New Belgium Hoptober.

I love New Belgium. Fat Tire is such a classic amber ale, and I don't go for ambers very often, but that's just a full, assertive example of the style. I remember drinking Fat Tires back in college, and it was just a great change of pace from all the Killian's on Taco Tuesdays or, much more commonly, the numerous PBRs I ironically ironically liked. Is that double 'ironically' an ironic typo or intentional. I don't even know anymore.

A few years later (or maybe a only a year), I stopped by a nice chain bottle shop that had opened back in my parents' town and picked up several examples from New Belgium's lineup. (Checking the archives, it was 1554, Abbey, and Tripel. Also, OMG SO SNOOTY.) While I wasn't as head-over-heels for those by that point, as my palate had significantly diversified, they were still pretty satisfying beers, despite what my former self was apparently thinking at the time. New Belgium is also canning these days, and I did pick up a 12-pack of Fat Tire cans to haul back east. I may have to pick up some of this to bring back too. Pale and wheat malt with rye and oats, Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, and Glacier hops, this is a pretty solid beer.

Now that I'm almost down to the bottom of this pour, I should probably write something about it. It is a super crystal clear gold that even looks refreshing. The aroma is rather pilsener-like with some hard, sharp, clean hop aromas. It reminds me of Sam Adams Noble Pils but maltier and softer. I had to look this up on BA, and it's an American Blonde Ale which not a style with which I'm familiar but it is fairly new and distinctly American, obviously. It's a bit of a take on a kolsch, a style I do enjoy but does not cross my mind nearly enough to make it to my lips. The malts are slightly sweet, maybe a bit like honey with a little bit of fruitiness, but very subdued and well-controlled. The hop blend is really nice, certainly present but not over-the-top, just a little laid back. Perhaps it's just my imagination, but there's the slightest hint of a toastiness, a nod to the changing of the leaves, as they turn in crunchy things to crush ("sounds like fortune cookies!").

I would love to have this around for an outdoor field day on one of those autumn days that run the whole spectrum of temperatures: a warm sun during the day with an occasionally gusty breeze and a cooling evening that can give you the occasional chill, if you let it. The label has a bunch of silhouettes dancing and hoolahooping around a bonfire. And that sounds awesome.

• Appearance: Crystal clear gold. The head looks a little scummy and gives the impression of it being somewhat viscous but that's misleading; it clears out on its own.
• Smell: Noble hops, clean, sharp, and hard.
• Taste: Slightly sweet malt with impressions of fruit and honey. It is primarily a well-packaged hop courier though, balanced and not overloaded. An ale-y version of Sam Adams Noble Pils.
• Mouthfeel: Slightly creamy but finishes crisply with the right amount of carbonation. Certainly heavier than a pilsener but pretty lightweight for many craft ales. Very kolsch-y.
• Drinkability and Overall: Only 40 IBU and 6%ABV combined with the relatively light body make this is a superbly easy drinker. I would say this could take through the night at the bar, but it demands to be drank outside on crisp fall day into the night.