Valentine's Day Special - New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire (!!!!)

Happy Day-After Valentine's Day everyone. I hope cupid was nice to you, because this is the last fairy gift giver until the Easter Bunny. I, for one, not only gave an amazing gift, but also received an amazing gift. Background: in November, the wife and I went up to Savannah for a short weekend getaway. While we were up there, we stopped into one of the local hotels which had a bar on the roof. My wife got some crazy liquor drink, and I had my first New Belgium Brewing offering, Fat Tire. I had heard a lot about Fat Tire up to that point, so I needed to try it for myself. Like most of 2010, I hadn't really tried too many craft brews, but Fat Tire quickly became a favorite after that day. Unfortunately, living in Florida, Fat Tire is pretty much impossible to get a hold of (they don't sell it here, or ship it here). Well, that all changed as of Valentine's Day 2011. The wife surprised me with a Fat Tire gift basket! It came with three bottles of Fat Tire, a bag of pistachios, pretzel sticks, and cheese straws. Pretty much the most amazing gift for a Floridian beer lover. I suppose the best part of this gift is that it gave me a chance to do a proper review of Fat Tire, as, like I said, I hadn't expanded my tastes yet when I first tried it. So it's time to take off the training wheels and take the Fat Tire for a spin!

Pour before you GULP! Fat Tire is an amber ale, so you pretty much know what to expect. Upon pouring I was greeted with a dark amber coloring and a nice foamy head, basically what I surmised and what I remembered from our trip to Savannah. The bottle is dressed up with, what comes off to me as, a European flair label - and a red bicycle smack in the middle. Apparently the story with the bike is that one of the founders rode such a bicycle through Belgium when the idea for the brew was realized. Such a nice piece of serendipity, no!?

GULP! It Up! Don't expect very strong scents with this New Belgium Brewing favorite. In fact, don't expect to be overpowered with flavorings while you drink either. I'm not saying that in a negative way, I actually think that's what makes Fat Tire so freakin' popular, the subtly of the flavors make it incredibly drinkable. For the connoisseurs out there, you will find small notes of malt, and biscuit. For the non-connoisseurs, you might not taste much! But again, I don't think that's such a bad thing in this case; and actually, as you move on through the drink, you find some bitter hops, but it's far from overpowering. Overall it's a very crisp and malty experience. Very enjoyable.

Grade the GULP! When I would think about Fat Tire, it reminded me of a mild Savannah afternoon, sitting on the roof of a hotel. Thankfully I'll be able to enjoy a couple more of these in the comfort of my home, sifting through the different flavors while watching reruns of Seinfeld. Moving to the grades... I'm going to change things up a little bit. I have found the numerical grading system to be a bit of a pain, so I'm switching to letter grades. They hold the same weight as when you were in grade school, so no syllabus is required. I'm giving Fat Tire an A-. Where it lacks in the power flavor department, it makes up in drinkability and crispiness. Unfortunately, if you're a Floridian reading this, I don't think you'll be finding this in your local grocer or package store anytime soon; however, they do sell it in Georgia! Road trip!! I'd recommend taking a car though, not a flimsy looking red bicycle. Enjoy!

Wells and Young's Banana Bread Beer

As promised, here is the second review of the day. Yesterday, I had class from 9am to 5pm. Yes, on Saturday. It's crazy I know, but there was a nice pay off afterwards. I went with a colleague/classmate to a dive bar just outside downtown Orlando for a couple drinks. After having an OBP on draft, it was time to try a beer that I had heard about for quite a while, but never was able to get my hands on: the Wells and Young's Banana Bread beer. If you haven't heard of it before, you read that right. It's a beer that tastes like banana bread! You shouldn't be too shocked though, I mean, they have beer that tastes like chocolate, ya know?

Before I get to the actual review, I think it's appropriate to go over a little history! Wells and Young's is not a pushover brewery. Wells and Young's, as it stands today, was formed in 2006 after a merger between Charles Wells LTD and Young's Brewery, both based in the UK. CW LTD was formed in 1876 in England, and Young's Brewery was formed in 1831, also in England. Needless to say, the combination of two such historic breweries in 2006 has left us with a huge UK company and some very interesting beer! And, believe it or not, Wells and Young's also brew Kirin Ichiban, Red Stripe (Hooray Beer!), Corona Extra, Estrella Damm, Modeolo Especial, Negra Modela, and Pacifico Clara. Who's the smart one now!? I'm so proud, my little readers are all grown up. Hell, for all I know, you might've known all this already. If so, well la-dee-da. Bitches. There'll be a test later. Moving on!

