New Belgium 2° Below Winter Ale

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

On tap, served in a shaker. Amber orange pour with a light haze and a thin cap of light tan foam. Minimal lacing. The aroma had caramel, toast, a touch of spice, and light citrus. The flavor was similar with a bready malt backbone. Medium-bodied. Light carbonation. Not overly interesting, but drinkable.

A clear goldish amber pour with medium off-white head with good lacing. It has a mild hop aroma with carrots and a hint of pepper. The flavor has a buttery pepper taste with a short bitter finish. Not sure where the "winter" and "ESB" tags fit in with this one.

Pours a crystal clear light copper color. Slightly off-white head that stuck around but no lacing. Aroma is crisp and sharp and reminds me of a lager. The taste reminds me of juiced vegetables minus the thickness. Some hop bitterness in the finish. I really didn’t enjoy this one.

bottle on 11/14/09... deep copper pour with a lasting white head... caramel malt aroma with light dry hopped bitterness. extra smooth over the palate with nice soft sides... thick dry bitter finish... more malt driven overall... a different ESB...

Clear amber pour, with a smallish lace - flavor is medium sweet at first, but in the long term, herbal hops and toasted grains dominate - a bit of nutty character through the middle - sweetness returns in the finish, as a warming spiciness sets in for the finish - the sweetness mixes with the herbal character of the hops to create a flavor not unlike sweetened iced tea - decent, but like most NB beers, it eventually suffers from being too sweet.

pours a clear copper with a small offfwhite head. notes of caramel, bread, toast, candy. a little too papery and candyish. How does the same company that makes tart lychee, love, and le terroir make this?

12 ounce bottle - $1.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. Best Before: March 5, 2010. Appearance: Pours out a brilliant, amber body with an airy, fluffy, white head. Smell: Toasty, spicy nose with, on occasions, the toast and spice aspects coming together at just the right time to give me the impression of gourmet cinnamon powder. Also, some hints of dehydrated herbs and a distant, vague fruitiness. Taste: Initially, it’s a sweetish combination of caramel and toasty malt tastes rounded out with an ill-defined hint of supporting, juicy fruitiness. Then, in comes the spicy, herbaceous hop character imparted by the Sterling and Liberty with a notable hint of coarsely-cracked white peppercorns. Drying finish with an enduring spiciness. Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: One of those odd ales that falls between the cracks -- it’s not a great representation of an ESB and doesn’t perform too well as a Winter Warmer. Though, as just a pleasant, easy-drinking beer, it’s alright.

Not bad, though I expected a little more from New Belgium. Bottle pours into a NB goblet a rich mahogany with orange-red highlights and a thick white head that dissipates quickly to a soapy cap, never really going away. Nose is cinnamon and white pepper. Tastes like a strong ESB; think a sweeter version of Rogue’s Brutal Bitter. Somewhat floral, with hops and nutmeg on the palate. Solid session brew.