally spiced seasonal ale. Pumpkick is brewed with plenty of pumpkin juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, but it’s the cranberries and touch of lemongrass that send your taste buds sailing. Available in September and October 2014.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.newbelgium.com

Twitter:  @newbelgium

In the end, this is the beer that brought me back into trying and retrying New Belgium’s beers.  I will be up front and say I did not like their beers or most of them.  I was excited to see this beer coming back for at least one more season.  New Belgium Brewery makes the same seasonal for at least two years and then switch to a new one.  They wanted to see if they could get one more season out of this brew. There is lack of cranberries this season.  The new fall seasonal is Tour De Fall.  I might try to get a review up before the end of the season.  Pumpkick was my favorite fall beer from last season.  This year was a little disappointed.  I felt that my bottles did not have enough of the cranberry notes.  I loved last years more. There was not as much cranberry notes as this year’s brew. It is still a great brew.  I highly recommend this brew.  Go get some before it disappears again.  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale (2014)

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In this fall beer blog, we are going to get into New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale.  This beer was their fall seasonal back in 2007.  Every season, New Belgium brings back seasonal back to life in their sampler pack.  The sampler pack comes with two bottles each of three of their selected everyday beers.   If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know New Belgium Brewery.  Let us get into this Saison Ale.

It has a nice clear golden color with a nice white constant head.  There is some nice small constant bubbles in middle of the beer.  The aroma has a nice Belgian spicy notes.  The taste has a nice refreshing citrus notes with some spice kick.  The aftertaste has citrus finish.  It is extremely drinkable.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Brewed with a yeast harvested from Belgium, our SAISON has a just-picked freshness reminiscent of the farm-house ales produced each fall in Blegium.  Pale bronze in color, this delicately hopped ale has a bright, yeasty, artisanal quality worthy of toasting those long autumn sunsets.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.newbelgium.com

Twitter:  @newbelgium

Ending, I really love this beer and I wish it was still in six packs form.  I love how this brewery change-up their seasonal every two to three years.  It could  be a good thing or a bad thing.  If there is a seasonal that you are not a fan of it, you will be looking forward to the new one to come out.  I love how they revisit some of their old seasonal in  their sampler pack.  This is a perfect and true to the classic saison style.  It is not overly hop but it is not under hop.  It is refreshing and keeps you coming back for more beer.  I recommend this beer and their fall sampler pack.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog New Belgium And 3 Floyd’s Grätzer Ale

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In this special beer blog, we are going to get into a beer from New Belgium and 3 Floyd’s.  It is Grätzer Ale.  This is an old and ancient Polish beer recipe.  If you read my beer blog posts on both of these breweries’ beer, you know the history of these breweries.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know these craft breweries.  Let us into this beer.

It has a jet black color with a tan color head.  The smell a chocolate to cocoa notes.  The taste has a burned to smokey caramel to chocolate notes.  The aftertaste is dry cocoa notes with hints of smoke that disappears fast.  It is kind of drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

It’s not dead. But Grätzer is definitely a long-buried style from Poland.  Together with 3 Floyds we unearthed its robust smokiness with oak smoked wheat and midnight wheat.  Polish Lublin hops for a bitter bite and lacto for a slightly sour finish.  This pours out a billowing, foamy mouth worth indulging.

Here is a description from their website (www.newbelgium.com):

It’s not dead, but Gratzer is definitely a long-buried style from Poland. And together with 3Floyds we have unearthed the best of beer zombies. Full of bold flavors from oak-smoked wheat, and along with Midnight Wheat, this beer presents a pure black pour. A subtle, spicy note from the Polish Lublin hops hides in the aroma, just below the dark and smoky surface. Despite all appearances, the Gratzer is very drinkable at 4.5% ABV, and walks itself with a nice, light body. Cheers to drinking smoky, undead beers. Prost!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.newbelgium.com and www.3floyds.com

Twitter:  @newbelgium and @3floyds

Closing, this is a great beer and I enjoyed drinking it very much.  The Midnight Wheat is featured pretty well in this beer.  I enjoy it like most hops in the beer world. This beer is a limited release and kind of rare.  However, I just feel the beer is average, I enjoyed drinking. I just wish the price was a little lower but it is worth the try. This is a great beer. Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog New Belgium And Odell Brewing FOCOllaboration American Pale Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into collaboration from New Belgium and Odell Brewery.  It is their FOCOllaboration American Pale Ale.  If you read my earlier beer blog on both of these breweries’ beers, you know the history of this craft breweries.  If you have not, please, read them to get to know these craft breweries.  Let us get into this American Pale Ale.

This American pale ale has a clear copper color with a white constant head. The aroma has grapefruit to piney notes with a slight but fated citrus notes. The taste has a sweet fruity to piney notes with citrus to grapefruit notes for the aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

We teamed up with our hometown hop heroes at Odell to brew a FOrt COllins collaboration. Our proximity allowed sharing of ingredients to create this unique Pale Ale. If only we could employ the prairie dogs that inhabit the space between us to courier the Fawcett malt, an Odell standard, we used to complement our favored Centennial, Cascade and Citra hops. Best enjoyed with a neighbor!

