New Belgium 1554

The 2nd draft I had when I was at the Yard House was the New Belgium 1554. I've had this a long time ago at La Posada in Winslow, AZ, but only vaguely remembered that I enjoyed it. Upon recommendation from a friend (thank you Rebekah!) who found it at Zinc's on draft, I figured I'd give it a shot again. Fortunately, that enjoyment from before stuck around this time.

When you get this beer and perhaps wait for the head to settle down, the first thing you'll notice is that the head looks like foamy chocolate - not quite the traditional white that you see in nearly all other beers. The beer itself has a very smooth, rich mocha/coffee taste to it. You definitely get the malt taste in there, but nothing that is overwhelming or offputting. There is absolutely no aftertaste, so once you've had your drink, you've got a fresh mouth for the next.

The food came about the same time as this beer and it was an excellent combination - I had the BBQ-Bacon burger and the rum BBQ sauce that went with the burger complimented perfectly with the 1554. Upon inspection of the 1554 website, some foodie says the beer works very well with meat (not that beer doesn't...).