Today, after sleeping in a little, my family went to Fort Collins, CO to visit the New Belgium Brewery. Brad and I have gone there every year when we visit Colorado and we take the fabulous tour every time. This environmentally conscious and fantastically creative business is a must visit if you are in the Fort Collins area. However, since we decided to go the Friday before July 4th, all of the tours were completely sold out this time. Sigh.
So, without our tour, we went straight for the goods. We waited patiently for a seat to open up in the crowded tasting room. Finally, a few seats became free and we snagged them. The employee behind the counter handed each of us a card with a list of the New Belgium brews.
In the tasting room, you can pick 4 beers to sample. The beer is listed in order from least to most complex. Here are the beers I tasted:
1554: With a deep, dark, chocolately color, this beer is surprisingly drinkable. Immediately you can smell coffee and chocolate. The finish is clean and smooth. This would be perfect year round, with or without food.
Sunshine Wheat: This beer is very light in color with a pleasant cardamom scent. Excellent for a hot summer afternoon along with BBQ chicken!
Dandelion Ale: This unfiltered beer is reminiscent of Blue Moon in appearance, but the flavor is very unique. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it was very smooth with substantial flavor. Delicious!
Trippel: Intensley flavored and high in alcohol, this was a difficult beer to get used to. It’s unique taste is strong and slightly overwhelming, but becomes familiar and drinkable.
Of the four beers I tasted, I enjoyed 1554 the most. It is hands-down my favorite beer from New Belgium. And of course, you can’t go wrong with their classic: Fat Tire Amber Ale.
If you can find a New Belgium brew, get it in the cooler and enjoy it while celebrating the 4th of July! Cheers to a happy, and safe, holiday weekend everyone!
