New Belgium - Coconut Curry Hefeweizen

Is it just me or when you see a beer with "Coconut Curry" in the title, you just have to take it home?  I have to know what it's like!  I have to try it.  I also enjoy that I'm supporting creative brewers, but my motives are far from altruistic.  I want what others call "weird beers."  If it weren't for weird beers how would we know that we like beers with coffee or syrup or chili peppers or smoke or weasel poop?  Without creative brewing we'd all be drinking fermented honey or fruit juice or something.  So let's keep this progression going because if beer as we know it is this good, who knows what a few experiments might turn up over the next several hundred years!  It's our solemn duty (*wink*) as craft beer drinkers.  All right, </speech>, but seriously... rare ingredients are good things.  This beer seems to have them and the Lips of Faith series by New Belgium has turned out some pretty damn good brews.  How can I lose, right?  Let's pour!

This picture is not blurry.  My camera was drunk.

Aroma 10/12

This is a not a bruiser in the aroma department, but I will give it kudos for performing the seemingly impossible task of incorporating all of the ingredients of its namesake into the aroma.  At first this comes across the nose as a sweet-smelling hefe: gum-like Belgian yeasts and a a spicy clove note.  Then you start to realize that part of the sweetness is in part thanks to the coconut.  The coconut does not come across aggressively or über-sweet like some of the candies based on the same, but instead like the creamy, almost neutral sweetness of coconut flesh.  In the back is the curry that steadily grows stronger as the beer warms.  At first the spice is simply detectable as an overall spiciness, maybe an extra boistrous strain of Belgian yeast providing more-than-usual pepper notes or an especially zesty clove, however the curry slowly becomes more distinct to eventually take a seat as one of the predominant aromas.  We are left with a Belgian yeast sweetness, made to seem sweeter by a well-hidden coconut, and loads of spice.  Neither one overpowers, but both are strong.

Appearance 2/3

Despite not mishandling this beer, I was disappointed to see white floaties traveling around my glass like annoying insects that I could not shoo away.  Having not yet taken a drink, I'm unsure if they are pieces of coconut, sediment from the hefe, or some combination of both.  The beer is cloudy as the style should be and pours a dusty golden hue.  Its head is ivory in color and constructed of many tiny, distinct bubbles that are steadily replaced by line of their brethren rising from the bottom.

Flavor 19/20

There is no easing your way into this beer.  From the moment it hits your lips, it is upon you and greeting you as zealously as a long lost aunt during an surprise Christmas visit  Things begin as a very spiced version of a hefe, but quickly the curry takes over the flavor.  This is a bit scary since a curry flavored beer has been requested by approximately 1 person ever who was then promptly flogged - not a exactly a popular option.  With a little bit of patience and close attention to what is being tasted, the spiciness (almost bitter for a moment) combines with a wash of coconut sweetness and the flavor turns wholly into that of a delicious Indian meal.  The sweetness of the hefe was almost completely drowned out by the spices but is reborn in the coconut and the transition is surprisingly easy - huge kudos to the folks at new Belgium for spotting these complementary flavors in seemingly opposite corners.  Fascinating!  The finish, much like the food, leaves plenty of spice on the tongue and is perhaps partially aided by a lively carbonation.  This lingering spice not only muddies the remaining hefe sweetness into an earthier, darker version of itself, but also leaves the tongue tingling in a few distinct places.  The aftertaste is surprisingly non-existant or perhaps just seems that way after such unmistakable flavors.

Mouthfeel 4/5

The carbonation started out as extremely active, but halfway through the bottle mellowed to that of a frisky american lager.  It has a medium-heavy body which actually gains a nice smoothness as the carbonation shrinks.  There's no real warmth to speak of no matter what the curry tells you.

Overall Impression 9/10

This is an impressive brew.  Not only did they use such exotic and unconventional ingredients as coconut and curry, but they also missed all the pitfalls that can happen when utilizing such potent ingredients.  The hefe behind these large ingredients is quite good and not some sub-par version hiding behind flavors.  New Belgium found a sweet and lightly spiced beer and paired it with a sweet and spicy food.  This combination may be out of left field, but works together like the field of dreams.

