Brewery; New Belgium
Birthdate: June, 1991
Body: Medium
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 18.5
Calories: 160
Hops: Willamette, Goldings, Target
Malts: Pale, C-80, Munich, Victory
Yeast: House Ale Yeast
Aroma: Sweet biscuty and caramel malts, subtle notes of fresh fennel and green apple
Mouthfeel: carbonation and light sweetness finish clean on your palate.
Flavor: Toasty malt, gentle sweetness, flash of fresh hop bitterness. The malt and hops are perfectly balanced.
Visual: Clear, amber and bright with white lacing
Story:
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.
The Pour
This poured, in my tall pilsner glass, to a thick 3 finger head. The head was off-white, thick and creamy, with great lacing. The color was a kind of orange tinted light caramel color. It looks to be quite carbonated and crisp and is quite clear.
The Nose
This has an excellent nose, just fantastic! The citrusy hops are balanced with the malt, and subtle chewy chocolate notes. The chocolate and malt give it a nice earthy nose with bright citrus accents.
The Taste
This, to me, is an absolutely unique brew. It is exceptionally smooth and tastes exactly as it smells. What you smell is what you get, as it were. The citrusy hops are slightly more dominant, but the chocolate and malt flavors are well played and well balanced. As you drink this, the hops open the show but melt away into the chocolate and malt flavors, all the while maintaining a medium-light body and a smooth clean mouthfeel.
Overall
This is not at all what I expected, but it is an exceptional brew. The earthier flavors, especially complimented and offset by the citrusy hops, were a great surprise. This is one terrific and drinkable brew!
Recommended: Absolutely a must-try. The flavors are terrific and well balanced and just a well crafted brew.
Note personnelle:
Une bonne petite bière du coin, bien faite, un bon palais, petite amertume, une belle mousse persistante, bien rafarichissante.
On ne se roule pas par terre, mais on la boit sans moderation !