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New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale 3.51 1112

New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

Percentile
88
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
11123.51/5.03.51/5.05.6%91.8Dimpled 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 Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and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?  
 Crit (2417), New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/56/103/513/20
Jul 20, 2005  
Deep brown, small tan head.Pleasant dry/choc malt nose.Sweet malt profile with a hint of chocolate


 badlizard (2417), Berkeley, California, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/103/514/20
Oct 2, 2007  
Dark brown with creamy head. Roasted barley and slight chocolate aroma. Sweet milk chocolate with a mild roastiness to the taste and a fruity finish.


 Boutip (2412), Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/103/515/20
Sep 3, 2004  
Bottle: Poured a dark colored beer with a medium head with good retention. Aroma is comprised mostly of roasted malts with some subtle spice mix. Taste is quite different from what I expected and I would described as a mix between a dry stout and a Belgian ale. Roastiness is prevalent but you can still see the Belgian inspiration in this beer. Body is above average. Overall, this is a fine drink and I applaud the fact that the brewer tried to brew something different.


 Drew (2410), Kent, Ohio, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/57/103/514/20
Jul 12, 2004  
Toasty and slightly roasty, this has a nice sparkling black appearance and an easy to drink medium thick body. Hints of smoke and fruit float thru the flavors.


 eaglefan538 (2405), Wilmington, Delaware, USA
2.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/55/103/512/20
Jun 6, 2006  
Blah. Poured brown with red edges. Small head that dissipated quickly, but provided ok short-lived lacing on the edges. The aroma was funky, oaky, with some chocolate. The flavor was similar but with a sweetness that was again oaky. I don’t know, something about this bottle makes me feel like it has been around for that many years. Definitely comes across as a belgian schwarzbier, a combo that I’m not sure is a good thing.


 Vac (2394), San Diego, California, USA
3.8 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/515/20
Dec 5, 2004  
This brew pours with a dark reddish-brown body topped by a medium thick head with some lacing. The aroma is sweet and malty with a very slight woody note and a touch of candy sugar. The flavor is sweet and malty with a nice caramel/candy sugar note and a touch of wood. Medium to full bodied and smooth.


 Beerlando (2367), Orlando, Florida, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/103/515/20
Jul 26, 2007  
Rated 7/25/07. Bottle in Las Vegas, NV. Dark brown color with a medium tan head. Aroma was of bittersweet chocolate malts and some smoke. Flavor was very malty, with minimal hops present. Chocolate and molasses dominated, with a pronounced smokey backgground. Medium bodied with a very smooth, creamy finish. Nice, easy drinking beer. I would definitely try it again.


 drewbeerme (2316), Chicago, Illinois, USA
2.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
5/104/55/103/510/20
Jul 26, 2007  
12oz bottle stolen from holdenn, sorry. pours dark brown with hint of red and off white head. nose is very bready, yeasty, almost sour note, and b.o. flavor is musty, dry, bland, slighty nutty with dried dark fruits. mouth feel is watery. this nose and flavor are pretty boring. i don’t get the point of this beer.



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