Sep 20, 2011

New Belgium Hoptober

New Belgium Hoptober photoWait, it’s not an Oktoberfest?…

I really need to start paying more attention to the labels of beer I buy. Had I actually, you know, read the the words on the label, I might have known that it was not an Oktoberfest-style brew and would have poured it in more appropriate glassware. Stupid brain.

With New Belgium Brewing’s recent entrance into the Virginia beer market, there’s been a large amount of their product in my fridge. This seasonal Golden Ale was among a pile of Ranger IPA that I had purchased a couple of weeks ago. It’s made with Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, and Glacier hops as well as four varieties of malts. The end result is a beer that I should have bought more of since I can’t seem to find it anywhere any more.

Appearance

Straw yellow in color the beer had a slight haze (chill) and a rocky white head that dropped slowly.

Aroma

The nose is a wonderful balance of malt and hops with hints of grapefruit, wheat, toast and pine. It smells great.

Taste

This beer is nicely balanced from start to finish. The blend of pale malt, wheat, rye and oats forms a solid (and slightly sweet) based for the five hop varieties to play off of. There’s a light bitterness in the dry, refreshing finish. The mouthfeel is smooth with just enough of a crispness to accentuate the moderate hop bite.

Overall

I enjoyed this brew. It’s a well balanced and flavorful beer that has plenty of fruity, grassy and piny hops to accompany a great blend of malt/oat/wheat/rye. Subtle yet playful, the beer is easy drinking. I only wish I had purchased more of it.

Rating: 3.75/5

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