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Rhinegeist Brewery & New Belgium spin new take on Fat Tire

  • Ron 

Rhinegeist Brewery and New Belgium have teamed up to create Fat Pale Ale, a Belgian XPA, combining a fruity Belgian yeast strain with bready-sweet European and Colorado malts. The beer will be available alongside four other collaborative versions of Fat Tire (plus the original!) in a mixed 12-pack to celebrate New Belgium’s 25th anniversary this summer.

Fat Pale Ale focuses on two components: Rhinegeist Brewers’ malt interpretation of Fat Tire married with the fruity, wild, almost wine like character of Fiction. Together they offer up a slightly bready, biscuity and slightly toast malt backbone combined with fruity Southern Hemisphere hops and abundant fruity esters from the strain of Belgian yeast that Rhinegeist used.

The two brewers have a long history of comradery and mutual respect. When New Belgium decided to celebrate their 25th anniversary through collaboration, the idea was to look at an American craft classic through the lens of other brewers who have inspired the better beer movement. Rhinegeist quickly rose to the top of the list.

“It is a great honor to be asked to participate in this collaboration with New Belgium, and we look forward to celebrating their 25th birthday at their new Asheville facility in August,” said Jim Matt, Rhinegeist Brewing’s head brewer.

For New Belgium the joy was collaborating with brewers they appreciate and admire.

“When we started talking about the beer, I put our concept out to them and asked for their take,” said New Belgium Brewer, Christian Holbrook. “They came back with what turned out to be the most direct and straightforward reinterpretation of Fat Tire with a Belgian yeast, unique malts and some fun, new-to the-scene European hops. They’re great people and have been a blast to work with.”

In addition to Fat Pale Ale, the mixed 12-pack will feature a beer from Allagash Brewing using a Belgian yeast sourced from the Poperinge region and a touch of the Allagash house Brettanomyces; Avery will focus on a fruitier hop bill also with a dose of brett evoking notes of apricot and pineapple; Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) is creating a tart Fat Tire bringing in apple and lactobacillus to help highlight that beautiful green apple snap inherent to the original Fat Tire; and Firestone Walker is creating a west coast interpretation of Fat Tire with an assertive hop profile and a light lager yeast.

Mixed 12-packs will feature two New Belgium original Fat Tire Amber Ales plus two of each interpretation beer. The beer will release mid-June, prior to New Belgium’s 25th anniversary, officially on June 28th. A party at New Belgium’s new brewery in Asheville on August 27th will celebrate that facility’s grand opening as well as 25 years of brewing innovation and good times.

Tags: Alcoholic drinks, Alé, August Schell Brewing Company, beer, Beer styles, Belgian, Brewing, Colorado, Fermented drinks, India pale ale, New Belgium, New Belgium Brewing Company, Pale ale, Rhinegeist
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