Total 44/50

To say I'm surprised by how well this beer works would be an understatement.  I buy a lot of unusual sounding beers.  The constant experimentation and pushing of boundaries is something I find exciting in both food and drink and the ingredient list on this beer certainly satisfies that.  Not only do I find these things exciting, but new ingredients also pique my curiosity.  The beer has a good hefe base to it, which is only detectable in brief splashes.  After that, it's "The Coconut & Curry Show," and the beer excellently replicates the taste of those succulent Indian dishes.  If you like that, you're bound to like this beer.  If not, it still may have something to offer.  The spice and sweet, fruit-like qualities of a hefe pair surprisingly well with the same qualities of the Indian food.  Granted, the curry/coconut takes the spice and fruit levels and cranks them up to  a level beyond what we beer drinkers would call "imperial."  The coconut/curry is an exaggerated version of the style's calling card flavors, but the similarities are undeniable; I can see why they made it.  I like this beer.  Tasty, unique, well done, pronounced, an excellent pairing of style and new ingredients, and it's exactly what it claims to be on the label.  My only question is, if I order this in a bar, do I receive some naan instead of pretzels?

New Belgium - Tart Lychee

The sour beer movement grows stealthily every day.  However, despite its recent press and critic acclaim I still have a rather difficult time finding many at my local bottle shop.  Granted, I live in midsize Midwest market, but it's still rather surprising to see Duchess de Bourgogne as the only sour beer staple inhabiting the shelves (OK, and technically the lambics).  For those unfamiliar, "sour beer" refers to those beers that are fermented using wild yeast of bacteria strains.  As their genre name implies, they often have a sour, tart, and/or acidic taste.  Typical brewing avoids these "contaminants" at all costs, but in sour beers they are welcomed.  Some common characters used in brewing sours beers are Brettanomyces (a.k.a. "Brett"), Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus.  Though the latter two are often known for their contribution to other foods besides beer: sauerkraut, yogurts, cheeses, pickles, cider, wine, kimchi, and sourdough bread to name a few.

Tart Lychee is beer that definitely steps outside any standard genre.  It is a sour ale, or American Wild Ale to be specific, with 56% of the ale aged in oak and 44% brewed with lychee and cinnamon.  Despite its pink exterior accents and sweet sounding ingredients, it still hefts a 7.5% ABV.  I'm excited to see if this beer will be a sweet treat or something with a little more "oomph."  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12

Things begin, respectively, with a dusty barn smell, a note of the acid, and way back is a sweet, nectary fruit.  A little time to warm in the glass yields much more of the sweet, nectary smell, which has now morphed into a strawberry Starburst/pink Kool Aid type sweetness, and it is battling with the sour acidic aromas.  The acid does a superb job of balancing what appears to be a rather unyielding sweetness.  It also lends a bit of dryness almost like a champagne.  Overall, it's a very nice trifecta of sour, sweet, and dusty horse blanket.  Much to my surprise the cinnamon and oak are undetectable at this time.  Further warming erodes the sugary sweet note and leaves mostly the sour note to stand alone.

Appearance 3/3

It appears brightly enough in the bottle, but in the glass this beer is a cloudy glass full of earth color yellows, golden straw, and other shades of orange-yellow not out of place on a monarch butterfly or a  marigold garden.  Ridiculously small bubbles flit and dance their way to the top of the glass to sustain a ivory head that left a bit too soon.

Flavor 18/20

Given the reputation of the lychee fruit and the sweet aroma that made up one third of the nose, one could expect the first tastes to be very sweet as they contact they tip of the tongue.  Well, you know what Samuel L. Jackson says about assumptions...

The first flavors are actually quite neutral and sparkling with carbonation before the acidity takes the reins and refuses to let go.  It fades in with a champagne's dryness, but is instantly more acidic and sour once detectable.  Holding this beer in the mouth is full of a salty mineral note and lemon's acidity sans sweetness.  There are also notes of green apple.  It also grows more bitter in the mouth, leaving the hints of champagne further and further behind.  The origin of the growing bitterness is a mystery, but undoubtedly aided by the oak and the earthiness from the cinnamon, even if at this time no cinnamon flavor is detectable.  This is a nice wild ale combination of sour, funk, fruit, and the wood gently supporting them all.  The finish is a lingering, mouth-watering swallow that finally shows the cinnamon in a very subdued and appropriate role both in its flavor and with a slight tingle on the back of the tongue.  A good burp also brings back the cinnamon for a second visit.  The aftertaste is more bitter than sour, but even that flavor is timid at best.  However, despite the lack of lingering flavors, the mouth continues to salivate for quite some time.

