New Belgium Old Cherry

Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Fruit Beer
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Bottled. A pale amber beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet with strong notes of cherries and light notes of almonds. The flavor is sweet with notes of bread and caramel as well as lighter notes of cherries, leading to a dry bready finish.

Draft at brewery Aug ’08: Poured a reddish color. The aroma was sweet malts and cherries. The flavor was cherry, sweet malts and finishes nicely with tart cherries. Overall, not a fan, but glad I tried it.

Bottle. Clear amber pour with a definite reddish hue. Light aroma of sweet malt, biscuit and just a touch of cherry. Flavor also starts out with toasty malt, but the cherry really comes through in the finish. Sweet and slightly tart.

It seems New Belgium has started packing some beers for exclusive purchase in Folly packs. I didn’t really want the accompanying brews, but I did want to try the new New Belgium Old Cherry, so I saved the rest for guests and company and indulged in this new and exciting offering. And then I realized that the Old Cherry was, like some other new New Belgium beers, a simple modification of the Fat Tire formula. Really, it tasted exactly like Fat Tire with unripened dark cherries bathing in it. Despite a hale dark red-amber color, and a thin aspen bark colored head, the aroma was a lackluster doppleganger of Fat Tire with a touch of black cherry, and the taste also mimicked Fat Tire but added some cinnamon, apple and cherry, which did little to suppress the signature Fat Tire skunkiness I know and hate. Suddenly I find myself reclaiming the bottles of 1554 and Mothership Wit. The guests can have the Old Cherry and Fat Tire.

12 oz bottle from their Folly pack. Pours a clear, bright, sparkling red with a very small, fizzy, off white head that dissipates immediately. Looks kind of like a strawberry soda. Aroma is dull, but very sweet and malty. Cherries...obviously. Taste is quick, sweet, and cherry tart. Malt dominated. Medium bodied and highly carbonated. Definitely cant taste the alcohol. I am a bit surprised to find out that this is actually 6.5 %ABV. Overall, a pretty lame beer. Nicely made and balanced, just not my style.

Bottle. Pour was light golden with a red hue. Aroma is light cherries and malt. Flavor has a bit of the beer bite and a hint of fresh cherry juice. A bit too many hops in this brew. Not bad but not great by any means.

Bottle from kyzr. Thanks Mitch. Aromas of light toast, roast, some moderate yeasty sweetness and light cherry that gets a touch stronger as it warms. Pours a hazy amber tone with no head. Has some toasted aspects in this one with a little roast and chocolate. Ever so slight yeasty esters combine with a little cherry. Maybe a little spice in this from the yeast too. A little tart cherry picks up as it warms. Finish is somewhat dry toasty and roasty with some sweetness too.

12 ounce bottle given to me by my buddy Kelley. He works for a distributor, so I guess he found this as a special beer for me. I had never heard of it. There is definitely a yeasty funk that is Belgian like. I also get some sweet cherry aroma as well as some light funk that may be a touch of brett. Transparent copper body with just a hint of an amber hue present. Good, creamy off-yellowish head is present with attractive lacing. Starts sweet with some graininess before it becomes horrifically buttery and loaded with diacetyl flavors in the middle. Light cherry flavors come in at the end with a little roastiness. This is like a Shipyard beer with light cherry flavoring. Not so good.