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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 Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and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?  
 jujubeast6000 (772), Houston, Texas, USA
2.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/55/103/59/20
Oct 23, 2007  
(bottle BB 22Feb08): Pours a dark brown color. Reddish fringes. .Dull-white head, diminishing. Chocolately roasted aroma. Malts. Dry taste, dusty chocolately taste. Watery, with a dull taste. Some malts.


 Feinschmecker (176), Seattle, Washington, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/56/103/515/20
Oct 23, 2007  
Bottle. Very dark malty aroma with a dark, dark brown color. It is better to enjoy this at a warmer temp, otherwise the flavor is not that great. There is not any beer I know of that is similar.


 Maverick34 (686), New York, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/104/513/20
Oct 20, 2007  
Bottled. Pours darky dark. Caramel and coffee. Thin tasting so drinkable.


 CasperQuaffer (142), Casper, Wyoming, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/57/103/514/20
Oct 20, 2007  
Pours with good deep tan head, dark brown color. Aroma of cocoa and a bit of orange zest. Taste - bread and chocolate with a touch of coffee and caramel. Aftertaste is sweet, but not too sticky. Body a little thin. This one is an easy pick, time and again.


 Mrthirstyneck (341), Minnesota, USA
3.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/103/517/20
Oct 17, 2007  
mine was called enlightened back ale?? anyways kinda liked this alot nice beer unique taste kinda sweet but burnt maybe hard to explain but nice deep blackis color and smooth to drink kinda watery though


 TheLeadDog (101), Kent, Washington, USA
2.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
4/104/55/104/510/20
Oct 17, 2007  
To me all of New Belgium beer tastes like Mac and Jack’s. 2 Below, Fat Tire, And now this 1554. There is a little more roasted malt flavor and a nice dark color but when you taste it you think "This tastes like Fat Tire.


 redlight (1445), Winter Park, Florida, USA
3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/104/55/103/513/20
Oct 17, 2007  
Rich dark malts on the nose. Pours black with a tan head. Smooth flavors, dark and rich malts, with an earthy hop flavor. I haven’t had this in a few years it seems thicker than i remember? Not bad, but the flavor is a little lacking.


 hombrepalo (745), Chicago, Illinois, USA
2.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/103/56/103/512/20
Oct 15, 2007  
Tap, No real head. Light raisin, some plum and thin chocolate in the nose. Nearly nothing in the mouth. Faint flavor. Expected more from this beer, could be better.



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