New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

	Percentile
	88
	overall

Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Traditional Ale
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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Ratings	Average	Score	ABV	Style Pctl	Serve in
1102	3.51/5.0	3.51/5.0	5.6%	91.6	Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard

Commercial Description:
Born of a flood and centuries-old Belgian text, 1554 Enlightened Black Ale uses a light lager yeast strain and dark chocolaty malts to redefine what dark beer can be. In 1997, a Fort Collins flood destroyed the original recipe our researcher, Phil Benstein, found in the library. So Phil and brewmaster, Peter Bouckaert, traveled to Belgium to retrieve this unique style lost to the ages. Their first challenge was deciphering antiquated script and outdated units of measurement, but trial and error (and many months of in-house sampling) culminated in 1554, a highly quaffable dark beer with a moderate body and mouthfeel.

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Ryan82SM (252), Louisville, Kentucky, USA

3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3	6/10	3/5	7/10	3/5	11/20

Jul 4, 2009

Chocolate aroma with some almonds and toffee, but a very light aroma. Appearance is cola like with mocha head. Chocolate is the mainstay of the flavor, with some toffee and almonds. Palate is creamy and almost rum-like. Decent, but nothing spectacular here. Probably better on tap.

SHANER4 (377), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA

3.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.7	7/10	4/5	7/10	4/5	15/20

Jul 3, 2009

bottle 22 oz. - brownish red pour with thin beige head. Aroma - roasted malt, light chocolate, hint of coffee and dark fruits. Flavor - sublime mixture of chocolate and roasted nuts with mild coffee taste. Palate - creamy medium bodied with average carbonation. Finish is dry and quite bitter. Overall - above average beer that is easy to drink. I enjoyed the nice light chocolate taste!

gorditoabd (174), San Diego, California, USA

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	6/10	4/5	6/10	3/5	14/20

Jul 3, 2009

Bottle. Pours like cola with a similar thickness and consistency of foam. Aroma is dark roasted nuts and malt. Flavor is of dark oak, malt and barley with a touch of cocoa/chocolate. Decent consistency and mouthfeel, with only a slightly over-the-top bitter finish. Pretty good. Surprisingly low ABV. Hops almost imperceptible.

Juelze (904), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA

3.3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.3	6/10	3/5	6/10	3/5	15/20

Jul 2, 2009

From a tasting at Ridgeview. Poured a light brown color with a thin light tan head. Aroma is of light cocoa and roasted malt. Taste is of light cocoa, light hops and toasted malt. Surprised it’s a traditional ale as it tasted a lot like a schwarzbier. Either way, it’s a decent beer.

furious (9), South Carolina, USA
does not count

3	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3	6/10	4/5	5/10	2/5	13/20

Jun 29, 2009

Had once at a restaurant. It started off as a good beer - I liked it at first. But as I kept drinking, it wasn’t as pleasant. Can’t pinpoint why. I should probably try it again sometime.

zappafan99 (462), South Carolina, USA

3.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.4	6/10	4/5	6/10	3/5	15/20

Jun 25, 2009

Taste 6/9 Bottle. Looks: Dark and clear with rings of tan foam. Aroma and Taste: Peat and smoke with burn toast and and malty sweetness. Spice, sour and fruit with the finish.

beerledgend (919), Meadowbank Auckland, New Zealand

3.2	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.2	7/10	3/5	6/10	2/5	14/20

Jun 25, 2009

dark brown in colour with lively off white head. Coffee/choclate aroma. Creamy choclate mouthfeel, hint of hop bitterness.

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