New Belgium

[legionnaire]

I am a rather new microbrew drinker (just over a year) and would like to get your thoughts on New Belgium's beers. Many of my friends think their beer is garbage, but I really enjoy their Sunshine Wheat, Abbey, Trippel, and I find their seasonals to be fantastic. Am I just a novice beer drinker or are these beers actually good?

Also, could anyone recommend good summer beers? I've been drinking a lot of Summer Honey, Loft, and hefeweizens lately but I'm looking to try something new. Thanks.

Shane

[newportstorm]

My advice - find new friends, pronto! ;) j/k

Seriously, opinions are like buttholes - everyone has one and most of them stink. Drink what you like - don't let anyone tell you different.

That said, I've enjoyed the few New Belgium beers I've had, esp. the Trippel and LaFolie. Being in Oregon, you have access to some fantastic beer - enjoy it. I've enjoyed many NW brews from Deschutes, Bridgeport and Fish Brewing via trades. A couple of my personal faves for warm weather....or any weather: Bridgeport IPA & Diamond Knot Industrial IPA.

Cheers!

[I'mRocketMan]

Yeah, I like the New Belgium beers! I also agree with the Bridgepost IPA!! Very tasty brew!!

[fretlessman71]

First off: No one's opinion is incorrect. If they don't like it, it doesn't mean that you can't.

New Belgium suffers a little from their own success. Fat Tire is a very subtly flavored beer, and I only really like it if it's incredibly fresh. Their Sunshine Wheat is filtered, which some may regard as sacrilege, but they sure seem to sell a lot of it. IMHO these are New Belgium's two worst beers, but the sales from these beers alone allow them to make all the other wonderful brews in their lineup, such as Loft, Trippel, Biere De Mars, 1554 Black Ale, and Transatlantique Kriek. But people will look down their noses at NB for the commercial success they've had with Fat Tire. I say that Fat Tire is a great crossover beer from BMC and the like... if someone progresses beyond that and becomes a craft beer drinker, then what a blessing it is that they had Fat Tire to taste in order to bring them over to the "Dark Side" (pun intended). If they stop there, but become loyal FT drinkers, better they spend their money with NB than Budweiser (who is also a "local" brewery now). Now, of the three main breweries in Ft. C (not counting the Evil Empire out by the interstate), New Belgium comes in third on my list of favorites. Not because they aren't any good, but because Odell's is just better (again, in my opinion only), and Fort Collins Brewery has a special place in my heart for some reason. Nothing wrong with NB; they just don't do it for me.

I'm guessing that most of legionairre's friends are local craft brew drinkers, and the quaff the likes of Rogue, Deschutes, Bridgeport, and Portland with regularity. And I gotta tell you that if I had access to fresh Rogue on a regular basis, I probably would drink little else. But New Belgium is more about subtlety than most American craft brewers; one taste of Brutal Bitter and you'll see just how much Rogue fits into the "We'll hit you over the head with our subtlety!" camp. And it's hard to go from a really strong-flavored beer to something that requires a little more finesse in the brewing if that's not what you've been used to in the past.

Enjoy your New Belgium beer - sends more money to my little town here in Northern Colorado, and helps them to do more of what they do best. (Plus, it saves more Obsidian Stout for me.:D)

Welcome to the board!

[legionnaire]

Thanks for the replies fellas.

fretlessman71: what do you mean when you say that the sunshine is filtered, and why is that considered a sacrilege?

I'm glad you're a Rogue fan...i've fallen in love with their deadguy and pilsner, and don't even get me started on Deschutes...delicious.

- Shane

[fretlessman71]

Well, it's not me that says so, but many people feel that an unfiltered wheat tastes far better than an unfiltered. to be totaly honest, I'm not sure what it is they're filtering out; all I know is that unfiltered wheats are pretty cloudy. I'm not a huge wheat beer fan, so I can't really say for sure. Wish I was, really; the idea sounds good, but I can't seem to wrap my taste buds around them. There are a few that I like, namely Gumballhead from Three Floyds, Tabernash Weiss and Dunkel Weiss, and In Heat Wheat from Flying Dog. But that's just me.

Dead Guy and Imperial Stout from Rogue are my favorites. Great stuff!

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Well, it's not me that says so, but many people feel that an unfiltered wheat tastes far better than an unfiltered.

