Ranger Danger!

Well, actually not. Due to a complete lack of creativity, the term "stranger danger" was in my head and stranger rhymes with danger...so, there you have it. Today's sampling is definitely not something you should run away from as if it was some crazed madman that you'd find in some horror flick where common sense doesn't exist. The New Belgium Ranger IPA is a new addition to New Belgium's line of beers and I think their first offering that they have marketed as an IPA. This beer is tasty, but lacks some of the qualities that I have come to expect and love in IPAs. I think if you want to put your toe into the IPA pool, this could be a way to introduce someone to this type of beer.

Appearance - Lighter than a number of IPAs I have seen, but a lovely frothy white head. The bubbles are very inviting, but not so many as to make you think this beer is going to fill ya up. 4.0/5.0

Smell - Like standing in the middle of a forest, there's some definite pine in the aroma of this beer. The hops are nice and pronounced, but not so sharp as to offend (well, I love hops, so not sure that would happen). 4.0/5.0

Taste - The citrus hop flavor is far more blended and subdued than I would have expected. The bitterness is lighter than I usually like, but it's not bad. Like some other reviews I have seen about this beer, I would probably call it a pale ale, rather than an IPA. I expect a lot of boldness in an IPA and this beer just didn't deliver that. - 3.0/5.0

Feel - Smooth, with a great mouth coverage. The aftertaste is a bit sour, but doesn't stick around very much, unlike the hop taste which does hang with you for a while. - 4.0/5.0

Drinkability - As an IPA, probably not. I have a large list of IPAs that I would have on a regular basis. This beer's similarity to a pale ale would put in consideration if I wanted that, but alas - I'll just stick with an IPA. On that note, this isn't a bad beer - just more of a pale ale. 3.0/5.0

Wow, a beer I really...really didn't care for.

The Lips of Faith series that New Belgium puts out is, from my understanding, a very enjoyable line of beers from a pretty reliably good brewery. This beer, the La Folie Sour Brown Ale does not reflect this beer.

The beer's coloring looks really nice - it's a dark red with absolutely nothing for a head. A very potent sourness and vinegar as you take a sniff, which is expected given it's a sour brown ale. Where I have a real problem with the beer is the taste. To be completely honest, the beer tastes like I drank some funky cough syrup, then upchucked a bit in mouth...but kept it in, so ended up tasting the stomach acid again on the way down. I can't just get past that. I took a few more sips and picked up some sour apple & cherry, but not enough to redeem this beer. The vinegar flavor comes up again in the aftertaste...

I couldn't finish the whole bomber, which is sad given the price - $13 bucks a bomber! EPIC FAIL by New Belgium

Appearance - 3.5/5.0 - A pretty dark red with nada for head

Smell - 2.5/5.0 - Oy...vinegar and pungent sourness.

Taste - 2.5/5.0 - GAG...sour, vinegar, cough syrup, stomach acid, sour apple & cherry

Feel - 1.5/5.0 - It certainly sticks with you...

Drinkability - 1.0/5.0 - No way Jose. This is definitely an acquired taste.

Mixed Beer Bag

I've been neglect on a few reviews that have been sitting on my Blackberry, but never seemed to get written. Bad beer blogger! BAD!!! So, in an effort to get the community educated on a few more beers, it's time to chug some beer - here we go...

New Belgium Mighty Arrow Pale Ale - the first time I had this one, the glass and beer was so cold that a thin layer of ice formed on top of the beer. Now, I like my beer cold, but I think this was pushing it. The beer definitely has a hop taste, but not the same that I'm used to with a pale ale. There's a little honey malt base to the brew and a sour aftertaste. The initial taste you get is really sharp, but quickly fades away. Not a bad offering from New Belgium.

I enjoy Blue Moon as sort of the "microbrewed, but not really beer". If you're in a restaurant and you've got a choice between Blue Moon and say...Bud Ice, I'll take the Blue Moon. The seasonal beers that they offer are equally reliable (with some better than others), especially the Full Moon winter seasonal and the Rising Moon (beware the Harvest Moon, while tasty...there are some after-effects and we'll leave it at that). I finally tried the Honey Moon summer seasonal and kinda got what I expected. This one has a nice light golden color, with a sweet honey taste. Not a sweetesy honey, just enough to get the flavor into the beer. The beer ends up with a very similar taste to a white ale, but sweeter and less "spicy". I would probably not buy this one again for myself...maybe for those who want a "beer", but don't want a beer.

New Belgium Mothership Wit

Tina found this brew when she was at the grocery store and hadn't seen it before. I can't say I had ever tried it, so it made it a perfect specimen for this blog. Now, if you know much about New Belgium Brewing, you'll know that they are very aware of their carbon footprint and are all about alternative energy and sustainability and hippie crap like that. If you know me, I am not.

In fact, I will only care about conservation and sustainability if it is 1) easy to implement and 2) will require little or no cost to do. For example, Tina and I recycle...because I just toss the bottle into a bin and not the trash can. Easy, simple, no cost.

So, why would I go on a rant on green, hippie things? Well, the New Belgium Mothership Wit is a "USDA Organic" beer. This tells me that this beer will be more expensive than other similar beers, because being greeny costs too much and that cost needs to be passed through to us consumers.

The beer itself is a good Belgium white beer - very light and crisp. You can definitely taste the coriander and there are the flavors of citrus, orange and a touch of malt. There is a bit of a sour aftertaste that sticks with you a minute, but nothing that makes you want to brush your teeth. The beer is very refreshing, especially on a hot day where you want something cold and light.

Personally - I'd take the Sam Adams White Ale (which we'll see on here in due time), as I prefer the taste and price (which is easily a few bucks cheaper than the New Belgium). The Mothership Wit is not a bad beer, by any means. If you're a die-hard New Belgium fan, then you'll probably really like it and not mind paying an extra buck or two to make sure that the beer industry doesn't kill the planet a little bit more.

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...).