New Belgium Mountain Mantra

This one is an odd ball. Big hop aroma greets you at the gate. Looks like a wit, cloudy, white and slight lacing. You think it’s going to taste like a Belgian by the look but the Hop aroma throws you off. The tastes is similar to a big hop beer...both in the taste and bitterness. There’s something weird about this one. Not sure what it is but I think they may have used a Belgian strain of yeast. There could be bitter orange peel in this too...who knows...it’s what ever was left over one day at the end of the month. BTW, this was from a growler and the beer was not served as Mountain Mantra but JR2562 (?) in the tasting room.

Pours with an amber-red body topped by a thin to medium thick head with some lacing. It’s sweet and spicy with a nice malt note and a touch of hops. Nice! Medium to full bodied, smooth yet slightly warming.

Great version if a IPA. This is by far the hoppiest beer to ever come out of New Belgium. Deep Copper color with hints of bananna and clove on the nose, with a nice finishing warmth. If you can find it you should definately give it a try.

Draught @ Toronado. Hadn’t heard of this before siing it up on their listings. Rich ordered before I managed to, so I stole large quaffs from his glass. Nice round body, plenty herbal, slightly sweet and a veer to the acidic but not by much. Very nice, but as I was looking to find hop heaven, this took something of a back seat despite being appreciated as well. More caracter came out as it warmed and I look forward to another sample.

This beer was had on draught at the Brouwers Hopfest in Seattle, WA. This beer pours a clear copper color with a fairly large sized head for it being a pint and excellent lacing. The aroma was completely bananaish to the max. Some hay, grapefruit, sweet malts, a hint of grass and wheat...standard New Belgium to be honest. The flavor depicts the word...DRY!!!! Mouthwateringly dry due largely in part to the fruits and grapefruits the flavor produces. Heavy banana and grapefruit, hay, with hoppy citric bitterness. Very abrupt finish to this beer. Low carbonation but cardboardy mouthfeel. Im really not that impressed. Abrasive and intrusive on my palate.

Draught at Brouwer’s Cafe during HopFest 2005: Coppery golden, moderate foamy white head, very nice lacing, strong carbonation.   Sweet hoppy aroma, yet somewhat sweet, somewhat bready along with belgian candy sugar factor.   Very clean hop bitterness from start to finish, lingers well after the finish.   Seems to be a touch of pine (odd), and semi-sweet.   Wonderfull body and mouthfeel.   Finishes with moreso a breadiness akin to a double, along with the hop bite of an IPA.   Very interesting beer, that I find very palatable and enjoyable.   Well done New Belgium!

A very generous sharing from Alaskanwarren’s half growler. It survived very nicely, with beautiful layer of creamy white head on a copper body. First sniff, I’m getting some of the aroma of loft. A spicy yeast aroma, and a pleasant tang. But man, this stuff has some layers! Delicate citrus, cinnamon, sweaty/cedar. A nice level of bitterness, almost more citrus yeast sour than hoppy though. Clean and delicate on the palate. A wonderful, innovative beer! I would be happier if it weren’t listed as an IPA. It ain’t IPA. But then again...what do you call something like this? Great. I guess you call it great.

Wow, this is interesting, good, tasty, mysterious. Appearance is an orange-mahagony, and aroma is a spicy, tangy, hop, with plenty of pine. I was surprised to find out they dont use simcoe nor chinook in their six-hop mix. Flavor is more of that spicy hop concoction with plenty of malt. It felt balanced, but I don’t know that I could drink a ton of it. It was pretty rich. Not that that’s a bad thing, in fact I enjoyed every drop of my taster. I did buy a half-growler at the brewery so we’ll see how things go. It just feels more like a sippin’ brew than a gulpin’ brew. Body is medium-to-full and finish is spicey pine.