New Belgium Lips of Faith (Dandelion Ale)

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

On tap at New Belgium poured a hazy gold with a lasting white head. Aromas of bread dough, toasted malt, light fruittiness and a hint of rice. Palate was medium bodied and smooth with a dry finish. Flavors of fruittiness, bread, light spice and light rice with a smooth lingering bitter finish.

Pours a cloudy luminous yellow with a phleghmy viscous top. Belgian yeast dust and restrained doughy funk in the nose--nothing to off-the-wall. After some sniffing, dandelion fruity elements waft through. Smooth vein of yeastiness massages the palate with primarily toasted bready malts and perhaps some dandelion herbalness though the character is very subdued. Mostly this a straightforward Belgian Ale, a sentiment which allows a lot of leeway.

On tap at Hop Leaf. Poured a hazy gold with white head. Aroma was very floral with a bitter undertone. Flavor was malty with a floral note and finished with an odd bitter note.

Dark golden amber color. Starts off with a nice bold white head. Sweet subtle malt notes in the aroma. A little flowery on the nose some light friut notes. Smooth creamy mouthfeel. A little spicy clearer in the aftertaste. A green veggie flavor lingers on the palate, green beans maybe. A easy drinking refreshing beer, thanks Papago.

draft at brouwers. pours a cloudy dark orange with ruby overtones. creamy white moussy film and lace. nice peppery floral dandelion nose. sweet creamy medium body with plenty of prickly carb. attack comes on bold but then the whole thing kind of fades. a little too subdued.

Sampled on tap at 1702, July 2009
The beer arrives from the tap with a hazy yellow color; it is topped by a thin white colored head. There is a herbal spiciness to the aroma with notes of dried grass, and a touch of lemon. There is a touch of pale grain character to the nose that contributes some cracker like notes and there is also a touch of warming alchol noticed in the aroma. The nose isn’t nearly as distinct, or even characterful as I was expecting it to be. It is solid, and definitely well balanced, but I almost feel like I could have gotten the same effect with hops.

This has a soft, creamy mouthfeel to it as I take my first sip. There is a light lemon-like flavor to it up front and there is a touch of herbal character in the finish. Some sweetness makes me think of a clover honey (especially when coupled with the herbal note); much of the sweetness here though seems to be perceived (rather than actual malt sweetness), which is derived from fermentation esters and fruitiness. While this beer does have a creamy texture, there is a ood prickly carbonation to this beer that provides some little peppery notes. There is a touch of clove flavor to this beer, but it does not really have an expressive fermentation driven flavor to it.

This beer is nice and easy drinking; there is a nice balance of flavors here, but it is somehow not as distinct as I was hoping. Given that this beer was inspired by the hop shortage though, I would definitely say the dandelion has made a valiant, and even eerily exact, substitution for a herbal hop variety. This is actually quite a good beer, but for some reason I feel a bit dissapointed that it wasn’t as distinct in its Dandelion character as I might have wished.

On tap at brewery. Pours a cloudy pale gold color with very little head, and tons of lacing. A very floral and grassy aroma with some light sweet fruit. Taste is of sweet grasses with a slight bitterness. It finishes with light honey and citrus. Light and thin bodied with medium carbonation. A very enjoyable different beer.

tap at Trinity Brewery. deep straw/orange pour with big frothy white head. huge lacing. mild aroma. mild and crisp. light spice and earthiness. very smooth and enjoyable.