Side Trip
New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States 🇺🇸
Belgian Style - Blonde / Pale / Amber Rotating Out of Production|
Score
6.53
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Sometimes it’s a side trip that makes the journey. During our last anniversary retreat to Belgium, brewmaster Peter Bouckaert embarked on a sensory excursion to find the perfect yeast strain for his next creation: Side Trip Belgian Pale Ale. A beer from Brouwerij Van Den Bossche led Bouckaert to the brewery’s family Belgian Style Pale Ale
Buffalo yeast strain, which they happily shared, and the foundation was set. Additions of Belgian Chateau Abbey and Cara Ruby malts from Castle Malting, the oldest malting plant in Belgium, as well as Belgian Magnum, Saphir and Target hops builds a bready, caramel-sweet wash with traces of stone fruits, and a balanced herbal bitterness for a pleasantly dry finish. Take a break from your journey with a Side Trip.
Buffalo yeast strain, which they happily shared, and the foundation was set. Additions of Belgian Chateau Abbey and Cara Ruby malts from Castle Malting, the oldest malting plant in Belgium, as well as Belgian Magnum, Saphir and Target hops builds a bready, caramel-sweet wash with traces of stone fruits, and a balanced herbal bitterness for a pleasantly dry finish. Take a break from your journey with a Side Trip.
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6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
12 oz. bottle. It pours a clear golden color with a white head. The aroma is grainy with some light pear and apple esters. Subtle notes of earthy noble hops. The flavor is grainy and a little peppery with some pleasant fruity notes of apple. Very light malt and earthy noble hops in the finish. Pretty good stuff. Nice Belgian yeast character.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Feb 2016
at 19:32
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
12 ounce bottle from Whole Foods Charlottesville. Clear golden, large foamy white head, good retention. Aroma of herbal hops, pale malt, hay, yeast. The taste is floral, herbal hops, caramel malt. Thin-medium bodied. Decent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Feb 2016
at 20:31
5.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5
Bottle. A- Floral, spice, honey. A- Orange color, clear liquid, white head. T- Floral, wheat. P- Medium body, average texture, average carbonation, boring finish. O- Almost saison like more than anything else. The aroma is good but the taste is certainly lacking.
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Feb 2016
at 18:47
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Draft pour pint at the Collective. Part of the Brewers night series. Clear golden pour with almost no head. Kinda a cool story behind this beer. Most of my great beer discoveries come from side trips. Practically absent aroma here. Flavor is hints of grain, Belgian yeast, and no real hop presence to speak of. The beer is refreshing, but light and lacks a whole lot of character. Can’t complain much though, it’s a nice day, the day was long at work, and this drinks nice in this type of situation.
Tried
from Draft
on 08 Feb 2016
at 19:11
4.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 4
Texture 6
Overall 4
Sampled on draft at 3R6P this beer poured a darkish gold color with a medium sized foamy white head that left good lacing. The aroma was faintly dusty and citric. The flavor was bitter and dry with a bit of citrus and perfume. Not much to it at all. Medium length finish. Medium body. Blah.
Tried
from Draft
on 05 Feb 2016
at 16:18
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
12oz bottle. Filtered tan body. Thin, steady white head. Has some nice clean malt depth, balanced by an herbal/perfume yeast tone. I consider De Koninck THE Belgian Pale Ale, something a little more sessionable, less yeast centered. This is little heavier on the palate. OK.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Feb 2016
at 22:58
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
12 oz bottle. Aroma is doughy, earthy, biscuity, wheat cracker, clove, banana, sesame oil. Pours completely clear golden with a quickly collapsing white head. Taste is lightly sweet and spicy with a dry lightly bitter finish. Body is a tad thin, mouthfeel a little watery. Pretty good, though.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Jan 2016
at 22:39
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6
Draft at AK BW fest 2016. Clear golden color. Earthy aroma. Taste has peach and citrus. Decent.
Tried
from Draft
on 28 Jan 2016
at 06:45
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
12 ounce bottle into signature globe glass, best before 5/29/2016. Pours crystal clear golden orange color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings around the glass; with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of lemon, orange, apricot, pear, apple, white grape, light banana, pepper, clove, honey, caramel, toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, and earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of big lemon, orange, apricot, pear, apple, white grape, light banana, pepper, clove, honey, caramel, toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Moderate amount of yeast spiciness and light herbal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon, orange, apricot, pear, apple, white grape, light banana, pepper, clove, honey, caramel, toasted biscuit, and herbal/yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, and earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from yeast spiciness as well. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, fairly crisp, and lightly sticky balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming present after the finish. Overall this is an awesome Belgian pale ale style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malt, and earthy hop flavors; and very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink. A highly enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jan 2016
at 20:53