New Belgium Brewing (Ft. Collins, Colorado) has officially announced plans to expand upon the Fat Tire trademark family by launching Fat Tire Belgian White in August as a Special Release.
For 25 years, Fat Tire Amber Ale has easily been one of the most popular offerings in New Belgium’s portfolio and in American craft beer culture in general. Well, this iconic offering will soon have a sister beer for the first time in its storied history. Fat Tire Belgian White stays “true to New Belgium’s roots” and the style by being a “light-bodied, unfiltered wheat beer, brewed with juicy Seville orange peel and freshly ground coriander.” Seville oranges were carefully selected as a brewing ingredient because they have “a brighter, less cloying sweetness than Valencia oranges that are typically used in Belgian White beers.” This meticulously crafted recipe results in a 5.2% ABV brew that provides “the perfect balance of refreshment and drinkability with just a hint of sweetness.”
“Fat Tire Belgian White captures the spirit and flavor of a truly authentic Belgian White beer,” said New Belgium’s Belgian Brewmaster, Peter Bouckaert. “We are sourcing the Seville orange peel and coriander through Old Town Spice Shop locally here in Fort Collins, so the spices are freshly ground less than a mile from our brewery. This gives the beer a fuller, fresher flavor and aroma resulting in a very drinkable Belgian White beer with just the right amount of complexity.”
Fat Tire Belgian White will be available for a limited time beginning on August 1, 2017. This Special Release offering will be found in 12 oz. bottles, in variety packs of 12 oz. cans and on draft at craft beer-friendly retailers, restaurants and bars in Alabama, Florida, Colorado and throughout the rest of New Belgium’s distribution network. It goes without saying that New Belgium Brewing would only consider applying the Fat Tire name to a truly special beer, so keep an eye out for Fat Tire Belgian White when it launches later this year. Prost!
Vital Information for Fat Tire Belgian White from New Belgium Brewing
Release – Special Release, launching August 2017
Style – White Wheat Ale
ABV – 5.2%
IBUs – 12
Malts – Pale, White Wheat & Oats
Hops – Nugget & Cascade
Yeast – American Wheat Ale Yeast
Added Ingredients – Grains of Paradise, Fresh Ground Seville Orange Peel & Fresh Ground Indian Coriander
Availability – 12 oz. bottles, 12 oz. cans & draft
Beer Finder – https://www.newbelgium.com/beer/finder
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 