Here is a description from their website (www.newbelgium.com):

We teamed up with our hometown hop heroes at Odell Brewing to brew a FOrt COllins collaboration. Our proximity allowed sharing of ingredients to create this unique Pale Ale. If only we could employ the prairie dogs that inhabit the space between us to courier the Fawcett malt, an Odell standard, we used to complement our favored Centennial, Cascade and Citra hops. Best enjoyed with a neighbor!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.newbelgium.com and www.odellbrewing.com

Twitter:  @OdellBrewing and @newbelgium

In closing, I love both of these breweries and their beers they come out with.  Odell’s, I wish was in the State of Michigan.  I will have to do trades to get some of their beers.  I have had pretty much all of their beers and blogged about them.  I was happy to see this beer make it to the state.  It was a no brainer to pick up this brew.  It is an American PAle Ale but just a little different.  I really enjoyed the hops and nice malty backbone.  I highly recommend this brew and I would get out to find it as soon as possible.  There is a limited of bottles in the market.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog New Belgium Brewery Summer Helles

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While at Ashley’s Westland, we are going to sample the new summer seasonal from New Belgium.  It is their Summer Helles Lager.  It is a beer brewed for a music festival in the Denver area.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts, you know the history of this craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read them to get know this craft brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

It has a clean bright golden color with a nice constant white head.  The aroma has notes of corn.  The taste has light carbonated corn to earthy notes with a nice lager crisp finish.  It is a drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.newbelgium.com):

Light, bright and easy drinking, now is your chance to drink in the festival season. First brewed to celebrate 40 years of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, it has since become Planet Bluegrass’ signature New Belgium offering (under the name Summer Bliss). This Summer Helles pours a brilliant gold, with soft, white foam. The aroma is fresh grains and honey with a spicy-herbal twang. This danceable lager carries the pleasant sweetness of pale and German Pils malts, and levels off with the light and noble bitterness of Hallertau and Tettnang hops. Summer Helles finishes crisp and dry, and is sure to refresh even the thirstiest reveler. Grab your banjo, crack a bottle and let the pickin’ shine.

Planet Bluegrass (located in Lyons, Colorado) was decimated by September 2013’s record flooding. New Belgium is donating $10,000 this year to Planet Bluegrass for rebuilding. You can help by volunteering or donating. Visit lyonsfightsback.com for more information.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.newbelgium.com

Twitter:  @newbelgium

Closing, I have become a pretty huge fan of this craft brewery of late.  It just seems ever since I moved back to Michigan.  My mind has opened up and realized that I am drinking some good brews.  I was excited to hear that they were coming out with a new Summer Seasonal.  When I saw the beer style, I knew I had to try it as soon as it came out.  I am a huge fan of Helles Lagers.  It is old German beer style.  It is light to medium body with a nice refreshing notes.  It has a nice crisp finish to it.  It is a perfect beer for any season but good for the spring and summer seasons. I believe the hops in this beer makes this beer what it is.  I love the notes from the aroma and taste profile.  I highly recommend you trying this lager.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  @djweiser13

New Beer Blog New Belgium Fat Tire Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to sample a flagship beer, which is Fat Tire Amber Ale, from New Belgium Brewery. It was a beer inspired from a bike ride in the Belgian county side. If you read my earlier beer blog posts, you know the history of this craft brewery. If you have not read those posts, please, read them to get to know New Belgium Brewery. Let us get into this Amber Ale.

It has a clear amber color with semi constant white head on this Amber Ale.  The aroma has a malty to biscuit notes.  The taste of this light to medium body beer has a malty to biscuit notes with a hint of light carbonated caramel.   The aftertaste has a caramel to nice refreshing hop finish.  It is an extremely drinkable beer.

Here is a descriation from the beer bottle:

Fat Tire Amber Ale perfectly balances biscuit-like malt flavors with hoppy freshness.  Named in honor of a storied bike ride through Europe,  Fat Tire cruises with Belgian imagination and inspiration.

Here is a descriatin from their website (www.newbelgium.com):

Named in honor of our co-founder’s bike trip through Europe, Fat Tire Amber Ale marks a turning point in the young electrical engineer’s home brewing. Belgian beers use a far broader palette of ingredients (fruits, spices, esoteric yeast strains) than German or English styles. Together with co-founder Kim Jordan, they traveled around sampling their homebrews to the public. Fat Tire won fans with its sense of balance: toasty, biscuit-like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness. Fat Tire: Pairs well with people.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.newbelgium.com

Twitter: @newbelgium

In closing, this light to medium body amber ale packs a ton of flavor and punch.  It is drinkable for anytime of the year.  It is a nice craft beer to get your American Lager drinkers to try.  It is also a great beer for the experience craft beer drinkers to revisit and enjoy it all over it again.  I love the story behind this beer and I love the fact they made American version of De Koninck.  It is fresher and packs more of a drinkable style.  This beer can pair with any food dish that is what their website says.  It is better with people.  I recommend you trying this beer or retrying it.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog New Belgium Brewery Ranger IPA

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Starting a new beer tab, we are going to try and I mean retry New Belgium Brewery Ranger IPA. After years of their fans requesting, an India Pale Ale was finally made its debut in their line up. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this Mountain area craft brewery. If you have not, please, read those posts to get to know New Belgium Brewery. Let us get into this India Pale Ale.

