In the continuing run up to New Belgium’s appearance in Ohio I’m doing a review of their flagship beer, Fat Tire. Like Accumulation and Ranger New Belgium sent this to me to review and help introduce our readers to their beers. Also like Ranger I previously reviewed this beer while on vacation in North Carolina, where New Belgium will soon be opening a new, second, brewery to compliment their original location in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Named in honor of our co-founder’s bike trip through Europe, Fat Tire Amber Ale marks a turning point in the young electrical engineer’s home brewing. Belgian beers use a far broader palette of ingredients (fruits, spices, esoteric yeast strains) than German or English styles. Together with co-founder Kim Jordan, they traveled around sampling their homebrews to the public. Fat Tire won fans with its sense of balance: toasty, biscuit-like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness. Fat Tire: Pairs well with people.
Beer: Fat TireGorgeous glowing amber brown hue with a nice pure white topping.
Superb malty aroma that screams warm caramel drizzled biscuits. Very little hop aroma going on which is fine for the style.
Super sweet malt melts all over your tongue with buckets of caramel and bread dough. Some earth and pine hop flavors that really bring in plenty of bitterness. I’d like to say this is balanced but it’s not quite there, maybe like 60 sweet vs 40 bitter.
Medium weight to the body with plenty of carbonation bubbles.
It’s easy to understand why this beer has been so popular for so long and is so widely available. It’s not an astounding beer but it is a great one and I’d be happy to have this over a Bud Light or Yeungling.
FULL DISCLOSURE: New Belgium sent this bottle to me for free. To our readers, and any breweries interested in sending me samples, giving me free beer does not guarantee you a favorable review, though I do promise to review your product and publish a post on it.
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