Mouthfeel 4/5

This is a medium-bodied, highly carbonated beer, with invisible alcohol.  There is a tingle after the finish, but this could be from any number of contributors: alcohol, cinnamon, or acids.  Lots of flavor, but this beer never seems weighed down.  It has a crisp, lively mouthfeel that make it a perfect candidate for summer days or when you need a simple quenching.

Overall Impression 8/10

Not a bad sour by any means, but it's a far stretch from tasting like lychee.  The lychee was certainly present in the initial aroma, but was found lacking in any other aspect of the brew.  Color was typical for a sour and the carbonation, early on, went a bit beyond refreshing and bordered on distracting.  Its positives are the aroma, the strong sour, green apple and funk flavors, hidden ABV, and the easy-drinking body.  On a personal note, I really appreciated the subdued cinnamon as that particular spice has a tendency to overwhelm many of the beers to which it is added.

Total 43/50

Full disclosure, my experience with sours is limited.  In that same vein, my recollection of what lychee fruit tastes like is vague and based on impressions from a long, long time ago.  That said, this beer did not find cause me any trouble in getting to the bottom of the bottle.  It was crisp, flavorful, and of course sour.  Overall, its mostly sour with a bitter kick toward the end.  Unfortunately, there's not much sweetness to balance the sour and it results in what I feel is a rather simple creation.  I don't know when this was last bottled, but being that there is a large amount of sediment (and the high carbonation) in the bottle, I can infer that the yeast/bacteria continued to eat the sugars, perhaps leaving the beer much less sweet than when fresh.  Maybe.  Did anyone who had this beer fresh find the lychee and sweetness lacking?  Please feel free to comment.  There's plenty of the sour flavors, but in a beer that promises oak, sour, cinnamon, and the exotic ingredient of lychee fruit, just "sour" won't cut it.

New Belgium - Cocoa Molé

HAPPY 20TH ANNIVERSARY NEW BELGIUM!!  From a struggling Colorado basement brewer, to a "What's a Fat Tire?", to a craft brewing giant (3rd largest in the US) in 26 states; not bad for 20 years work! Of course, today's review will help commemorate their milestone as I crack open a bottle out of their Lips of Faith series - Cocoa Molé.  Having expressed some disappointment with some chile beers in the past, a lot of craft beer friends recommended Cocoa Molé as a solid go-to beer.  I'm always up for a recommendation so I picked it up on a recent trip to the Chicago burbs.  I've been looking forward to it ever since.  Let's pour!

Aroma 11/12

Most of the aroma here is definitely from the roasting of the ancho, guajillo, and chipotle peppers used in its brewing.  It's a smokey, peat-like aroma and dominates the scene early on.  In fact, I initially gave its aroma a rather average score.  Good things come to those who wait.  After warming ever so slightly, the chocolate comes out full force and is almost a new aroma altogether after blending with the roasted peppers and a new cinnamon note.  I never thought chocolate could smell so alien to me!  Very neat.  The blend itself is seemingly fleeting as that on subsequent sniffs, each ingredient is determined to stand out on its own.  I don't say this in a bad way.  It's like a revolving door of different aromas.

Appearance 3/3

Wow, did this pour darker than expected!  It pours a dirty brown into the glass, a calling card from the chocolate malts and, if you've ever cooked with them, probably the ancho chiles.  First glances, make this beer appear very opaque and dark.  Closer inspections reveal a dark burnt mahogany and when held to light, shades of plum!  Yes plum! The purple shades are unmistakable and a complete surprise.  What other secrets does this beer hold?  The head is beige, dense, and offers better than average retention and size.