One of my first beer blog posts, not for GULP! but for another blog I was apart of, was "Top Ten Beers I'd Share with my Grandma". Looking back, I really, really wish I would've had this beer before making that list. Banana bread is one of those things that are like apple pie, it brings back memories of home and childhood, and more than likely, grandma made it best. I really think that any beer list that is associated with grandma, or any other family member who bakes such goods, should include this beer. I'm getting ahead of myself now though, so crank up the stove baby! It's time for some (liquid) banana bread!

Pour before you GULP! Since I was in a bar with little outside light, I didn't get a good shot of the beer in the glass. However, a good 'ol image search on Google will show you that this beer is a nice amber color. Placing the bottle next to it makes you wish there were some walnuts or bread crumbs floating around inside the glass. Don't get too upset though, because what you're about to experience might make up for those "shortfalls".

GULP! It Up! If you look back at the review of the Terrapin Wake'N'Bake, you'll see that I used the term "holy mother of ______". Well, I think it's time to use that phrase again. Holy Mother of Bananas! This brew is straight up bananas, literally. Right from the get go you can smell the mixture of bananas and nuts. I have to say though, the smells, combined with the flavors, while drinking... it's almost too much. Don't get me wrong, it's ridiculously good, but for a beer, you start to wonder about adjuncts and what a beer is supposed to be. But, it is so good, I say to hell with all that. At 5.2% ABV, and the banana flavors, this turns out to be a very drinkable ale!

Grade the GULP! Okay, this is a pretty easy one for me. 9. This is definitely one of my favorite beers now. I don't think it'd be possible to have three in a row, but two wouldn't be bad. Over the year, I can see this as a new favorite during the holidays and during parties with friends. If you've never had this brew before, do yourself a favor and go find it. If you have and you were unsure about it, give it another shot. As for grandma, she'll get a new list when the year is through!

Bell's Two Hearted Ale

Sunday's suck without football, right? Luckily the Celtics - Heat game is on, so the afternoon wasn't a totally lost cause. It was a bit of a slow week for GULP! thanks to life priorities. However, today will bring two, maybe three reviews. Gotta catch up for lost time! So let's get to it.

First up today is Bell's Two Hearted Ale. One of the first GULP! reviews was another Bell's product, Hopslam, a double IPA. Hopslam is one of Bell's seasonal beers, and is arguably one of their most popular brews. Today's review, Two Hearted Ale, is one of their 8 year round beers, and is of the (single) IPA configuration.  

Pour before you GULP! Like 99.9% of the beers reviewed by GULP! Two Hearted was poured from a bottle into a glass. It unleashed a great dark gold color with a solid foamy head. The color actually reminded me of a 'not to be named' macro brewery product. I'll give you a guess though, it rhymes with 'studwiser'. Thankfully it doesn't taste like it...

GULP! It Up! IPA's are quickly becoming a more personal favorite for me, over amber lagers, thanks to the standard calling card: hoppy bitterness and floral scents. Two Hearted does not disappoint when it comes to that. The bottle lets you know that you're in for a 'crisp finish' and 'an incredibly floral hop aroma'. They weren't kidding. In fact, Two Hearted is a very drinkable IPA. It does have the aforementioned bitterness, but it goes down very smooth with a crisp, malty backbone. For those not used to beers with a higher alcohol content, here is your warning: 7% ABV. Not 'too' high, but it certainly isn't the general average of 4.5%-6%. Not sure what the deal is with the fish though... 

Grade the GULP! I am very pleased with this offering from Bell's. Crisp, hoppy, malty, and floral; it's just what you'd expect for a really good IPA. I feel very good about giving Bell's Two Hearted Ale a solid 9. Yes, matching last weeks high for Terrapin Wake'N'Bake Chocolate Oatmeal stout. I've been fortunate to have some pretty good beers lately, as the grades show. So, don't be scurred, give Bell's Two Hearted Ale a try! If you don't like IPA's, at least give this one a shot; and if you don't like it, well....