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9396
OVERALLStyle

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 1590   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.52   EST. CALORIES: 168   ABV: 5.6%
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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 Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and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.


chickenflea's rating

3.6
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 15/20
chickenflea (280) - Oviedo, Florida, USA - MAY 24, 2011
Bottle. Poured dark brown with tall still head. Nutty aroma with a hint of apple spices and cloves. Sweet bready taste. Slight bitterness keeps it light tasting. Medium dry finish. Light body and texture. Med/low carbonation. An enjoyable and different brown ale.


most recent ratings

3.4
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
Mdsurveyor (46) - Bel Air, Maryland, USA - MAY 25, 2013
A dark ale with a thin foamy head. Malty with hints of chocolate. Subtle and not very bold. A pleasant drink, but forgettable. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

3.6
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 13/20
Jimthechap (1195) - Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND - MAY 19, 2013
Woooooow, this is like the colour of Burgundy when held against the light and dark blood when out of it. There is a latte coloured head that was voluminous but subsided and left good lace in time. Smells of charry oak, coffee grounds and dark chocolate. It even smells good enough to drink. Cool in the mouth with slightly creamy carbonation. The flavour isn’t as deep as the aroma somehow but this impresses with a mousse-like carbonation. The finish is of on-going burnt toast and charry cocoa. Started strongly and had a muted but elegant finish. I still liked this beer a lot.

3.6
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 15/20
Torysdude (7) - Denver, Colorado, USA - MAY 17, 2013 does not count
Choclately and light for such a dark ale. Not very strong taste. Decent. Not a fan of the genre. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

4
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 16/20
honest_silu (39) - Jeddah, SAUDI ARABIA - MAY 14, 2013
I like to bbq spl meats and make delish kabob for the love of many. This beer has spl choco and smoky flavour like bbq smoke kabob or goat and other glorious meats. I like to sip and enjoy after long day in field.

3.7
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
ronaldtheriot (786) - Laplace, Louisiana, USA - MAY 9, 2013
New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Ale has a thick, creamy, beige head and a dark brown appearance (reddish, under direct light), with a nice lacing sheen left behind. The aroma is of dark roasted or slightly burnt barley malt, sweetness, and a bit of cocoa. Taste is of those things, plus bread crust and a mild hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium, a bit soft, and slick, and New Belgium 1554 finishes mostly dry, refreshing, and easy drinking. Overall, this is a very good beer, and I think it’s worth a try. RJT

3.1
   AROMA 5/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
CpyNPrnT (42) - Indiana, USA - APR 30, 2013
Bottle. Nice malty taste, balanced malts. Couldn’t drink many of these, but a good ale.

3.3
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
BrownALEx (140) - Portland, Michigan, USA - APR 27, 2013
Pours a dark brown with an impressive head. Smells of chocolate and biscuit. Taste is chalky and chocolate. Palate is rather thin for how dark it is. Overall not bad but not great. Might buy again.

3.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
leo2x4us (48) - San Antonio, Texas, USA - APR 22, 2013
Dark brown appearance similar to a coke with medium head. Taste like smoke coffee with good balance of malt.

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
beertholomeus (76) - California, USA - APR 20, 2013
Pours dark caramel color with a frothy tan head. Roasted malt smell. Roasted malt, caramel, toffee and some chocolate flavors. Smooth finish and medium body.

2.6
   AROMA 4/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 5/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 9/20
COMRADEJOSH (165) - Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri, USA - APR 20, 2013
dark black an appearance. earthy toasted malt. a little too watery and carbonated. doesn’t taste too full bodied.


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