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 Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and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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checkmatei1 (630), Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	7/10	5/5	8/10	4/5	15/20

Jan 16, 2009

Draft - Poured a black color with a thin head. The aroma was sweet malts. The flavor was sweet roasted malts with some chocolate present and a very small touch of coffee. The beer was almost like a porter but not as heavy. This was probably my favorite session beer in Fort Collins while I was there. I probably drank about 10 of these and boy did they go down smooth.

nqualls (1429), Nashville, Tennessee, USA

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	6/10	4/5	8/10	2/5	13/20

Jan 15, 2009

22 oz bottle purchased at Frugal MacDoogal’s in Nashville. Poured a black color with a thin brown head. The aroma was sweet with some roasted malt notes. The flavor was roasted malt with chocolate present as well. The body was way too thin on this beer. The carbonation was good and the mouthfeel was clean, but the body was too thin.

SynergyXJ (506), Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

3.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.1	4/10	5/5	7/10	3/5	12/20

Jan 6, 2009

Bottle, #437. Black pour with creamy head and good lacing. Light sweet aroma and flavor. Watery finish. Not as good as expected, but still good.

wcampbell (576), Central, South Carolina, USA

3.2	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.2	6/10	4/5	6/10	4/5	12/20

Jan 6, 2009 Updated: Nov 8, 2009

Not too much going on here, but decent and drinkable. Could have used some more strength for the style. Lightly sweet, chocolate flavor. Watery finish, light carbonation, low head. Faint roasted aroma. Pretty boring actually.

nick76 (2646), Tampa, Florida, USA

2.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
2.9	6/10	4/5	6/10	3/5	10/20

Jan 6, 2009

The aroma is odd with both roasted malt and hops but also a yeast smell that is unique as well as some chocolate and earthiness. The appearance is brown with an average head. The flavor is like the aroma. The palate is smooth but a tad thin. Overall I like it but its not a favorite.

haggis03a3 (135), Piedmont, California, USA

3.6	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.6	6/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	16/20

Jan 2, 2009

Dark, nearly black color, tan head. Roasted, chocolate, malt, earthy aroma. Roasted bitterness balances out the sweetness. Very drinkable, good body goes very well with food.

Barrios (852), Nashville, Tennessee, USA

3.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.4	7/10	4/5	7/10	3/5	13/20

Dec 26, 2008

Draft at Woodys. Nice tan head, decent lacing. Dark brown color. Nice medium body. Roasty, toasty, slightly smoky flavors. Roasty nose. A bit sweet.

knights97 (80), Tennessee, USA

3.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.1	6/10	3/5	6/10	3/5	13/20

Dec 25, 2008 Updated: Jun 3, 2009

Grabbed a bottle down at Fresh Market, has a great aroma and smells of a hint of coffee grounds. Dark brown body, that is smooth with a taste of a coffee and smoky flavor to it, very good beer. Smooth in taste

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