Tuesday, March 06, 2007

New Belgium Springboard Ale

I am a pretty big fan of New Belgium. Outside of their Fat Tire, which has become a little less of a beer than it once was, I find their beers wonderful. So when I saw their new spring beer on shelf at my local Central Market I picked it up.
The Beer: The ingredients include wormwood (yes that mystical ingredient used in the elixir absynthe), Goji Berries, and Schisandra. Pretty exotic to say the least, and it piqued my interest. The beer weighs in at a robust 6.2%. The beer poured a cloudy golden color reminiscent of the Belgian Golden ales. Capped by a puffy white head. The nose was full of tartness, and fruit. The mouth was full, with low carbonation so it coated the tongue. White berry flavors showed up first with little bits of hops at the end. There is some sweetness but it is not from malt. There is another flavor that I just couldn't put my finger on what it was. This is a nice refreshing beer, somewhat complex, but missing anything that would make it great. Here's what the folks over at BA had to say.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm a Fat Tire fan through and through, but I have to admit, Springboard is a really good beer. Definitely worth a try.

One strange thing about it - I drink Fat Tire by the pitcher (from my kegerator). But, three Springboards, and I'm definitely buzzing. I'm in the middle of a 6 pack of Springboard, and I should be totally hammered (at a rate of 1 per hour) by the time the sixer is hissed.

I'm not a lightweight, but this beer has something that I've never experienced with no other beer. Good stuff.