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New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

Percentile
88
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
10983.51/5.03.51/5.05.6%91.6Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard
Commercial Description:
Born of a flood and centuries-old Belgian text, 1554 Enlightened Black Ale uses a light lager yeast strain and dark chocolaty malts to redefine what dark beer can be. In 1997, a Fort Collins flood destroyed the original recipe our researcher, Phil Benstein, found in the library. So Phil and brewmaster, Peter Bouckaert, traveled to Belgium to retrieve this unique style lost to the ages. Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and mouthfeel.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 Collint (453), Sylva, North Carolina, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/514/20
Mar 27, 2009  
Bottle, pours a dark amber with a fine thin head. Aroma is sweet malty with a light nose of hops. Flavor is sweet malty and roasty, mouthfeel is clean. End is a little bit dry. Decent beer


 FlssmrBrewAlum (1109), Lisle, Illinois, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/514/20
Mar 25, 2009  
12 oz bottle courtesy of the Binnys Singles Rack (Orland Park, IL). I’ve had this a few times before, but finally grabbed a bottle to enjoy and rate. Pours a nice dark reddish brown, largely clear, with fairly big tannish head that bubbles and laces. Aromas are light, chocolate and light darker malts, a touch of coffee, with light fruity sweetness. Initial is fairly light on the palate, medium to light bodied, with light roast, cocoa, and coffee mixed with some light fruity sweetness balancing the bitterness. Smooth and sessionable, with a decent flavor profile. A touch biscuity and caramel notes. Nice, sessionable, a little light overall.


 Dastrn (115), Warsaw, Indiana, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/105/516/20
Mar 24, 2009  
Brown, almost black, with a creamy tan head and some decent lacing. The nose was subtle, with chocolate and expresso. Flavor was chocolate malts, dark roast coffee, and just a bare hint of raspberry. Very smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Superbly drinkable. I LOVE this beer.


BritAlesRule (84), Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/56/104/514/20
Mar 24, 2009  
Dark brown to near black hue. Nice creamyish foam head with excellent lacing. Nose of plummy chocolate. Surprisingly the palate is not too heavy. Chocolate malts and some very mild hop to balance. Very clean taste. Decent beer.


 angrypirate06 (706), Texas, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/56/104/513/20
Mar 23, 2009  
12oz bottle. Big foamy head with a dark brown, clear color. Smells of biscuits, goldfish, yeat. Nice coffee flavor and heavily roasted malts. Gently fizzy and nice mouthfeel, with a bit of smoky flavor as well.


 durhambeer (1200), Durham, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/56/103/514/20
Mar 22, 2009  
Beautiful red/brown pour with pillowy off-white head. Sweet chocolatey malt nose. A bit sharp and a tad bit of smoke. More of the smoke and a slightly richer chocolate/toffee taste, though still a very light beer. More smoke quality than expected based on other ratings. Decent.


LawBadger (24), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/104/57/103/515/20
Mar 20, 2009  
22 oz bottle: Pours a rich reddish brown with a hardy tan head. Aroma of malt, caramel, and a slight coffee or brown sugar. A very surprising flavor of chocolate, nuts, caramel, and coffee. Definitely not what I expected, but a good beer nonetheless.


grikmok (92), Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/56/101/515/20
Mar 18, 2009  
Pours into a dark chocolate beer with a tan head that dissipated very quickly. The aromas of coffee and roasted malts were prevalent. Initial flavors of coffee and ended with a bitter sweet chocolate taste. Not a bad beer.



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