New Belgium Lips of Faith - Chad’s Blackberry Ale

Formerly brewed at New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Fruit Beer
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Serve in Flute, Shaker

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22oz bottle filled from the tap at NBB. Another brew from the "Lips of Faith" or "Pilgrimage" series, it’s brewed with 40% Marion blackberries with an ale yeast in the primary, and finished with a champagne yeast. Pours fizzy and incredibly murky. Almost the color of beet juice. Dark maroon with shades of purple, and thoroughly opaque. No light able to pass through the goblet, even when held directly in front of a light bulb. Unlike any beer I’ve ever seen. The cola-like fizz of head dissapeared in a snap, only being able to catch a glimpse of purple bubbles. Aromatics are mainly fruit juice with a hint of tartness. The Marion berry smells a lot like raspberries but more pungent, for sure, and there is some black raspberry presence as well. Mouthfeel is much lighter than expected for such a turbid brew. Fairly crisp and surprisingly dry considering the level of fruitiness. The pallet is basically fermented fruit juice, with a slight bitterness to help balance. Loads of black and red raspberries again, with a slightly tart, warming quality. Finishes barely puckering at best, with lingering marion berries. This would be a great beer to barrel age with bugs.

Hazy purple. Looks like hazy kool-aid with a pink head. Smells of fresh tart blackberries. Tart flavor and nice sweetness and blackberry flavor.

Date: 10/19/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

solid purple, wispy pink head, tart fruity aroma, creamy body, big blackberry flavor, fruity sweetness is balanced by a light tartness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

Bottle from GABF: Pours a cloudy dark ruby red with a thin, wispy-lacing off-white head. Aroma of sweet fruity blackberries and some mild tartness. Body is dense and fruity with a nice sweetness and dark berry flavor. Finishes with nice tart balance and fullness. A nice fruit beer

Pours a hazy purple color with a faint white head. Aroma is blackberry and some funk. Flavor is fruity blackberry and a hint of some funk.

On tap @ 5th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Fest poured a cloudy cranberry with a small lasting white head. Aromas of sour fruit, bread and light carmel. Palate was medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of berries, cereal and bread with a tart fruity finishj.

sampled on tap at the 5th Boulder Strong Ale Fest. poured very cloudy, sediment, do i see blackberry seeds?, muddy purple, looks like a blackberry smoothie. my first 1 in appearance! flavor is an off sour, milky, berries, really weird stuff here. alcohol was not noticed. thick chalky feel. one of the oddest beers i’ve had.

Draught. Head is initially large, frothy, purple, mostly lasting. Body is muddy purple. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel), lightly hoppy (resin), with strong notes of berries/cherries, notes of wood and alcohol. Flavor is heavily sweet, moderately acidic. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Full body, syrupy texture, soft carbonation, lightly to moderately alcoholic. You’ll be picking berry seeds out of your teeth after this one. It’s that pulpy and gritty. It’s like a smoothie with alcohol added. Weird stuff. Not very enjoyable, but not bad either...definitely puts the "fruit" in "fruit beer" though, I’ll give it that.