New Belgium: Fresh Hop & Yuzu

With the changing season comes changing beer... but this has nothing to do with that. Not really anyway. This is about two beers that have crossed my eyes and my lusting soul recently. I am sure you have heard me talking about them on Twitter or maybe Google+ but now that I finally tracked them down, it is time to drink them.

New Belgium Fresh Hop! Another Release from the Hop Kitchen Series. The second being French Aramis, and the first of the 4 for the year was Hoppy Bock. I already see people (10) drinking Rewind on Untappd but I have not found it yet. Soon... along with my Q4 Folly Pack!



I totally would have grabbed a bottle of this but it was hard to come by in my area... ok, it is not in my area. I had to travel north again. But oh well, in the name of beer!

I guess I kind of hid it in the photo but you can still see it is a very clean, golden ale with a billowy light, white head. The aroma smells of Salmon Safe Hops... wait... what?

Salmon Safe Oregon Hops: In a nutshell, it’s all about keeping the water clean at and downstream of agricultural areas. To get the certification, the farmer has to do a number of things, including: only use approved pesticides; only have pesticides applied by trained individuals; plant more than 100 feet from any waterway, have stormwater mitigation so that runoff from the fields goes into the ground and not a waterway. Visit salmonsafe.org for detailed information.

There goes New Belgium and their Sustainability again. But anyway, out of a pint glass I got a lovely floral aroma that was nice and smooth. A light touch of pine, but I got some really juicy flavors as I moved into this one. A touch of lemon, but mostly bright citrus with a mellow bitterness in the finish. A touch grassy and woody as well. The lacing this beer left behind was very beautiful. Fresh Hop had a nice full body and a great carbonation level. I wonder what this would have been like out of the bottle but I am glad to have had it from a keg.

This next beer has caused some stir, an Imperial Berliner Weisse? NO WAY!!! But, I had to try it, even if it is out of its normal realm. Lips Of Faith Yuzu.



I kind of think I should have put my glass up front... but I guess that is for next time. Another very cleanly presented beer from New Belgium. No doubts about that but how would it live it to the style? Or would it taste well out of style?

I found the flavors came across quite light, juicy, and sweet. Now I have never had a Yuzu but apparently they are becoming all the rage. Several breweries have used them now, or at least I noticed it after having this beer. Maybe it was the high gravity of this one but it came across as a bit malty with a medium body. A nice touch of sour throughout that was pronounced in the finish and I am pretty sure in the nose, Yuzu is what I was picking up. A very tasty, tasty brew. Any doubts I had going in were no longer there.

Cheers!

Hop Kitchen: French Aramis

I recently had the first beer in the New Belgium Hop Kitchen Series and was excited to see the next one in their line up was so close to release. I was lucky to get my hands on this beer as fast as I did. Beer Drinker Rob over at Daily Beer Review got quite a sampling of beer from New Belgium as they are currently entering their market and sent me over a bottle.

I really owe him one... but that is because of another bottle he sent me. You will see about that one in due time... Just need to figure out when to crack it open. Back to French Aramis, they say you need to drink IPA's fresh, so I guess before it is officially released qualifies quite well, no?



French Aramis poured pretty hazy and the gold color it gave off made it look a little milky in combination, with a fluffy white head. The nose was pretty light. That one threw me for a surprise, granted I have no idea what a French Aramis hop is like, so maybe this are all properly in place. Grassy and a little oniony... or something, maybe this is an herbal hop? The descriptions on the bottle lead me to believe that.

An interesting presence of bitterness, a light carbonation, a bit dry in the finish, lemon flavors and that onion I thought I picked up in the nose stuck with me, too. I thought this was an odd beer, I was not alone in my thoughts, though. I guess for now I wait for the next beers in the Lips Of Faith series and new Hop Kitchen releases.

Cheers!

Lips Of Faith: Paardebloem, Pluot, & Hop Kitchen: Hoppy Bock

This has to be a first for me. Two brand new Lips Of Faith Beers, and two that I was not all to crazy about. These two beers had some very promising factors about them, too. The first one I opened up was Paardebloem, an ale brewed...

Using dandelion greens to bitter a Belgian-style ale blossomed from our brewers collaborating with Red Rock Brewing. These being our sixth interpretation together since 2008, expect a wonderfully complex ale fermented with wild Belgian yeast and blended with just a touch of wood-aged beer. Bitterness imparted from dandelion greens and grains of paradise will have you blowing wishes for sips.

This was a hazy beer and rather orange. Big white fluffy head that was short lived. Earthy and floral notes on the nose with a little bit of funk. A touch sour on the opening, grassy, and that little Belgian twang you tend to get in some Belgian beers that pokes its head out as you head into the finish. This one just did not work for me.

The other, Pluot. I had my first Pluot while working at Fred Meyer in college. The produce section there is pretty amazing. It is so weird seeing the setups that are on the East Coast. Maybe I better setup for a move back. I think it is very interesting that someone thought to put it into a beer. Hell, I thought up some crazy things, (not many actually make it into the kettle), but never using hybrid fruit.

Hook up a plum with an apricot and they’ll make you a pluot. This sweet hybrid fruit is as refreshing as it is strange, and it’s the perfect starting point for our new Lips of Faith beer. Pluot Ale pours a bright, light golden. The aroma is full of fruit tones and distinct esters from blending the funky brettanomyces and our house Belgian ale yeast. The flavor carries the same weight, adding a spicy, vinous subtlety to stand up against the malt backbone. To build a beer around this worldly fruit is purely Belgian in imagination. Pour some Pluot and enjoy!

I found this one a bit better but I just don't know where it was going. A crystal clear beer with an off white head, funky, fruity, and musty on the nose. Sweet juices up front and a big malt presence. Very full bodied and dry in the finish. You get a bit of a twang in this one as well but I cannot see myself drinking more than just this bottle of it. The last time I felt this way about a Lips Of Faith beer was, Cocoa Mole. I had it a few times after my first time but I was still unsure as to what to think. Maybe I will come across this again... maybe not?

While I am at it, why not throw the first beer in the Hop Kitchen into here as well, Hoppy Bock. The next one should be out in about a week, though I guess it depends on your retailer. I am hoping to get it before long but I am also traveling... that may have an impact. Positive or Negative?

I am very jealous that Beer Drinker Rob over at Daily Beer Review got to taste French Aramis before me... What seems odd about that? The fact that New Belgium is not officially released in Florida yet and that this beer was not released. It was even delivered by Bike Courier. Oh, well. I will get my hands on it at some point.

A German-style springtime lager brewed with rye then loaded with Hallertauer, Perle and Fuggle hops for a spicy, earthy aroma. This Hoppy Bock Lager offers a medium body and slightly sweet malt character perfect for your spring hop-fling.

This one I did enjoy. It was awesome how the hops just jumped out of the bottle of this beer and into the air around you. It was almost like bliss... but that is reserved for La Folie or 1554... This was overall just a nice beer in my eyes. A bit earthy, spicy, clean, crisp, but the hops that you smelled did not get in the way of the flavor of this beer. It was not highly bittered, it was just right I feel... Though, after looking over the fact that it is 70IBU's thick, I take it the brewers spent a good amount of time making sure it was balanced.

So, until the next Lips Of Faith beers are released, This quarters beers are brought to you by the letter P!

Cheers!