1554
New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States 🇺🇸
Traditional Beer - Gruit Regular|
Score
7.03
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1554 Black Lager beer uses a lager yeast strain and dark chocolaty malts to redefine what dark beer can be.
A surprisingly bright taste and a dry, chocolaty finish -- one evocative of dark brews enjoyed in Belgian taverns 500 years ago. Not a porter, not a stout -- it's 1554.
Enlightened Dark Ale
1554 defies the style guidelines of modern beer. Although dark in color, 1554 is not a porter, stout, schwarzbier or bock. Rather, it is a rebirth of a lost beer style called zwert (Flemish for black), which uses gruit for bittering. The oldest reference to zwert beer comes from 1285. However, our brewing inspiration came from a book published in 1554, which was the height of popularity for zwertbeer. First released in 1998, our whimsical improvisation includes a variety of specialty dark malts, a dash of licorice root, and a European lager yeast that’s fermented at ale temperatures.
A surprisingly bright taste and a dry, chocolaty finish -- one evocative of dark brews enjoyed in Belgian taverns 500 years ago. Not a porter, not a stout -- it's 1554.
Enlightened Dark Ale
1554 defies the style guidelines of modern beer. Although dark in color, 1554 is not a porter, stout, schwarzbier or bock. Rather, it is a rebirth of a lost beer style called zwert (Flemish for black), which uses gruit for bittering. The oldest reference to zwert beer comes from 1285. However, our brewing inspiration came from a book published in 1554, which was the height of popularity for zwertbeer. First released in 1998, our whimsical improvisation includes a variety of specialty dark malts, a dash of licorice root, and a European lager yeast that’s fermented at ale temperatures.
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6.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Imported from my RateBeer account as New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Dark Ale (by New Belgium Brewing Company (Lion Co. - Kirin Holdings)):
Aroma: 6/10, Appearance: 4/5, Taste: 6/10, Palate: 4/5, Overall: 13/20, MyTotalScore: 3.3/5
5/II/17 - 12Fl. Oz. bottle @ train station Brugge, post-Brugs Bierfestival - BB: V/6/16 (2017-158) Thanks to bartlebier for sharing the bottle!
Clear dark brown beer, small creamy beige head, pretty stable, adhesive, leaving some lacing in the glass. Aroma: very malty, grains, hay, cow fodder, caramel, bit sweet, malty. MF: lively carbon, medium body. Taste: malty, grains, bit sourish, malty, caramel, bit greenish, hoppy touch. Aftertaste: bitter, grains, malty, bit sourish, lemony touch, some cardboard. Decent one!
Aroma: 6/10, Appearance: 4/5, Taste: 6/10, Palate: 4/5, Overall: 13/20, MyTotalScore: 3.3/5
5/II/17 - 12Fl. Oz. bottle @ train station Brugge, post-Brugs Bierfestival - BB: V/6/16 (2017-158) Thanks to bartlebier for sharing the bottle!
Clear dark brown beer, small creamy beige head, pretty stable, adhesive, leaving some lacing in the glass. Aroma: very malty, grains, hay, cow fodder, caramel, bit sweet, malty. MF: lively carbon, medium body. Taste: malty, grains, bit sourish, malty, caramel, bit greenish, hoppy touch. Aftertaste: bitter, grains, malty, bit sourish, lemony touch, some cardboard. Decent one!
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Feb 2017
at 17:02
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 8
Pours rather clear dark brown. Small white headm smell is bit sweet. Taste is rather bitter , aromatic dark malts. Rather sweet. Ok. Bit weak though.
Tried
on 05 Feb 2017
at 13:24
7/10
Tried
on 03 Feb 2017
at 18:42
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle. Pours clear dark brown with slight reddish tint, large foamy beige head, roasted malt aroma, medium carbonation, slightly sweet roasted malt taste, smooth medium thick body, abrupt finish with creamy aftertaste. Very tasty and smooth.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Jan 2017
at 17:33
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
355ml bottle [Thanks and a heartly "sapere aude!" to the Old Belgian philosophe des lumières Pierre Bartle (pron. Bayle) for this 1554 (Renaissance?) brew!]. Opaque, darkest brown colour with ruby glimmer and small to average, thick, foamy, fairly lasting, minimally lacing, beige head. Chocolately, dark malty aroma, hints of treacle and pumpernickel, a nuttily touch. Taste is mildly roasty dark malty, minimally ashy, some cola and treacle sweetness in the middle part, again more roasty, minimally ashy and mineral finish, chocolately interludes throughout; full body, slightly viscous texture.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Dec 2016
at 13:39
6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Filled into a well-used New Belgium globe glass. Appropriate. Possessed of a black body with a tan head that dissipates promptly. A whiff of black licorice and blackened toast. Malty taste followed up by raisins and dates. Something earthy at the finish. I like stouts considerably, this is along that line. Not at the top.
Tried
on 17 Nov 2016
at 19:56
7/10
Tried
on 22 Oct 2016
at 06:46
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Pours almost black, small head.Nose shows cocoa, bready and toasty notes, some light fruity notes too.Flavours include bready and toasty notes, nutty malt, some soft sweetness.
Tried
on 18 Oct 2016
at 01:02
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
On tap at St. Augustine’s during New Belgium 25th anniversary celebration. Pours a dark reddish copper with a white head. Aroma is roasted malt, chocolate. Taste roasted malt, dark fruits notes. Roasted malt, bready notes aftertaste. Very pleasant. Full-bodied, but easy drinkable.
Tried
from Draft
on 22 Aug 2016
at 20:19
7.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle pour. Appearance is dark brown/mahogany with 1/2 finger-width light brown head with poor retention to ring. Aroma is toffee, light fruit. Taste is roasted malt with toffee, mild dark fruits, European hops. Palate is medium bodied with thin, creamy texture, average carbonation with fruity, toffee more sweet than bitter finish. Overall, a dark beer with a pretty light palate that still packs a decent amount of flavor.
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Jul 2016
at 18:37