Flavor 20/20

This is insane!  And by insane, I mean insanely awesome.  There is SO much going on here, but as in the aroma, each item insists on having its moment in the sun.  Normally, I look for a great blend, but with so many unique ingredients, I don't mind the opportunity to soak them all up.  We're first given a heaping ladle-full of nearly bitter cocoa malts along with the slight saltiness from the roasted peppers.  Heading into the backbone of the flavor, the cocoa malts become sweeter with the addition of caramel malts and a dash of cinnamon.  Next the peppers come forward in a cloud of sweet smoke, roasted flavors, and some chile heat (yes!).  If you hold the beer in the mouth, the roast begins to blend very interestingly with the sweetness and later on the spices start to blend with the chiles' heat.  Lots of cool stuff going on here!  The finish, as expected, adds a flash of heat to the back of the throat and leaves it to tingle on the tongue.  It also shows a strong cinnamon that (and this is important) does not dominate the entire damn beer.  The aftertaste is a lingering warmth in the mouth and a dull sweetness.  I am so impressed with this beer!

Mouthfeel 5/5

This beer feels solid in the mouth without being downright heavy.  Its sturdy mouthfeel undoubtedly given by the loads of sweet malts involved in its manufacture.  The carbonation is dead on: not absent, not too much for a bigger beer, just enough to keep it from being thick though it has virtually no foaming when in the mouth.  It keeps this big, sweet, and spicy beer drinkable, despite that "big, sweet, and spicy" often fight against that characteristic.  The bottle reads 9% ABV, but I never saw a trace of it through the other flavors.

Brownie points for cool "Dia de los Muertos" style bottle art.

Overall Impression 10/10

Loved it.  This beer did so much right!  The aroma foreshadows the beer to come, the appearance has a few surprises, and the mouthfeel is just right.  The flavor... oh man, the flavor.  While it may not be unique ingredients among beers that try to harness that Aztec-based "xocoatl," it certainly seems to be the first that has done it right.

Total 49/50

Cocoa Molé has eradicated so many of my pet peeves involving beers of this style!  First off, most beers that use cinnamon (winter warmers, pumpkin beers, this "cocoa/Hispanic" style) completely overuse the cinnamon.  If I wanted that much cinnamon, I'd buy a box of Red Hots candy.  I don't know why this is so prevalent in craft beer.  If your Grandma made an apple pie and all you could taste was cinnamon, I don't care how good a cook your Grandma is, you wouldn't eat it.  This beer hides the cinnamon brilliantly behind the roasted flavors and the heat.  Well done!  Second... A CHILE BEER IN WHICH I CAN ACTUALLY TASTE THE CHILES!!!!!  It seems that all chile beers shy away from the fact that there are chile peppers in their beer.  They advertise it well enough for those adventurous to try it, but those brave souls are often left wanting when the beer contains virtually no detectable heat!  Does this seem counter-intuitive to anyone else?

Thankfully, New Belgium has shown the way with how chile beers should be brewed.  It uses the cinnamon wisely and sparingly, while allowing the chiles to do what they do best - be flavorful and amazing.  When I was prepping to do a beer review today, I was in a bad mood.  I didn't know if I'd be able to give a beer a fair shake.  This beer absolutely turned that around!  Beer Advocate indicates that this is a "limited (brewed once)" beer.  I certainly hope not.  It is one of the best chile beers I have had to date and I would buy it on a regular basis.  Kudos to New Belgium and their MANY more anniversaries!

New Belgium - Snow Day

Today brings to mind the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for.  You just might get it."  After unseasonably warm "winter" weather (50s, sunny), and many complaints about the lack of snow we finally got this winter's first snow.  And it's still falling.  I've shoveled snow twice today and I have a strong feeling that I'm going to again in the morning.

It should then go without saying that today's appropriately chosen beer to review will be New Belgium's Snow Day Winter Ale.  I obtained this bottle from their Folly variety 12-pack and have thoroughly enjoyed the other bottles.  As with the previous day's review, this beer really surprised me by straying far from they "typical" Christmas/winter seasonal.  It's dark and doesn't need to use a bunch of spices as a crutch.  Not to say that all beers with the "holiday blend" of spices are using a crutch, some are quite tasty, but there are those that hide behind them to flavor what would be an otherwise weaker product.  Since past experience has shown that will not be a problem with this beer, I'm just itching to really dissect this beer into its tasty elements.  Let's pour!

