New Belgium Springboard Ale

Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Another "drinkable" NB brew? Well, alright. Pours a bright cloudy straw color with a large very porous head. Smells like a mixture of raw dough, lemon, and...well I think that sums it up. Taste is citrusy at first then the doughy sweetness registers. It starts tasting surprisingly dry after that, with a spicy lemony swallow, and a really dry moderately bitter finish. That finish sticks around forever, and my throat feels peculiar. Finish lingers like that of a stronger beer, despite this one’s easy going nature, and thus it feels off. The finish tastes like it came from a totally different beer, like a real strong pilsner. Hmm. Worth trying, but it’s really not much different than their saison. Just stranger.

Very odd.. and odd to rate. The aroma is nice. Sweet open and citrusy. The color is VERY bright yellow but cloudy. The flavor is good overall, but the palate, and much of the flavour is better in a medicinal way. In fact it reminds me of echinaecea. The finish is back of the tongue bitter and not so great. It is an interesting beer. It is also my least favourite from NB.

Bottle. Straw coloration with a one finger fizzy head and quite a bit of bubbles floating to the surface. Aromas are weak... grass, a touch of lemon, maybe a touch of ginger or something similar. Flavor is subtle... alright, weak. There’s a little bit of a woody character to the finish (similar to sandalwood extract) and there is some mild spicing, but nothing is really exciting, innovative or even convincing about this beer.

Looks average. Smells average. Tastes eh. Nothing about this beer inspires me. I can taste the spice and herbs in the beer but they do not seem to enhance it.

Pours a hazy yellow that is opaque. Tastes a little sweet with some citrus and herbal flavor. I was expecting something a bit more distinctive, but found this to be somewhat benign. That’s probably good for sales and easy drinking, but it was not as different as I had hoped. Very drinkable, though.

Bottle poured a cloudy yellow with a hint of green and a lasting creamy white head. Aromas ofv citrus, herbs, earthiness and a hint of leather. Palate was light bodied and smooth. Flavors of earthiness, herbs, biscuits and a hint of citrus with a smooth earthy finish.

Tap. Cloudy yellow body, looks like a a wit. Pepper and coriander in the spicy aroma. The flavor brings more intense spiciness - ginger, dry grass, spicy yeast, black pepper and lemon. An interesting dry, spicy beery. I didn’t notice any sour notes and mentioned in the commercial description.

Smooth golden color with a quickly dissolving, yet bubbly, white head. This beer definitely underimpressed; aroma was confusing. Flavor has a bready and grassy flavor that did not stand out in any aspects. Nothing tough to drink, just not something I would seek out again in the future...