New Belgium Brewing (Fort Collins, Colorado) has officially announced the release of three fan-favorite, fall-themed offerings: Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin Ale, Le Terroir Dry-Hopped Sour Ale and Tartastic Lemon Ginger Ale.
To ease the craft beer community into the months of fall, New Belgium has decided to go the route of comforting familiarity by welcoming back the following three brews for a limited time (descriptions sourced from the brewery’s press release):
Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin Ale
Back by popular demand is Atomic Pumpkin, a pumpkin beer unlike any other. Not too spicy, not too sweet, this ale is brewed with Saigon cinnamon and Habanero, Aji, and Del Arbol peppers for an explosion of flavors perfect to kick off fall. This medium-bodied ale pours bright autumnal orange with a light white lacing, and creates a spicy, warming mouthfeel.
ABV – 6.4%
IBU – 10
Yeast – Ale
Special Ingredients – Pumpkin juice, Habanero, Aji, and Del Arbol Peppers, Saigon Cinnamon
Malts – Pale, Munich, Caramel 80
Availability – Now in 12 oz. bottles and on draft while supplies last
Le Terroir Dry-Hopped Sour Ale
Le Terroir, named after the French term meaning “of the earth,” packs the bold and hoppy nose of an American IPA, plus the pucker of a well-crafted sour. Felix, New Belgium’s wood-aged pale sour beer, is dry hopped with whole cone Amarillo and Strata hops to create Le Terroir. The apricot and peach tones of the hops playfully complement the wood-aged backbone without any bitterness, creating a beer that changes subtly every time New Belgium brews it. As with other 2018 New Belgium vintage sour releases, this beer is bottle conditioned and presented in a 375 ml cork and cage format.
ABV – 7.5%
IBU – 12
Yeast – Lager
Hops – Nugget, Amarillo, Strata
Malts – Pale, Wheat, C-80, Carapils, Oats
Maturation – 100% acidified in neutral oak containing the original house mixed culture
Availability – Now in 375 ml bottles
Tartastic Lemon Ginger Ale
A tart, refreshing ale with the lip-tingling sweet and sour flavors of lemon and ginger, this Tartastic iteration’s tank sour profile and fruity, spicy undertones enliven the taste buds with each bright, breezy sip.
ABV – 4.5%
IBU – 3
Yeast – Ale
Hops – Nugget
Malts – Pale, White Wheat
Availability – Now in 12 oz. bottles and on draft
The beers described above are available now and can be found at craft beer-focused retailers, bars and restaurants located in Alabama, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina and throughout the rest of New Belgium’s nationwide distribution area. Prost!
This string of releases begins with the return of Pumpkick, a Pumpkin Ale spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice. To add another jolt of seasonal flavor, this offering also has a gentle tartness thanks to “a snappy dose of cranberry.” The addition of oats rounds out this 6% ABV offering with a creamy mouthfeel. Pumpkick is available now in 6-packs of 12 oz. bottles, 12-packs of 12 oz. bottles and on draft at craft beer-friendly establishments in Alabama, Florida and throughout New Belgium’s distribution footprint.
The next New Belgium brew to hit shelves this fall is brewery-favorite Le Terroir Dry-Hopped Sour Ale. This offering is a bit of a hybrid between the hoppy American India Pale Ale and a fine Sour Ale. Le Terroir starts with a base of Felix, a wood-aged pale sour beer, that is then dry hopped with Amarillo and Galaxy hops to add notes of mango and peach. This 7.5% ABV Sour Ale is “a beer that changes every time New Belgium brews it.” Look for this one in 22 oz. bottles and on draft wherever you normally see Lips of Faith offerings beginning on August 29th.
Things begin to get really interesting with the release of two draft-only brews. The first of these is Bretta IPA coming to us by way of the Hop Kitchen, a limited series of more hop heavy beers from the brewery. Citrusy and piney notes – created from a hop bill of Equinox, Galaxy and Warrior hops – are introduced to the funk thanks to a month of conditioning with two strains of Brettanomyces yeast. This 7.5% ABV Wild IPA “has a bite that lingers, but a sweetness that emerges with a touch of pineapple.” Look for Bretta IPA on draft in select markets within New Belgium’s distribution area.
To properly close out the summer months, New Belgium is debuting Fruit Fly Passionfruit Citra Sour. Soured on stainless steel with a house lacto strain, this offering is a bit of a twist on the Berliner Weisse style by then being dry hopped with Citra hops. 800 pounds of blended passion fruit was then added during the fermentation stage to accentuate big citrus flavors and add “rich guava-like aromas.” This 5.7% ABV brew has a finish that is tart and dry, making it “an ideal summer beer.” Fruit Fly Passionfruit Citra Sour is available on draft now in select markets. Prost!
Mashing In 