First of all - we must establish that there are a few different styles of Wheat beers: Bavarian Weizen being the grand-daddy (in Hefe, Krystal, Dunkel, and Bock varieties), Berliner Weiss - plain or spiked with Woodruff or Raspberry juice, Belgian Wits, and the American wheat variety - most of which are usually bland and insipid ales with a measure of wheat added to say "see, wheat beer."- 3 Floyds raising the bar a little by crossing an APA with an American wheat to add some character.

The Bavarian Krystal Weizens aren't merely Hefeweizens that have been filtered, they are designed to cary the full flavor and character the Weizen yeast imparts to a Hefeweizen, sometimes even using special strains of yeast to do so. I've sampled both styles and find them similar in flavors, if not in body.

Most of the filtered American style wheats (and filtered Bavarian styles made by American micros) are probably a result of the marketing departments afraid to try selling a cloudy beer - rather than educate their customers that the beer is supposed to look this way and that it adds much flavor character to their beer - not to mention that it's healthy Vitamin B!

But who knows, maybe filtering the likes of a Widmer Hefeweizen (sic) would make it less flavorful, but I don't know how. Especially after you've poluted it with a lemon half. :rolleyes:

S.

[chazwicke]

Once again, Widmer Hefe is VERY overrated IMHO. Having never sampled Widmer Brother beers at their pub I have often wondered how this beer got so popular? At the source they must make better beers. Their success cannot be based on the hefe.

[hops99]

Once again, Widmer Hefe is VERY overrated IMHO.

I agree. I had my first Widmer Hefe many moons ago, and way back then I thought it was pretty damn bland - nothing has changed my mind over the years.


Nothing wrong with NB; they just don't do it for me.

My, aren't we spoiled!

Here's my two cents worth on New Belgium beers: First of all, it's difficult to compare NB with other breweries, because (despite their size) they're essentially a niche brewery (i.e. most of their beers are "Belgian-style" brews - with the exception of the Blue Paddle). There's no IPA, no Porter, no Stout, etc. etc. Second, the beers that they focus on are extremely well-made. True, I'm no fan of their Blue Paddle either, but the Abbey and Tripel are fantastic IMO, the Frambozen is very tasty (I think on par with Liefman's), and other seasonals that have come and gone like their Saison and Porch Swing were also favorites of mine.

And then there's the 5,000 pound gorilla: Fat Tire. I'm a big-time Fat Tire apologist - that is, I actually think it's a nice little beer. Slightly biscuity, toasty, light yet tasty IMO - but it is what it is. I think alot of the Fat tire backlash comes from the ravings of BMC converts, and more experienced beer geeks are disappointed when they try it - which is understandable. I'd never seek out Fat tire (although I used to about 7 or 8 years ago) anymore, but I'd be happy to have it as a fall-back beer. I also think that part of FT's popularity comes from the "forbidden fruit" syndrome. It's not distributed East of the Mississippi - remember Coors Light bootlegging back in the 70's? You can't have it, so you want it.

Come to think of it, I kind of miss their Old Cherry Ale too.

[fretlessman71]

When Odell's is a 4-minute drive from your house, yes, you are VERY spoiled. Don't chastise me just because I happen to have a favorite brewery in Ft. C that ISN'T New Belgium. I still get growlers of the 1554 from time to time, and I have a bottle of the Trippel and Transatlantique Kriek in the fridge as we speak. So they "don't do it for me"; the same can be said for people who don't have a taste for Pilsner Urquell, and that takes nothing away from the brewery or the quality of their product, either. There's too much good beer in Ft. Collins to drink it all at once, so I don't try... and that helps to create favorites for me. NB will always be the best selling brewery in town (AB doesn't count; and they're outside city limits anyway), and I have absolutely no problem with that.

[TOBP_Steve]

Going back to one of the original questions, my absolute favorite summertime beer is any Bavarian Hefeweizen. I'm a Paulaner loyalist myself, but I know others prefer Franziskaner, Weihenstephaner, etc. In all honesty, the difference isn't great enough where if you liked one you wouldn't like the others. Stay away from your local Pyramid though, their Hefe is undrinkable in my opinion.

Sweetwater Blue has become a favorite summer beer for me, but it won't be available in the Pacific NW. It's a light pale ale with blueberry flavoring. It absolutely screams summer from the top of its lungs.

