Company
New Belgium, makers of Fat Tire, is one of the most popular brands in the craft beer market…number 3 to be exact, only behind industry stalwarts Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) and Sierra Nevada. Since beginning in Fort Collins Colorado in 1988, New Belgium has built a solid following throughout the Rocky Mountain Region, despite the fact that, for many years, their beers didn’t go much farther than that. Their limited distribution, however, only seemed to increase demand in their products, and when they expanded, to the East Coast at least, they essentially became one of the go-to craft breweries for a number of area bars. In addition to making good beers, New Belgium has really set it self apart in by having such a robust sustainability program, that encourages volunteering, provides, grants, and develops partnerships.
Even in an industry that prides itself on its sustainability and its community oriented programming and vision, New Belgium stands out. Their extensive website details almost everything about their sustainability efforts, and you could easily lose half a day reading about their initiatives. What I find most interesting about New Belgium, is not their energy conservation, however, but their pro-active community-oriented agenda. In 1995, a mere seven years after their founding, New Belgium began a philanthropy program, which started by donating $1 for every barrel of beer produced to non-profit organizations in the communities where they sell their beer. This eventually spurred a philanthropy committee, which continues to develop new programs and collaborate with deserving. Notably, among these is the City Slicker Farms, a non-profit that works with urban communities by teaching residents to farm their own fresh food. Additionally, New Belgium has a grant program that last year provided grants to a number of derserving organizations from across the country in the areas of youth environmental education, sustainable agriculture, climate change prevention, sensible transportation, and water stewardship. If all of that weren’t enough, New Belgium also supports its employees community involvement, providing one hour of paid time off for every 2 hours of volunteering.
Beers
New Belgium has a multitude of beers, most of which are their standard line. However, recently, they have developed a “Lips of Faith” series that focuses on interesting and non-traditional recipes. The Heavenly Feijoa Tripel, is a collaboration with Montreal Brewery Dieu du Ciel!, and is brewed with hibiscus and feijoa (aka guavasteen, a small, green tropical fruit, which tastes not dissimilar to a pineapple). The beer pours a reddish hue, liked fresh copper. It is about as floral as it gets on the nose, and the hibiscus hits you hard. On first quaff, it is creamy, with mild carbonation, although, it still feels light (albeit slightly syrupy). It tastes tangy, and mildly astringent. There are overwhelming tropical notes up front, but it actually finishes quite bitter. I let it sit for a while, and it mellowed some, eventually tasting similar to a mildly carbonated plum wine. Overall, this one had a lot going for it initially, but ultimately, it was too tangy and sweet for me. Organic Beer Gal loved it, however, and can’t wait for another. Dig the bottle, though.
This beer, of course, is not indicative of New Belgium’s complete line, and I recommend you try their winter ale, Snow Day, a hoppy, yet well-balanced dark ale (a constant presence in my fridge when available), and 1554, their dark Belgian Ale.
BeerAdvocate: 3.72/5
RateBeer: 3.35/5