This India Pale Ale has a clear copper color with a nice white constant head on it.  The smell has hints of citrus and slight piney notes.  The taste has a slight citrus carbonated notes with a dry piney hop finish for the aftertaste.  It is a drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Tip your hat to our Beer Rangers in the field who inspired this will-balanced IPA packed with Simcoe, Cascade and Chinook hops. Count on citrus aromas and piney surroundings.

Here is a description from their website (www.newbelgium.com):

Ever met a New Belgium Beer Ranger? They are our beloved folks out in the field. Spanning all 29 of our states from the Pacific to the Atlantic, our Beer Rangers do their best to protect, to pour and to partake. And explore many a beer from many a brewery, they do.

Bring out the hops! This clear amber beauty bursts at the starting gate with an abundance of hops: Cascade (citrus), Chinook (floral/citrus), and Simcoe (fruity) lead off the beer, with Cascade added again for an intense dry hop flavor. Brewed with pale and dark caramel malts that harmonize the hop flavor from start to finish, Ranger is a sessionable splendor for all you hopinistas. Thank your Beer Ranger!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.newbelgium.com

Twitter:  @newbelgium

Closing out my tab, I have to say it took me a ton of time to start liking this beer.  I do not know why.  I will say my first impression was not very good towards this craft IPA.  However, after a ton of research, I have a new thought pattern towards this IPA. I have to say I like it now.  It is in my top ten of craft India Pale Ales.  I love the hop collection and the selection.  The malty backbone was well designed.  I wish I could find this beer in cans.  I am pretty happy to see this beer in their first sampler 12 pack cans.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

Instagram:  djweiser13

New Beer Blog New Belgium Trippel Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to sample Trippel Ale from New Belgium Brewery.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their their Fall Seasonal, which is Pumpkick Ale, you know the history of this craft brewery.  If you have not, please, read the beer blog posts to get to know this 100% employee owned craft brewery.  Let us get into their Trippel Ale.

This Trippel Ale has a clear golden color with a nice white constant head.  The aroma has a heavy coriander and other spicy notes.  The taste has a Belgium spices and heavy coriander notes.  The coriander lives and hangs around a bit in the aftertaste.  This Trippel Ale is kind of drinkable but it is more of a sipping ale.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

A Belgian yeast strain, a trace of coriander, and a blast of hops is the triple-threat this Belgian style ale struts out each time you reach for our bottles conditioned Trippel.

Here is a description from their website (www.newbelgium.com):

Our Trippel Belgian Style Ale (pronounced triple) opens with a bold blast of hops that slowly gives way to the fruity esters implied by our Belgian yeast strain. In the Belgian tradition of brewing singles, doubles and triples, Trippel is the strongest with the longest fermentation. Remarkably smooth and complex, our bottle-conditioned Trippel is spiced with a trace of coriander.

Here is ther website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.newbelgium.com

Twitter:  @newbelgium

Closing, New Belgium has made several Belgium beer styles ales.  This brew is not different than the rest of the beers in this beer style.  There is not many Trippel Ales brewed with coriandor.  I am not a fan of this brew because of the coriandor in it.   However, this is a good beer and New Belgium made a great beer here, I highly recomend this beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Beer Blog New Belgium Mighty Arrow Pale Ale

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In this retro beer blog, we are going to sample a beer, which is Mighty Arrow Pale Ale, from the past that came back in Folly Pack from New Belgium Brewery.  If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of New Belgium Brewery.  If you have not, please, read those beer blog posts to get to know this craft brewery.  Let us get into the beer.

This pale ale has a clear golden color with a nice constant white head.  The aroma is a nice citrus notes.  The tasting experience has a light carbonated citrus notes with a dry hoppy citrus to dry bitter finish for the aftertaste.  It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a descriation from their website (www.newbelgium.com):

Mighty Arrow Pale Ale provides lots of pleasurable sniffs from Amarillo and Cascade hops with a fetching honey malt base. This is our brewed tribute to Arrow, Kim’s Aussie/Border Collie mix who ran (literally) New Belgium for 12 years. When she wasn’t patrolling the brewery grounds, she was famous for her office visits: She never met a tummy rub she didn’t like. Atta girl, Arrow. Mighty Arrow makes its return as the revival beer in Folly Packs from January to April 2014.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.newbelgium.com

Twitter:  @newbelgium

In closing, I was pretty sad when this beer was retired.  I learned at the beginning of the year that this brew was returning to the market.  I was a little upset that I had to buy a whole sampler 12 pack bottles to get the bottles.  I wished they would release it as 6 pack again.  I understand why they did not do that.  I love this beer and I love the hops to the malty backbone.   It is pretty drinkable and it is perfect for the spring and summer time.  I wish they would put this in their everyday beer line up.  This is a great brew and I would hurry to the store to get this beer before it disappears again.  I highly recommend this Pale Ale.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser