New Belgium 2° Below Winter Ale

Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

weird, i really didn’t care for it--like a little IPA, but with a dark and malty backbone as if to confuse me... Wtf!

So I guessed this as either an IPA or the new beer-du-jour, harvest ale or PESB. Whatever they are all about the same. This one is different in the variety of hops used, Sterling and LIberty, according to the bottle. Still it comes off smelling as a west coast beer. Oddly the aroma was better from a distance as putting ones nose in the goblet lent a band-aid quality to the beer especially the longer one sniffed, which is just bad. Body is light, high carbonation, and hoppy bitter. If you want to call it an American ESB fine, but it does not come close to a Redhook ESB from 6 years ago. And this is a very poor example of a British ESB lacking body and smoothness.

Bottle and served in Imperial pint glass: Clean golden hue with a nice fluffy head and very good lacing. The aroma has notes of grassy, herbal, piney and citric hops along with biscuity and buttered toast, some poppyseed spice as well. The taste has a strange astringent and medical taste to it’s bitterness that is a bit stand-offish. The whole thing is more that confusing where the malts do not seem to work in conjunction with the yeast. The mouth feel is not as sharp as I hoped either. This is bottle #4 of the sixer and I found the beer ranging for good to below-average.

Bottle. Copper colored ale with a subtle malt aroma. The flavor is surprising. There is a perfume like aspect to the flavor, possibly from dry-hopping. In addition the bitter hops leaves a lingering aftertaste. It is just too light for my taste.

12 oz bottle. copper color for a winter brew scared me but the aroma was very toasty and the flavor was substantiating. Nice bite with a full hop aftertaste however it lacked the punch most winterbrews pack.. overall I was impressed and its worth a second shot.

unique toasty/spicy hop profile. medium bodied and super refreshing. first bottle i had the other day went away way too quickly. very thirst quenching. the hops are spicy and herbal, definitely not very bitter or fruity. has a very noticeable and welcome toasty malt presence. small chocolate notes in there. this is a great cold weather beer in my opinion, i get sick of all those super heavy sweet stouts anyway. i’d take this over them any day. i dunno if i’d want this year-round but i appreciate what this one does. definitely a fun beer.

Pours almost an orange color with a foamy head. Very distinguished floral/spicy scent. Sweet and smooth with no bitterness. Would recommed!!

12 oz. bottle. poured a clear dark amber color with rocky white head. has aroma of floral citrus and and toasted white bread. starts out with a dominant toasted malt bread bisquit and wild flower flavor. has a medium bodied mouthfeel and will continue throughout, with that trademark toasted bread malt backbone. Nice dry hopped aroma of orange and milk chocolate.. goes well with venison and and smoked fish. not as warming as could be.