Going back to the Berliner Weisse, I have a few bottles of Kindl that I can't get down on their own, way too tart. Can anybody recommend a flavoring that might be available at any Kroger or other normal grocery store? I know these are often flavored in Germany, but my local liquor store contacts had no clue how that was done. Someone mentioned raspberry juice, will ANY such juice work? And how much per 30 cl bottle?

[chazwicke]

Raspberry syrup, not juice.

[steveh]

Originally posted by TOBP_Steve
Can anybody recommend a flavoring that might be available at any Kroger or other normal grocery store?

Do you have a German deli near by? They may have Himbeer (rapberry) juice for the right use - and it's actually more of a syrup than juice. In a pinch, try orange juice in momosa (sp?) fashion - my friends and I used to do this at the local German restaurant for the great weekend breakfasts they served.

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by hops99
"Belgian-style" brews - with the exception of the Blue Paddle).

Based on my last tasting (thanks Fret), I'd say the Blue Paddle is closer to a Belgian Pilsener (and is even spelled as such) than the Bohemian style the NB web-site claims. It's much more light, mellow, and less hoppy than P.U.

S.

[chazwicke]

That sounds great Steveh. I never thought of trying it that way.

[fretlessman71]

I did OJ and Wit last year - pretty darn good, really! :)

[hops99]

I'd say the Blue Paddle is closer to a Belgian Pilsener (and is even spelled as such) than the Bohemian style the NB web-site claims.

Damn incompetents at NB!


Don't chastise me just because I happen to have a favorite brewery in Ft. C that ISN'T New Belgium.

Who's chastising? Touchy, touchy...


I did OJ and Wit last year - pretty darn good, really!

Ok, NOW I'll chastise.....

[TOBP_Steve]

Originally posted by chazwicke
Raspberry syrup, not juice.

I was thinking syrup, and wrote juice instead. Every reference I've ever heard was to put syrup in a Berliner Weisse.

Thanks for the input Steveh, I don't know if we have any German delis near us, although I'm sure Atlanta has one or two. I'll give that a try, and failing that I'll try a mimosa, that might be pretty good.

Actually, I'm going to be in NJ next week, and I know where a couple of German delis are, I used to frequent them to get Zwiebelwurst. I'll try them and see what they have.

[Seymour]

Zwiebelwurst?

While I'm not bowled over by Fat Tire or Blue Paddle, I am right fond of their Loft Beer. A nice little summertime number, IMO. Another tasty summer beer that might be widely available is Sierra Nevada's Summerfest. It's a lager, but clean and crisp, almost hoppy enough to taste like an ale.

Of course, if I lived close enough to Odell's to get the 90 Shilling Ale everyday, I'd drink nothing else. That stuff's outa sight!

[hops99]

Of course, if I lived close enough to Odell's to get the 90 Shilling Ale everyday, I'd drink nothing else. That stuff's outa sight!


When Odell's is a 4-minute drive from your house, yes, you are VERY spoiled.


Despite my impassioned defense/promotion of New Belgium, you guys are dead on about Odell's - I also dig the 90 Shilling. As a matter of fact, I think NB and Odell's complement each other well based on the types of beers that they brew on a regular basis.

[Beaver]

NB makes some good beers, but on the whole I think they're overrated. Like Fret said, I also like Odell's and FCB better (as well as Coopersmiths brewpub).

[fretlessman71]

Oooohh... I forgot Coop's. Jeez... guess that makes NB fourth now! :rolleyes:

[TOBP_Steve]

Originally posted by Seymour
Zwiebelwurst?


Literally, "Onion Wurst (sausage)". It's like Liverwurst (Leberwurst) but with onions on it. It's really good on black bread with lots of butter slathered on, then the Zwiebelwurst, then a couple slices of cucumber on top of that. Very tasty.

It also looks like there are several raspberry syrups used in drink mixers, so these might be in the drink mix aisle of my local grocery store. I'll have to check that out, I'd really like to try Berlinder Kindl Weisse that way.

[chazwicke]

Any good gourmet store will carry the raspberry syrup.
The absolute best liverwurst sandwich I ever had was at the Penn brewery in Pittsburgh. Thick liverwurst and thick onion slices with butter and a bit of mayo. Excellent. We have several German gourmet stores in our area and we can get some very good liverwurst. YUM!

[hops99]

Oooohh... I forgot Coop's. Jeez... guess that makes NB fourth now!

Preparing to chastise...

[fretlessman71]

..............