How I got into Craft Beer (Part 2)

In my previous post, I mentioned that my first experience with craft beer (and Surly) back in 2009 was probably not the best experience I had ever had; Having been given a Surly Furious for my first non-macro beer was probably not the best way to get me acquainted with craft beer. Looking back, I saw that my friend's intentions were good but he probably didn't know that I had no concept of craft beer.

About a month after that whole incident, me and a friend of mine decided to goto Surdyk's in Northeast Minneapolis as they were having a Labor Day sale of sorts. Upon our arrival, we noticed New Belgium had about 4 tables set up in the front of the store. At this time, I believe they had just started distributing to Minnesota and were looking for ways to reach out to the local populace.

I decided to try out a sample of a little known beer called Fat Tire: a name which I thought, at the time, was rather bizarre. Amongst the other names were Mothership Wit, Somersault and other one that I don't remember. It was at this moment that I was told by the representative that New Belgium was a craft brewery.

I was still reeling from my experience with Surly Furious when I was told this, knowing full well that they too were a craft brewery. I should also point out too that I hadn't yet realized that there was more to craft beer than just IPAs and I almost didn't try out the sample of Fat Tire. Still, my friend encouraged me to try it out anyways

So I took a sip....

Upon finishing the tiny Dixie Cup-sized glass, I was taken aback by the flavor because it was like a world of flavors was swimming around in my mouth. I still remember it: the biscuit malts, the light roastiness, the yeastiness and that light floral hoppiness. I still remember asking myself: Is this what craft beer is supposed to taste like? Fat Tire was awesome, but the Mothership Wit is what truly sold me. It had such a light yet robust flavor for a beer and I remember afterwards buying their sampler pack.

It was an eye-opening experience for me and after this I would dabble in the lighter side of craft beers, usually consisting of amber & wheat beers. It wouldn't be until a couple of years later that I again branched off into the heavier beers like IPAs & stouts. I even managed to fall in love with Surly Furious during that time but I'm still sure that my server from Pizza Luce still thinks of me as evil.

Oh and if you're reading this, New Belgium, please bring back Mothership Wit!

New Belgium Slow Ride Review

Name: New Belgium Slow Ride
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 4.5%

Well someone has finally outdone Miller Fortune with the heaviest push as far as in-store and magazine advertising for a beer is concerned and that someone is New Belgium Brewing. I present to you Slow Ride, New Belgium's session IPA. The advertising for this beer is about as close as you can get to having TV & movie ads without actually having TV & movie ads. In fact, if you're expecting an obligatory Foghat reference, you're not going to get one.

Seriously I have never seen such a huge advertising push for a craft beer before Slow Ride came along; Though I am trying to figure out what exactly that....thing is on the label. It looks like some mad scientist decided to breed a bicycle & and couch and this is the end result. So a Couch-Bike.....or Bike-Couch? Either way, it looks comfortable!

Appearance - A surprisingly bright and fairly clear yellow color with just a hint of carbonation. The head is surprisingly foamy and the lacing, while very soapy, is plentiful.

Aroma - Very strong grapefruit & passion fruit notes on the front of the nose. I'm also getting some yeastiness, a bit of toffee maltiness and just a touch of hop bitterness

Taste - The front of the palate is pretty bitter hop forward with some citrus & passion fruit notes along with some mils toffee sweetness and a light biscuit flavor . The aftertaste is quite dry with just a hint of bitter hops and yeastiness.

When it comes to session beers, there are some that have been great and others that I could've done without. Thankfully I think Slow Ride is a good example for how to do a Session IPA right. Don't be fooled at first. The entire flavor seems pretty dry upon taking the first sips, but as it warms up, it becomes a lot more vibrant than what you are initially led to believe. I would definitely say this beer is worth checking out if you're in the mood for having a few flavorful beers but not wanting to sacrifice your sobriety in the process.

New Belgium Slow Ride IPA - 8/10

New Belgium Wild² Dubbel Review

Name: New Belgium Wild² Dubbel
Style: Dubbel 
ABV: 8%

Since it's been a while since I reviewed anything from New Belgium Brewing, I figured I would take my first in-depth look at New Belgium's Lips of Faith Series. I had their Yuzu on tap last year and thought it was different but good nonetheless. 

For this review, I'll be taking a look at their Wild² Dubbel Ale brewed with Schisandra, a type of berry that originates from Southwestern China. According to the clerk who convinced me to buy this, it's a berry that "tastes like everything." And despite it's name, it is not a Wild Ale.

Wild² Dubbel pours a dark crimson red color when held up to a light but is otherwise quite dark in appearance. There's also a couple of bubbles climbing up the sides of the glass as well. 

The aroma starts off with a prominent dark fruit/plum scent as well as some cinnamon, cloves and brown sugar. I'm also picking up on some light sour and tart notes but it's not obvious until it warms up just a bit. Otherwise, it's very malty in terms of smell.

Dark fruits and strong candied caramel malts start things off in the flavor. I'm picking up on the cinnamon & brown sugar that was present in the nose but with that is also a very distinct peppery-like flavor, which I'm fairly certain is from the Belgian Yeasts. One thing is for sure, this is not like any Dubbel I've had before. 

The body is fairly moderate in weight and thankfully light in carbonation. It possesses a fairly creamy texture and is pretty easy to drink.

