New Belgium’s Hoptober Golden Ale
Here's another beer that I picked up from Gail's Hops and Grapes recently as I started collecting some of the fall seasonals for tasting. There is definitely one thing I need to keep in mind about New Belgium Brewing in Ft. Collins, Colorado. They are definitely outside of the box. What you might expect from the isn't always, or usually, what you will get. I like this beer, but I'm going to whine a little about it as well...
This beer poured a beautiful golden color as possibly anticipated by the Golden Ale on the label. The head was nice and foamy and left a fantastic lacing on the glass. The lacing was pretty enough that I almost wanted to make a photo of that... The hop presence in this beer is duly noted by the name of the beer and the flavor and aroma that arises from this glass. This beer has a rather light and crisp body which is representative of some of my favorite summertime drinks, but the hop bill here creates something rather delicious and new. From the bottle:
Five hops and four malts make HOPTOBER Golden Ale a veritable cornucopia of the earth. Pale and wheat malt are mashed with rye and oats to create a medium bodied ale with a cream mouth feel. Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, and Clacier hops form a bonfire of citrus notes, fruity cheers and a bold finale.
I can't really argue with any of that. This is an excellent beer at 40 IBU and 6.0% ABV. My bitch with this beer is simply that it ain't what I was lookin' for. I only wish they had named this beer something else. Any beer name that contains, alludes to, or summons the idea of the month of October in its name must contain caramel and toasted malt notes with medium to heavy body and an amber to orange hue and minimal hop notes ;) I think New Belgium's offering could very appropriately be named "Harvest Ale" or something along those lines...
Maybe I'm just getting to be old enough that change isn't something I can deal with as easily :)
September 17th, 2009 - 08:44
I hear that “old” thing.