Aroma 10/12
The hops on the label do not lead the drinker astray.  The first aromas are a warm, piney hop, that is more "juniper berry" pine than it is "air freshener" pine.  It has that almost herbal quality to it.  There is a hint of straw aroma, but it is faint and fleeting.  Just when you think the hops have shown all their tricks, there is a citrus that brightens up the pine hops.  Very neat.  At first, it is difficult to find any malts behind this wreath of hops, but eventually a dark roast becomes detectable.  This dark roast hints at rye and smokey characteristics, but none come close to usurping the hops as the primary aroma.

Appearance 3/3
Generous, but not overdone head comes from a moderately aggressive pour, and lingers like a in-law at a Christmas gathering.  Unlike the in-law, which only leaves dirty dishes and a funny smell, the head leaves a most attractive, thick lacing.  The beer appears as a coffee brown (in hue, not clarity), but when held to light reveals some surprising scarlets and magentas.  Nicely done.  Again, I reiterate what a pleasant surprise it is to find such a dark beer as a winter seasonal!

Flavor 17/20
This beer starts bitter and rarely lets up.  The dark roasted malts in the aroma now taste burnt, but the roast is still detectable later on.  The citrus provides a light backdrop to everything especially if you run the beer over the tip of the tongue.  The backbone is this citrus overtone, with the juniper hops and charred malts.  This just goes to show that there are lots of different ways to express bitter in a beer.  The roast is the longest lasting sensation before departing in to a finish that seems smoother than in the main mouthfeel.  The hops show a more grassy nature combined with their previous pine character.  This grass note allows the citrus to be showcased a bit more and the result is a satisfyingly fresh finish with a light-medium bitter.  Despite the starring role of the hops, the finish is not very dry.  The aftertaste is a slow-to-die aspirin bitter.

Mouthfeel 3/5
Not the most substantial mouthfeel here.  It's not a huge beer, but packs a wallop of bitter despite it's body.  The lighter body makes it more quaffable, but it doesn't accompany it with an overly-bubbly, annoying carbonation.  The carbonation is certainly present, but it is so tiny that it just barely foams up the beer inside the mouth.  The bottle says 6.3% ABV, but I never caught wind of it.

Overall Impression 8/10
Never again shall a hop head complain about not having a seasonal beer.  Not that this is a showcase for hops, but the bitter nature of it should make it a satisfying selection.  It's not the big beer by a long shot, but it is chuck-full of flavor.  It's drinkable, bitter, smells great, and has a helluva lot more guts than most beers available in a variety pack.

Total 41/50

I enjoyed this beer a lot.  Best of all, if you don't spend your holidays with craft beer people, then you can probably have all of the Snow Days in the variety pack to yourself.  It's a little too bitter for the masses, even if its smell could entice anybody.  The best part is, you probably CAN drink all of them in the variety pack.  The lighter mouthfeel, carbonation, and citrusy hops all make this beer one you can enjoy several of in one  sitting.  Not every beer can be a monster, that's a fact.  This beer is not a monster, nor extremely complex, but that doesn't mean it's not worth picking up.  Heck, I'd bring this as a sixer to a gathering of craft beer drinks or just casual drinkers.  I wouldn't expect all of them to drink it up, but there might be a brave soul or two you could convert.

Even a festive bottle cap!

New Belgium - Kick

I finally have the opportunity to break out some pumpkin beers!  Sure, I had a few during the season, but my health really didn't let me review any the way I would have liked.  It's time to make up for lost time.  Today's review is from New Belgium and their "Lips of Faith" series; something I have heard much about, but had little opportunity to try.  I have mixed feelings going into this bottle because of the following description:

"75% Ale brewed with pumpkin and cranberry juice, 25% ale aged in wooden barrels."


I love pumpkin beer and barrel-aged beer, so it sounds pretty good, right?  Unless you dislike cranberries, but who in their right mind could dislike such a holiday treat?  The answer: me.  I'm not a big fan of cranberries.  In fact, I'm sick of the way every decent juice in the grocery store (cherry, grape, etc, etc) feels the need to add cranberries to it.  Needless to say, this annoyance has definitely carried over when they add cranberries to beer.  However, since I haven't even tried it yet I suppose I should keep the belly aching to a minimum.  I hope you all appreciate this.  Let's pour!

