New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale 3.51 1112

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
1112	3.51/5.0	3.51/5.0	5.6%	91.8	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 Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and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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ElPodo (6), Colorado, USA
does not count

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	8/10	3/5	8/10	4/5	18/20

May 17, 2005

Next to Abbey, which is transcendent, 1554 is my favorite New Belgium beer that’s produced year-round. Big malt aroma, with fat malt flavor through the finish. Well-balanced and drinkable. The malt profile is complex yet accessible.

maawallace (7), USA
does not count

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	8/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	17/20

Aug 21, 2005

I really enjoy this black ale, which should actually be called a black lager, as they use lager yeast in fermenting. Anyway, it has a very odd character to it which I was not used to, maybe because I have not had many black ales. Regardless, there is a very nice acidity to this beer that makes it bright, crisp, and citrusy. Excellent finish and thoroughly enjoyable, while not outstanding from start to finish.

troopie (915), USA

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	6/10	5/5	8/10	5/5	17/20

Jan 20, 2007

Poured dark brown with a thick head. Aroma of malt and alcohol. Flavour of malt, espresso and malt. Lekker finish with malty notes, lingering.

danweyand (2), Eugene, Oregon, USA
does not count

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	6/10	4/5	9/10	4/5	18/20

Nov 15, 2007

Excellent beer. Very smooth and chocolaty, a little nutty in the aftertaste. Mild and pleasant taste, not very complex.

CubsClapp (13), Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	7/10	5/5	8/10	4/5	17/20

Jan 31, 2008

Very good beer. Looks like a stout, but it’s not . Very deceiving beer. It’s almost like a coffee taste. It’s also fantastic when mixed with Frambozen, another New Belgium beer.

ebrowner88 (113), Rice, Minnesota, USA

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	7/10	4/5	9/10	5/5	16/20

Apr 18, 2008

Pours a deep copper brown (almost black ale?) 1 finger beige creamy head that sticks around. Sharp sweet nose with a hint of raisin at the back end. Semi-sweet malt with hints of roasted dark chocolate and slightly dry hop finish. Medium body, mouth feel is spot on. The best I have ad from this brewer. A great 100th beer!

Kands (20), USA

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	7/10	4/5	8/10	5/5	17/20

Mar 4, 2008

We both really liked this beer. Poured from the bottle a beautiful dark mahogany color with a light tan head -- although the body and the head were somewhat lighter than we expected (that’s not meant as a negative, see below.) Taste was overall rather sweet and nutty, with caramel and chocolate definitely noticeable. For a dark beer, it was quite refreshing and drank lighter than you’d expect. Would be a very good "session" beer that you could happily spend an entire evening drinking.

NomDeBeer (402), Maryland, USA

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	8/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	17/20

Sep 28, 2009

Stout-like, flavor and mouth feel. Taste and aroma both dominated by chalk, chocolate, and caramel. Long enjoyable finish. Great beer.

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