New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

	Percentile
	88
	overall

Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Traditional Ale
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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Ratings	Average	Score	ABV	Style Pctl	Serve in
1098	3.51/5.0	3.51/5.0	5.6%	91.6	Dimpled 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 Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and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.

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bradlyc77 (226), Sebastopol, California, USA

3.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.4	7/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	14/20

Mar 8, 2009

Pours dark brown with small tan head that fades. Aroma is of belgian yeast, spicy, with some citrus. Taste is slightly tart (with minor fruit/apricot), chocolate, caramel, fig, hints of spice, and a little biscuit. Some moderate hops bitterness rounding out the malt. Pretty good.

Cavie (1369), Fort Worth, Texas, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	14/20

Mar 6, 2009

Chocolately! It had a nice dark pour with chocolate notes on the nose. Taste was a good mixture of sweet and bitter. I like it!

ddelk (14), McKinney, Texas, USA

3.2	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.2	6/10	4/5	6/10	3/5	13/20

Mar 6, 2009

12 oz. bottle. Pours a deep brown with an off white, nearly tan head. Aromas of burnt toffee and dark chocolate with a slight hints of oak and liquid smoke. Flavor is less impactful than expected with a malty, woodsy start that fades into a dark chocolate, somewhat chalky finish. Not bad.

Magjayran (1379), Durham, North Carolina, USA

3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3	6/10	3/5	6/10	3/5	12/20

Mar 5, 2009

Dark brown beer with a tan head. Caramel and slight molasses in the aroma. Thin with some roasted malt and a bit of caramel and toffee. Really pretty dull.

fidelis83 (712), Clinton, Iowa, USA

3.8	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.8	7/10	3/5	8/10	4/5	16/20

Mar 5, 2009

Pours dark caramel brown with a 3 finger creamy tan head that has great retention. Aroma is caramel, roast, lots of chocolate, fig and fresh grain. Flavor is chocolate, roast, ashy wood notes, another shot of slightly drier chocolate and some pear notes. Finish is roast, chocolate and a mild charred bitterness that seems like it must be from the malt because it really seems devoid of hop notes. Palate is smooth medium to thin and has a slightly chalky feel. Overall it is a really nice, smooth, easy to drink would go well in the place of a schwarzbier or porter.

dwaggs2 (534), Lee’s Summit, Missouri, USA

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	7/10	3/5	7/10	2/5	14/20

Mar 4, 2009

Bottle. Poured a black color with a two finger head. Very smooth and decent to drink. Aroma was some roasted malts and fruits. Flavor was chocolate and other roasted flavors. Very good.

curly (575), Nashville, Tennessee, USA

3.2	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.2	6/10	3/5	6/10	3/5	14/20

Mar 1, 2009

Color is a nearly opaque ruby red with a short lasting tan head. Just a bit of sweetness on the nose but nothing overwhelming. Taste is chocolate, mocha and a slight tart fruitiness. A nice and creamy beer, easy drinking.

ljstephenson (112), Lawton, Oklahoma, USA

3.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.4	7/10	3/5	6/10	3/5	15/20

Mar 1, 2009

Dark brown pour with a moderate tan head, very sweet and caramel aroma, taste is a bit toasted with strong caramel, finishing dry and toasted.

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