The Trip XI, XII, and Tart Lychee

New Belgium and Elysian Brewery. Ever since I first got into beer, and craft beer, I have loved New Belgium. As you probably already know, I am one of their biggest fanboys... and I love it! I am visiting their brewery in the next few days and it would take death to keep me from getting there and I cannot think of one thing that I would dislike about my visit. I hope they are as super awesome as I expect... though, I am sure I would do something to anybody that helped me out in order to keep my high expectations of New Belgium where I feel they should be. I know I should not love a company this much, but really, they have been nothing but good to me. From my first taste of Fat Tire to my latest taste of Tart Lychee, I cannot think of anything I hate about them. This trip will be heaven for me. If I don't make it... I really don't know what to say... I will probably post me crying for hours and hours. Just saying.

So when it comes to the Collaboration between the two breweries, I wish I got into beer sooner. I was really hopeful when I heard about the Trip Series but I shortly found out they are brewed once and then forgot about for life... How does this make me feel being I heard about it from about the time The Trip V was out but I was not able to make it to the brewery until The Trip IX. Yeah, think about it... but it's alright. I mean, there is a lot of beer that I missed out on but there is so much that I am in love with at this point in time. So here we go. Maybe I just got the best of the world and I will continue to see it as it develops, evolves, and makes the world a better place.




This brings us to The Trip XI. I loved pretty much everything about this beer. It was a great Farmhouse Ale. I look for these things all the time when I am out and about in the beer world but they are still hard to find. So my thoughts? Great earthy nose, farmhouse yeast and sage up front. Sweet, spicy, medium mouthfeel, grassy finish. Getting toward the end of the bottle the flavor was all that much more better. In the beginning I guess I was missing the dregs from the bottom of the bottle but they brought a whole new layer of complexity to the beer. It mellowed out a lot, not that the beer was on edge in any way but I think the Saison feel I was looking for was lost at the bottom. I wish I would have shaken it up a little bit or they sold this in 12oz bottles rather than the 22oz bomber.




The Trip XII I thought was very mellow for todays IPAs. I love it. It's more about the hop balance and the flavors of the adjuncts, i.e. the Pink Peppercorn. I think that the peppercorns are really mellow... not that I really know what a Pink Peppercorn is but it isn't hot like I expected. Very nice. A tad sweet initially but quickly chopped down by hops and a bit of spice. Full bodied for sure. They did not want to skimp on any layer of this beer. I love the low carbonation. Truly excellent in every way.

The next beer here... Yeah, Tart Lychee... I have only heard GREAT things about. I cannot believe that I have kept the bottle this long and have not ran out and bought every bottle in every shop that I have seen. I was really hoping it lived up to my expectations. I hate how everyone around me has been enjoying the shit out of this beer and I have been living in the darkness, so here we go...




This beer is one of those that I see myself, (and others), falling in love with more and more each time they have it. It was a damn good, slightly, sour. The twang it had gave it a character that I have never noticed in a beer before and then the sweetness was very nice and the thing you will remember about this beer. It was a bit juicy, like the fruits you would expect to have on an island. I have no idea what a lychee is or what it taste like but if it is anything like the flavor of this beer, they are a new favorite. Right up there with Kiwi's and Pineapples. The beer had a dry finish but it made me come back for more. Incredible. Everyone is buying these bottles out so I must find some more before it is gone. I love the Lips of Faith series so much so this isn't a surprise but hey. I hope this is on tap when I get to the brewery. Also, La Folie and maybe some other creations that I have yet to have or ones that I missed, though, those are from long years past and I am unsure if they are still brewed.

Cheers!