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New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale - Traditional Ale

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 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 
10893.51/5.03.51/5.05.6%91.1Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard
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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 Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and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?  
 ROGUE (621), Newark, Delaware, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/514/20
Dec 11, 2008  
12oz bottle. Pours very dark reddish brown with a creamy tan head. Aroma of bitter chocolate and coffee. Tastes of the aroma with bread and a slight fruitiness. A medium body that is smooth and creamy. A good beer with the flavors of a porter or stout without the heaviness.


 Pawola22 (676), Kansas City, Missouri, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/513/20
Dec 7, 2008  
12 oz bottle. Pours a brown body with a small, creamy tan head. Dissipates quickly and leaves minimal lacing. Aroma is roasted malts, caramel, toffee, chocolate, and nutty. Hints of berry fruit backing and herbal spices. Taste is similar and actually better than I was expecting, but still a little dull. Roasty, sweet caramel maltiness, and toffee up front with a slightly berry chocolate finish. Medium to full bodied with a nice balance. Overall, I think this beer is pretty good. Not loaded with taste or complexity, but very drinkable and enjoyable.


Velcroshoes (1), Azle, Texas, USA
does not count click to see why this rating of New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale does not count
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/517/20
Dec 4, 2008  
great flavor out of all ive tried. goes down smooth for a dark ale. overall very good beer.


SoberCajun (49), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/57/103/515/20
Nov 29, 2008  
Pours dark brown with slight tan head. Nice smoky malt characters in the aroma, very drinkable, but a little bit too thin for my taste. For a darker beer of this kind I would like a bit more substance. Good balance though, worth a try. A kind of Porter-Lite flavor in my opinion.


 scooterbub (332), Lander, Wyoming, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/104/515/20
Nov 29, 2008  
Bottle. Pours a nice, dark red-brown and has a decent tan head that slowly fades. Taste is of roasted malt, caramel, chocolate, fruit, smoke and is slightly sweet. Aroma is much the same. Has a nice aftertaste, but feels kind of watery. Overall, a very enjoyable brew that is satisfying and worth purchasing again.


 punkeedo (465), San Antonio, Texas, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/103/516/20
Nov 28, 2008  
2008 Bottle. A nice American version of the more potent, more complex Belgian ale. Dark, sweet aroma, accompanied with a sweet nutty flavor. Seemed watery--probably just because of the lower alcohol content than its Belgian cousins. Not a bad brew.


 Theis (3617), Denmark
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/516/20
Nov 21, 2008  
Draught at New Belgium Brewery. Dark dark brown - offwhite head. Roasted, ryebread, licorice, berries, dark fruits, dark berries, light sweetness, chocolate, dryness. Nice.


 RedSox2004 (353), Pacific Palisades, California, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/56/103/514/20
Nov 21, 2008  
12 oz. bottle pours deep blood red/dark brown with a one-finger head that dissipates quickly to a thin ring. Minimal lacing. Strong roasted, almost burnt, coffee aromas dominate, supported by bicuity malts and toffee. Taste is similar: complex smoky, sweet malts with coffee, toffee and little in terms of offsetting hops bitterness. Smooth, slightly thin mouthfeel, with a clean, dry aftertaste.



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