New Belgium Brewing Co.: Mighty Arrow Pale Ale

I like Pale Ales. Generally, anyways. The problem is that it is becoming increasingly apparent to me that it is really difficult to do anything novel with them. And New Belgium has done nothing to dispel this general problem with their take on the genre--their seasonal Mighty Arrow.

There's nothing wrong with Mighty Arrow. It's your typical Pale Ale--light bodied, hoppy, very low malt flavor, some citrus flavor. You know it. But, like so many other pale ales, Mighty Arrow doesn't do much to this brew that would make it stand out. You figure the least they could do would be to throw in a random extra ingredient, a-la Rogue's Juniper Pale, but nope. New Belgium is content to use the standard no-frills recipe. The result is a standard, no-frills beer.

The failure of Pale Ale brewers to do anything interesting with this brew is all the more surprising when you consider that Pale's slightly edgier cousin, the IPA, is one of the more interesting brews out there. From Ruination to 90 Minute to (see just below) Idiot, the IPA genre has all sorts of interesting and tasty variations. But in the Pale Ale arena, Sierra Nevada continues to reign supreme. A couple other breweries have made beers that are, from a taste standpoint, arguably superior to Sierra (Deschuttes and Anchor come to mind), but these just tinker at the edges with what is, at heart, a very uniform genre.

I really like Sierra--and Mirror and Liberty for that matter. But I have yet to find a pale ale that really rises to the level of a world-class beer. Some might say that this is a problem endemic to the genre. I really hope this isn't true, and I will keep looking. But I can say with confidence that Mighty Arrow doesn't point the way there.

New Belgium Brewing: Trippel Belgian Style Ale

My local co-op allows customers to pull individual beers out of six packs and pay for that single bottle at roughly 1/6th the price of the whole carrier. It's a convenient policy for beer drinkers that want to sample a beer before investing in six identical bottles of the same brew.

As you may know from my other posts, I have have an affinity for American style beers. Despite this gravitation, I do appreciate a good brew made or modeled after a traditional European style. As a result, in my most recent visit to the store, I included a single New Belgium's Tippel into my cart.

This Belgian tripple has three ladies, three arches, and triple fermentation all encapsulated in one beer. After cracking open the bottle and pouring firmly into the glass, the Tripple exhibits an incredibly powerful aroma and wafts out fruit flavors of apple and banana. It will definitely remind you of a Belgian Ale. The taste is not nearly as potent as the smell and mainly has the flavor of Belgium yeast. There is very little hop or malt sensations and the beer possesses more of a creamy-fruity-yeasty combination than anything else. If the let the beer sit on your pallate your tongue will begin to sting as this tripple weighs in at 7.8% by volume. Despite this massive punch from the booze, the beer flavors hides the alcohol beautifully.

Overall this tripple is an accurate recreation of the Belgian style. So feel free to sample and enjoy one yourself in the future. Or if you really enjoy Belgian Ales, don't hesitate to grab the whole six pack. Because now I kinda wish I had another to drink. Cheers.

New Belgium Brewing: 2° Below Ale

Let's cut straight to the point: 2° Below is Fat Tire as a "Winter Warmer".

Most micro breweries release a seasonal Winter style Ale which keeps you warm in the winter (hence the name) by creating a beer with an increased alcohol % and adding some hearty malts to match the strong flavors of the holidays. With the holidays fast approaching 2° Below deserves a post.

2° below is technically not a classic winter warmer (its actually an ESB and it tastes like New Belgium's amber ale). I honestly wouldn't be surprised if New Belgium took their Fat Tire recipe and dry hopped it in the later stages of the brewing process to raise the alcohol % from 5.2 to 6.6. They probably don't do this but the alcohol content is the only difference between 2° Below and Fat Tire. You still get the biscuity nutty unique taste of Fat Tire with every sip of this ale. The color is an amber brown opposed to the traditional winter warmer black-brown coloring. Either way it fits the winter bill and is marketed properly. After two '2°s' you'll be sufficiently buzzing due to the higher alcohol content.

I make this post because Fat Tire is a beloved beer. If you love Fat Tire (as I do) and tend to switch to Winter Warmers in the cold months, please, please go get 2° Below. If you want, drink it in your lockdown pint glass for added nostalgia (see left). However, I also make this post because as a haus member, I know some of you have burned out from the epic first lock down. In that case, don't buy this beer. It will remind you of the glory of that night.

Now, there were still a series of CA beers that I wanted to review before switching out of this great state. But since I love Fat Tire and I want to send a warning to the haters, I had to flag this Colorado brew. Cheers (or not)