 kepano (239), Meudon, France
Mar 26, 2008
New Belgium was my portal to the world of craft beer, and for that I’ll be eternally grateful. I’ve always thought of New Belgium as an honest brewery, a virtue too often lost when production reaches such large scale. New Belgium’s expansion has inevitably led to a line of dampened, disciplined brews, a sense of unfortunate uniformity. Yet truth be told, even the colloquial Fat Tire leaps far above the set of taps standardized across America. New Belgium entertains a rare balance of authority and quality which can only be respected in a market overflowing with vapidity. Springboard is one of those lures, inspiredly named because its aim is just that: to be a springboard towards more involved efforts such as Abbey; a hope that some day, like I have, the common drinker will evolve to appreciate their chef d’oeuvre, La Folie. With Springboard, I took the reverse route, out of curiosity more than anything. The extravagant list of ingredients betrays our poorly masked stratagem, flagrantly developed in the marketing rooms rather than the brewhouse. Nonetheless, I appreciate New Belgium’s let’s-get-this-over-with attitude which seems resolved to avoid the potential multiplicity of novelty brews.
I’ve soliloquized more than I thought I would, so let’s get to it. Ghostly in it’s pale gold robes, the cloudy liquid gives rise to a very thick sudsy foam. Noble hops are prominent, crisp, light with a slightly chalky and grainy undertone. The subtle sweetness of pineapple and peach add surprising layers of complexity which also lead to mystifying hints of barnyard funk and stinky hop. The flavor begins at the tip of the tongue with a spicy zing of coriander and moves on to a creamy mid-palate. An awkward bitterness takes over at this point, portrayed by more funky hops. The flavor is certainly unique, almost like an herbal variant of the witbier. The mouthfeel is enjoyably creamy but finishes with a dry, lingering bitter aftertaste. Overall, this isn’t a bad brew, but despite the colorful description it feels rather spiritless.
drowland (1360), Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Aug 17, 2009 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Hmmm... interesting, and slightly... odd... noooot a big fan of this bad boy.
shp555 (1678), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Jun 4, 2009 Pours a straw yellow color with a white head. Aroma is malty, vanilla, some oak, slightly fruity, and some spicy notes. Flavor is vanilla, a touch of oak, fruity, and a bitter slightly spicy finish.
arrogantb (695), Denver, Colorado, USA
May 8, 2009 12oz bottle poured into a pint glass which I had to warm by hand, stupid iced glasses. The color was bright white-yellow and reminded me of their wit beer, hazy. It had a funky, yeasty smell to it. The flavor was odd, herbs, no oakiness which is not surprising given that only 2% was oak-aged. Interesting beer and easy to drink but I think one serving is enough.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 03-03-2008 19:43:59
unclemike (834), Ft. Riley, Kansas, USA
Mar 20, 2009 From a 12-ounce brown bottle, pours a peach-hued, dense gold color. Lasting fine white lace and head. Subdued aroma. Light body but moderate mouthfeel from mellow spiciness on the front of the tongue Reasonable flavor combination for a refreshing summer brew.
dwaggs2 (532), Lee’s Summit, Missouri, USA
Mar 2, 2009 Bottle. Hazy yellow pour, one finger white head. Goes quickly. Aroma is spice, clover, and citrus. Flavor is wood, and malts. Very smooth and drinkable. Smooth on the palate.
jkwalking05 (1483), Arlington, Texas, USA
Jan 29, 2009 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.
TomDecapolis (3130), Skippack, Pennsylvania, USA
Jan 19, 2009 Bottle pours a lightly cloudy golden with a smaller white head. Aroma of a unique spice mix (although light), citrus and light woody notes with some cereal grains. Really light in aroma, it was a struggle to get what all that. Flavor was a bit herbal, citrus, soapy, bready and a dry finish.
Beardface (977), Eugene, Oregon, USA
Nov 20, 2008 Good sweet lord, this beer was an unholy mess. The wormwood flavor was way too far upfront for me, and the bitterness was out of control even for a confirmed hophead like myself. Too herbal by far, like drinking bad tea except with alcohol in it.
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