Brews and Blues Beer and Smokin’ Blues

Skinny Dip

I went up to Gail's Hops and Grapes this afternoon to pick up a couple sixers to cover me for the weekend since my homebrew stash is getting rather low. I decided to try out a couple new summer seasonals beginning with New Belgium Brewing's Skinny Dip Beer. 

As I was reading the label on the Skinny Dip, I saw something that really struck me as being odd in the beer world.  This beer is labeled as a summer seasonal brew which traditionally means you have a lighter bodied beer that is a little lower than normal in alcohol and normally seasoned with a hint of fruit.  This beer, however, plainly stated "full-bodied."  That comment made me curious, so I decided to give it a try.

Skinny Dip pours with a rich golden color and a nice foamy head that sticks around in a thinner form for the entire glass.  This is a sweet malty beer with some noticeable hop presence, but the kaffir lime comes through in the aroma a little more than in the flavor, but it does show a presence.  My opinion of the body of this brew is not quite "full" but a little more on the medium side.  At 4.2% ABV, this beer is what I like to call a summer quaffer or even a lawnmower beer.  You can work this brew all afternoon without getting too sloshed to do anything else ;)

I'm still looking forward to brewing my own 'summer quaffer' on Sunday afternoon...