After having this, I will be looking into the Lips of Faith series a bit more because I found this to be a very vibrant and tasteful beer and I could see myself buying this again. If you're looking for a different take on the Dubbel-Style, then this beer is definitely worth your attention.

New Belgium Wild² Dubbel - 9/10

New Belgium Abbey Review

Name: New Belgium Abbey
Style: Dubbel
ABV: 7%

I know I have said this many times in different reviews before but New Belgium Abbey holds a special place in my heart for being the first Abbey style ale that I ever had. In fact alot of beers styles that I was introduced to was because of New Belgium Brewing. Funny how that works out, yeah?

In any case, when I first had this a couple years ago when I was still in college, I was taken aback by how good this was and it introduced me to a plethora of new flavors as well as what a beer can taste like. I have had quite a few Abbey Dubbel ales since then and now I think it's time for me to revisit this beer.

New Belgium Abbey pours a darker but clear red color with a filmy head. The visible carbonation is quite mild and the lacing is pretty good.

Dark fruits and licorice starts things off in the nose with caramel malts notes and some mild clove and spice notes. The flavor is more or less the same as the aroma but with more of a spicy/yeasty taste to it and there are noticeable floral hop notes thrown in for good measure.

The palate is moderately weighted which has a rather thick texture. The carbonation is also rather moderate but it helps bring out some extra characteristics in the flavor.

Having been exposed to more Dubbels since I first had this, New Belgium Abbey has held up surprisingly well and I also don't think the quality has suffered in the time New Belgium has expanded their operations. In fact, I would go as far to say that this is a great beer to introduce someone to the Dubbel-style ale. Check it out and you'll see why I fell in love with the Dubbels in the first place

New Belgium Abbey - 8.5/10

New Belgium Accumulation Review

Name: New Belgium Accumulation
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.2%

For those fortunate enough to be living in a warmer climate, we had roughly around 3 feet of snow over the course of 48 hours in our area. Thankfully the worst is over for the time being and now it's just very cold out, like -10 Degrees Fahrenheit cold.

So in continuing on with our theme of being snowed in, I bring you a beer that hits a little too close to home with me considering the events of the past week. I'm talking about New Belgium Accumulation, the brewery's newest winter seasonal. What's interesting about Accumulation is that it's a White IPA, a style usually seen in the late summer/fall months. This is a stark contrast to most Winter Seasonals which tend to be darker and heavier in terms of style.

Accumulation pours a mildly hazy yellow color with a foamy head that leaves behind some good lacing. The visible carbonation is also pretty mild in appearance.

The aroma starts off with yeasty and citrus hop notes. Wheat, floral hops, pale malts, apricots and mild earthiness make up the rest of nose.

The flavor consists of citrus/floral hops, yeasts, wheat, pale malts and mild toffee notes. The grassiness in the nose isn't present here.

The body is very lightweight and the carbonation is also very mild, giving it a smooth texture that allows you to enjoy the flavors.

After having this, I can safely say that this is the best IPA offering by New Belgium. It's got more of a complex & robust flavor yet at the same time is very approachable. If New Belgium made this a year-round offering, I would definitely be buying this on a regular basis. For now it's only a winter seasonal, so grab this while you can.

New Belgium Accumulation - 9/10

New Belgium Ranger IPA Review

Name: New Belgium Ranger
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
ABV: 6.5%


My last beer from my New Belgium collection is their Ranger IPA. As stated earlier, while this isn't their "flagship" beer, this is considered to be their flagship IPA; Though from what I heard, that title may belong to Rampant but that's another review.

As for the beer itself, I've always seen it on the shelves wherever I have gone but never have bothered to check it out...that is until I decided to burn through the staples of New Belgium's lineup.

Ranger pours a clear orange color with a foamy white head and some good lacing along the sides of the glass. Carbonation is fairly subdued with only a few bubbles climbing up.

The nose starts out with a fairly strong citrus hop/caramel aroma which is followed by yeasts and pale malts. The flavor is fairly identical to the aroma but with more of a grapefruit-esque scent and less on on the yeast/malt aspect.

Body is moderate in weight but the carbonation is quite mild; It's a pretty easy to drink IPA.

If you want to get one of your friends into IPAs, this foots the bill. It's flavorful enough for any IPA fan to enjoy yet approachable to newcomers alike and it strikes that perfect balance to make this easy to recommend.

New Belgium Ranger IPA - 8/10

New Belgium Blue Paddle Review

Name: New Belgium Blue Paddle
Style: Pilsener
ABV: 4.8%


The next New Belgium Beer I have is their Blue Paddle Pilsener. Though the label shows a boat and paddle resting on the shore on a quint lake, the name actually comes from the brewery's warehouse manager. According to New Belgium, it refers to the "blue paddle" which was used to paddle the rear end of the warehouse manager by his grandmother when she caught him taking sips of her beer. I can just feel the love right now!

Blue Paddle pours a pale yellow color with a foamy/soapy head with the carbonation activity at a fairly mild level.

The nose has a prominent pale malt scent followed up by barley, yeasts, dough and grassiness. The flavor is more yeast focused followed by grassiness, pale malts, and barley. Aftertaste is a bit dry but earthy at the same time. The body is light and the carbonation falls in-between mild and moderate, providing it with a nice crisp feel.

This is a decent Pilsener but it's middle of the road when it comes to the style. With that said you aren't going wrong with this either way.

New Belgiam Blue Paddle - 7.5/10