Brewery: New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, Colorado
Beer: Lips of Faith Brett Beer (a collaboration with The Lost Abbey)
Serving: 22 oz bottle
Glassware: New Belgium globe glass
Information: 7.5% ABV, jumbled numbers on bottom of label.
Style: American Wild Ale
Price: $7.99 / bottle
Availability: Limited Release
Cellaring: Under proper conditions, this beer can be cellared for extended periods.
Pairings: Blackened chicken and steamed veggies, key lime pie.
Appearance
Small floating particles cloud the vibrantly golden beer and are continuously stirred up by a column of carbonation feeding the billowing, dense egg-shell head. Good retention is followed by sticky lace spattered on the glass.
Smell
Initially this Brett Beer from the Lips of Faith series smells like odd, over-ripe banana, not that far from what an infected hefeweizen would be like. As volatile aromas escape, this changes, quite drastically, to something a little more appealing; citrusy, tropical fruit notes while still carrying some funk. Freshly cut pineapple and juicy mango mix with a dash of citrus and floral hop notes. Pale malt is content residing towards the background, simply providing a base. The nicest part though, is the lemongrass, white pepper, and clay earthy, spicy notes that come through the finish.
Taste
Pale and pilsner-like sweet malt creates a base for the rest of the beer to play off of nicely. Bold fruitiness akin to the nose brings pineapple and mango while there’s quite a bit of lemony citrus too. The funk is fair, not intrusive, and relatively simple in the flavor.
Mouthfeel
The mouthfeel is much like the collaboration, meeting somewhere in the middle of different backgrounds. The malty sweetness is balanced by both moderate dry hops and bitterness but also a lightly tart finish from the brett. Faint alcohol perception, like the brett in the flavor, remains simple, not intrusive.
Overall
New Belgium and The Lost Abbey’s collaboration on the Lips of Faith Brett Beer isn’t as out-of-this-world as many of the wilds produced by The Lost Abbey, but Brett Beer remains a very well balanced and drinkable introductory wild; unoffensive and somewhat mainstream while still allowing some subtle nuances of the bacteria to be showcased throughout. A fine drinking beer for some of the hotter summer days while still packing a punch, you might consider sipping this lightly tart and slightly higher ABV beauty at family functions you don’t particularly care to be at.
Score: 82 / 100 - Very Good
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Cheers,
-Andy