Aroma 7/12
First sniffs of this beer were very unusual.  At first, I thought it had a bit of a skunked, German aroma to it, but  as the head settled it revealed itself as a strong musty smell.  This was accompanied by the sour of the cranberry, a very bready malt, and a bit of the barrel-aged wood.  At this point, it all came together and reminded me of an element of Left Hand's T.N.T, which was reminiscent of Campbell's Bean and Bacon soup. Granted, this is a much lighter hint of that aroma here than in the T.N.T., but it is still there. Very unusual.  Thankfully, as the beer warms it comes more into its element.  The tart, sweet cranberry aroma becomes stronger and joins with the bready malts to make it appealing and smell more like a gueuze than any sort of traditional fall seasonal.  It is only halfway through the bottle that the mild pumpkin peeks its head out ever so briefly and leaves a hint of spices in its wake.

Appearance 2/3
There isn't much of the "ruby-hued" shade promised on the bottle, but it's a good-looking beer nonetheless.  Its an ocher center with a lovely gold halo shining around the edges.  The occasional hue of tangerine orange is about the closest there is to ruby.  The head was small, even with an aggressive pour.  The bubbles were tiny and appeared more as a single white presence than an army of little, individual bubbles.  However, that white disc has covered my glass for some time now despite the undoubtedly high acid levels present in a beer involving cranberries

Flavor 15/20
Whoa!  This beer packs a sour punch right from the get-go!  The sour initial taste is quite dominant and refuses to loosen that grip in the backbone.  Though in the backbone we are also given a mild pumpkin mellowness and some great fall spices. The pumpkin can really be brought to light when holding the beer in the mouth and inhaling through the nose.  A slurp on the other hand helps bring out the wood from the barrel-aging process.  In fact, as the beers warms noticeably, the cranberry politely steps aside and lets this pumpkin/spice combo step in, but not without leaving us the bitter aftertaste of cranberries.  Very neat.  The finish is again sour, but fades into bitter and leaves the mouth salivating.  The aftertaste is a faint spice and nice notes from the barrels.

Mouthfeel 5/5
The mouthfeel has a lot of contrasting, pleasant things going on within it.  The pumpkin really seems to add a smoothness to this beer not usually found in lambics or tart/sour beers.  The carbonation, on the other hand, is quite abundant, but doesn't err by being prickly.  It's effervescent and what one comes to expect from a fruited or sour beer.  The body also feels more substantial that a sour or lambic.  This really seems all over the map, but I like what's happening.

Overall Impression 7/10
The previous sentence says it all.  "This beer is all over the map."  Sometimes this works in its favor and other times not.  The aroma is much more true to a gueuze than anything proposed on the bottle.  The flavor is certainly complex, but never seems to bring those flavors together to cohesion.  The mouthfeel is a great example of how seemingly conflicting characteristics can come together for something greater than its parts.

Total 36/50
This beer's ranking still earns it a "very good" ranking.  I appreciate experimentation more than the average drinker, but this did seem a but unusual in places.  First off, it seems that this beer is an attempt to mix a pumpkin seasonal with a cranberry gueuze.  In theory, sure, they're both foods one could find at a Thanksgiving dinner.  It should work, right?  Kinda.  While I wouldn't extend this theory to other Thanksgiving foods (I won't be putting gravy on my pecan pie anytime soon), this beer finds a way to make it work, even if the taste is unusual.

I must recommend that this beer be drank after warming a bit to truly get any of the pumpkin and spice behind the cranberry, musty, sour notes.  The experimentation is super appreciated.  Beer should never "settle" or be satisfied with traditional or status quo and this beer definitely is not settling for the norm.  It has a lot going for it in different areas: different flavors, different aromas, and different mouthfeels, but seldom to those come together for a true fusion or harmony of flavors.  If you're a gueuze-lover, a sour lover, or just appreciate anything involving Brettanomyces you'll probably dig this brew (not that I'm sure whether or not this beer has Brett, but it stands that if you like Brett, you'll like this beer).  I say give it a whirl, just be aware of what you're getting into.  Don't let the pumpkins on the bottle fool you. :)

On a side note, I didn't find out until I finished the bottle that this was a collaboration between Kim Jordan of New Belgium & Dick Cantwell of Elysian.  It's just one more reason to love the craft beer industry.  It's not the cut throat capitalism of nearly every other industry.  In craft beer, people come together to make new and exciting things all the time.  It makes me proud to be a small, small part of it.  Cheers everybody!