New Belgium Brewing’s two newest quarterly Lips of Faith offerings, Cigar City + New Belgium Collaboration Ale and Wild2 Dubbel are now out for all to enjoy. Collaborations have become a favorite in the Lips of Faith line and this meeting of the minds with Tampa’s Cigar City Brewing continues that tradition. Wild2 Dubbel will reintroduce the soon-to-be-famous Schisandra fruit to beer lovers everywhere.
The Cigar City + New Belgium Collaboration Ale beer starts with a fruity, citrus nose, followed by an abundance of Cascade, Pacific Jade and Wakatu hops. Anaheim and Marash chilies usher in a flavor that starts sweet, gets tangy and finishes spicy and tannic. Spanish Cedar spirals were added for some subtle woody and tobacco tones and a Bier de Garde yeast brings zesty phenols for topping. ABV 8.5%.
“This playful, full-bodied beer will be a delight in Florida, Colorado and everywhere in between,” said New Belgium Assistant Brewmaster Grady Hull. “Meanwhile, Wild2 Dubbel is in a class of its own, offering a traditional, Belgian-style dubbel with a wild side.”
Wild2 Dubbel is full of dark and robust malts creating deep chestnut tones and a tawny haze. Along with brettanomyces, this beer is spiced with the mysterious and splendid Schisandra, known as the five flavored fruit, bringing a complex peppery and pineapple push to top the banana and bubblegum notes of the Trappist yeast. The beer opens sweet and creamy, mingles with the tropic tones of the conditioning bretta, and finishes with a dry, warm spice. ABV 8%.
Over in the Hop Kitchen Series, this season’s Fresh Hop is a medium-full bodied IPA made with certified salmon-safe Oregon hops that are picked fresh off the vine and trucked directly to our brew kettle. It starts out malty sweet, builds in some bitterness with a long bitter linger. Learn more about certified salmon-safe hops at www.salmonsafe.org. Fresh Hop is 7% ABV and 75 IBUs.
“Fresh Hop is made with salmon-safe Crystal and Sterling hops that are grown using practices that ensure healthy watersheds that allow native salmon to spawn and thrive,” added Hull. “We are proud to support the efforts of farmers who work hard for that salmon-safe designation. It makes the beer taste that much more satisfying.”
To find New Belgium beers near you, use the New Belgium Libation Location tool: http://www.newbelgium.com/
Ron Callahan is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.