New Belgium Rolle Bolle

This is another brew which we picked up on the trip to Peoria. I have no idea why, but New Belgium is not available in Ohio, despite them being one of the biggest craft brewers in the United States. I've enjoyed most everything I've had from them, and we have a few more of their selections to come.

This is their summer seasonal, a Belgian pale ale brewed with soursop and monkfruit. Now I don't know about you, but I love playing The Sims. It's one of those games I can play for hours on end. When Nathan and I started dating, we'd enjoy Saturday nights in with craft beer, The Sims and 'za. Those were some of my favorite nights. Soursop is a fruit in The Sims, and I totally had no idea until this year that it was an actual fruit. I'm pretty sure I've never consumed it, and I can't think of the last time I had monkfruit. This should prove interesting, but it's triggering happy memories from early in our relationship.

Rolle Bolle pours a pale straw color with a moderate white head. The aroma is pretty faint, with hints of tropical fruits and a certain astringency not found in most beers. Taking a sip, it tastes as light as it looks. It's not as fruit-forward as I expected. There are vague hints of tropical fruits, white wine, fresh grass, and just a tinge of cracker flavor from the malt. It's not offensively Belgian, with the yeast esters being quite mild. It finishes quite dry, like a white wine. It would be a great lawn-mowing beer, ideal for a really hot summer day. It feels a tad bit stronger than the 5.5% ABV would indicate.

Honestly, I'm a little underwhelmed by this. It's good... it's just meh. Maybe it's because it's not 1000 degrees in here, like it was last night. Maybe it's because I was expecting more. Maybe it's because I'm just not feeling it that much.

4.01/5 caps

-Jennie

New Belgium, as of the end of 2012, is the 3rd largest producer of craft beer in America (behind Boston Brewing Co [Sam Adams] and Sierra Nevada). They distribute to all but 18 states (mostly New England and the eastern part of the Midwest), Ohio not being one of them, but yet Indiana and that state up north are able to obtain them. Not really fair, as Ohio is a huge beer drinking state. But enough about that, beer time.

As Jennie stated, pours a pale straw color. By now, most of the head has dissipated (as I took a shower while Jennie took lead), but there is a small amount of white head that is lingering. The aroma is caramel, fruit and almost like a sour-like note. Wow, this has a light flavor. There are only hints of fruit (almost a lychee flavor) and grass. There is a faint, lingering tartness toward the backend of this. This drinks like water and finishes dry. Definitely a lawn-mowing beer. Yes, I pretty much reiterated what Jennie said, but she described it perfectly.

Not bad, just not what I expected.

3.8/5 caps

-Nathan-