New Belgium Dig

New Belgium is, once again, a huge brewery that we cannot obtain in Ohio. This would be our 3rd brew from them that we've reviewed (other two being Ranger and Rolle Bolle). And I just realized this makes out 196th posting here on the blog.

This pours a darker amber color, initially having a small amount of light caramel head. This is a lot darker than most pale ales that I've seen. The only info I can find on this is 5.6% ABV, no idea on the IBUs, but is brewed with Sorachi Ace, Nelson Sauvin, Cascade and Centennial hop strains. Sounds pleasant. The aroma is an interesting blend of caramel, citrus and cracker. The flavor is eh. There's an initial watery taste followed by a mild blast of citrus, tropical, earthy all at once, rounding into a caramel note with a slight lingering bitterness having almost a mango-like flavor. Interesting, yes. Lighter body with a slight resin on the residual mouthfeel. Little carbonation.

4/5 caps

-Nathan-

So, there are Rampant rumors that New Belgium will actually be distributed in Ohio once their new Asheville, NC, brewery is up and running. Ha, see what I did there? Rampant is one of New Belgium's IPAs (and why we didn't pick some up in Illinois, I can't recall). Regardless, it looks like they are nearing deconstruction on the site and have about a 22-month construction projection, so I'm guessing we'll see them here somewhere around the middle of 2015. Sigh.

When I looked at the beer after it was poured, my initial comment was, "Well, that's the darkest pale ale I've seen." It is, indeed, a darker amber color. My partner-in-crime's description of the aroma was pretty spot-on. I am not getting the initial blast of citrus, but I do pick up a lot of earthy, mineral notes early, maybe a hint of grapefruit, the caramel that Nathan mentioned, and the tropical fruit and lingering bitterness. Let's discuss that for a moment... it's almost like a shock on my tongue, the finish is so dry and bitter (much like my sense of humor). Yet there's also a little sticky sweetness left on my tongue afterwards. It's interesting. I don't find it nearly as watery as Nathan does.

Huh. Mango in a belch. I'm Dig-ging that. Ugh, the beer puns are starting to take over. Let's wrap this up quickly.

To review, this is a decent pale ale, almost British in style, but I think it's fairly well done. Nelson Sauvin is a strain that I'm still getting to know, and it adds an interesting note to this. It's a milder hop strain from New Zealand (who hasn't seen the weather affecting hop crops as much as in the United States the last few years). It definitely adds a certain zest to the beers I've had with that strain in them. I also enjoy the full body of the brew. And, most importantly, I look forward to trying a whole lot more of New Belgium's brews over the next few years.

4.2/5 caps

-Jennie