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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 Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and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?  
 thejoeshow (232), Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Aug 4, 2008  
12 oz bottle. Pours a deep dark brown with a nice beige head that leaves a nice level of lacing. Nose is of burnt coffee and a hint of chocolate and spice....I almost get red hots but not quite. Taste mimics the aroma (minus the red hots) lots of roasted flavors and hints of coffee weave in and out. Very smooth and easy to drink, especially for people that "don’t like dark beers". They should try this. nice and easy, full of flavor.


 ericandersnavy (1051), crossroads, Texas, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/104/513/20
Aug 1, 2008  
bottle thanks to metzlers in denton tx. poured black with a tan head. aroma was sweet, dark fruits, and dark roasts. flavor was sweet with chocolate. low carb with a little dryness. this was my second beer by NB and i like this brewer.


 mrant (330), New York, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/57/104/514/20
Jul 30, 2008  
Smells pleasantly of sweet sticky caramel malts. Taste is nice rich dark chocolaty coffee flavor. Very nice, the best out of their mix pack


 FatPhil (3467), Espoo, Finland
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/514/20
Jul 30, 2008  
355ml bottle (Beertopia, NE)
Very dark brown, healthy off-white head. Initial soy sauce aroma, but that fades into a rich chocolate quickly. Soft carbonation, succulent in the mouth. Feels a tad sweet, and a few fruity aromas rise up the nose as it’s in the mouth. Followed by a slightly burnt roastiness in the taste. Fruity esters quite prominent, but the finish is back to soft dark chocolate. Late finish picks up some fruity hops. Light, but full-bodied, all-round solid beer, very tasty and quaffable.


 Maddog (234), Kettering, Ohio, USA
2.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/55/103/510/20
Jul 30, 2008  
Bottle from the brewery. I don’t know too much about this style, but I am certainly curious. The color is dark brown with amber and the lingering head is an impressive creamy tan. The aroma consists of cocoa and the flavor is that of faint chocolate. Not much to say about this beer. It is medium bodied without much in the way of flavor. A very mild beer, refreshing, but not one from New Belgium that I would purchase again.


Edgekrusher (83), , Alabama, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/56/103/513/20
Jul 30, 2008  
Bottle. Pours a clear dark brown with 2 finger rocky tan head and really nice lacing. Nose is lactic with coffee and cocoa. Taste is coffee up front, roasty barley and yeast with a bitter chocolate finish. Medium, semi-creamy mouth feel. Decent beer.


 sneagrams3 (1738), St. Louis, Missouri, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/104/514/20
Jul 29, 2008  
Tasted 7/29/08. 12oz bottle. Dark brown hue with a clinging khaki head. Mildly malty nose. Medium bodied with a high drinkability. Smooth malts and mild hops. Low effervescence. Subtle cocoa and licorice flavors. Fudgy. Sticky. Subtle smokey quality. Great malt dominant session!


 HonkeyBra (1319), Lemont, Illinois, USA
3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/56/103/512/20
Jul 29, 2008  
Honestly, I’d written this one off a while ago based on not really liking fat tire. Overall, though, I’m pretty impressed. Nice nutty, caramel, roasty aroma. Good burnt, roasty flavor with some dark fruit and wood notes. Overall, pretty good ale..



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