New Belgium Springboard Ale

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

BB 06-07. Hazy, but sparkling, straw color with a brilliant white, fairly full, and creamy, still fluffy, head; very good longevity, and lots of lace. Nose is peasant but bland; fairly complex with some juniper berry notes (goji berries and schisandra?), bready notes, and light floral with only a faint touch of light wood (I probably wouldn’t have noticed without the description). Flavor is just boring; herbal/lightly floral hops and lemon zest with some of the same wormwood, i guess. Bitterness is moderately light. Palate is nearly light, lively, and somewhat crisp, but watery. Finishes short, dry, grainy, and grassy. Unique for sure, especially the nose, but fairly boring in character. It’s hard to make a boring style very interesting and NB should have just left this style to the less sophisticated brewers.

Bottle. Poured a neon green color. Looks like a watered down moutain dew. Aroma of malt and hops with some herb. Taste is nasty and harsh.

Bottle from Hy-Vee poured into lager glass - Pours clear gold with a 2 finger head that leaves some nice lacing; Malt, yeast, Goji berries (I assume), and some spice to the nose; Bread, spicey peppers, grassy hops, and a touch of berry on the initial taste; The last three can be attributed to the schisandra used in the brewing process; Burnt biscuits, woody, big malt note, and a grassy bite on a dry aftertaste; Medium body; Nice carbonation that makes it go down smooth; A very complex beer that you’ve got to open your mind to appreciate. A good change of pace from the usual!

Best by 29 Jun 2007. Pours a very pale, and very hazy, straw color with a one finger head that fades to a soapy cap and ring. The lacing is somewhat thin, but pretty well organized and sticky. Smell; a bit of lemon zest up front, followed by a little ginger and some spices that I can’t quite place. There’s also a little bit of a funkiness going on in the background. Taste; there’s a fruitiness that’s very interesting, and I can only guess it’s the Goji berries (whatever those are), with some citric/tart lemon. After the fruits, this becomes a bit musty/funky with a touch of cloves (my wife said it reminded her of dirty socks.??). Some sweet, bready malts come out in the finish. Mouthfeel is light bodied with a lively carbonation, and this is one easy to drink beer. Right now this is a pretty good brew. I think this beer would be better in the summer, especially after mowing the lawn/doing yard work.

lemons, yeast, herbs in the nose; sweet, lemon peel, astringent; harsh, yet flavorless. Yikes.

Pours a hazy wit gold with a thin white head. Aroma of lemons, wheat, with a little hint of funk. Medium light body with powerful carbonation. Bittersweet taste of citrus, fruit, bread. The wormwood catches up with my tastebuds in the finish. Interesting, but not so interesting that I’d buy another.

Pours a faded pale yellow w/ a full, semi creamy froth. Froth is clingy and finally rests to an island of cream. Aroma is bright w/ perfume. Light nectar w/ mellow residual effers. Very slick in the palate. Flavors are refreshing and loaded w/ flavor for how light it is. A bit of spice is detected w/ undertones of wood and biscuits. Slight banana spice and lemony citrus. The finish is perfectly bittered. A nice balanced brew.

From a 12 oz bottle purchased from the North Coast Coop in Eureka, CA. Poured a cloudy light yellow with a large and very foamy white head that dimiinished fairly quickly and left moderate lacing. Nose is hops, citrus that seems mostly lemon or grapefruit, spices, and flowers. Body is surprisingly rich and flavor is a combination of hops and some odd spices I cannot identify. It is supposed to contain wormwood, and maybe that contributes to the sligthly bitter touch that does not seem like hops that shows in the finish. This is a very unique brew and if you approach it with that expectation it is OK. Basically this is a decent brew with a very unique bouquet and flavor . You have to give New Belgium credit for experimenting.