New Belgium Trippel, Voodoo Ranger IPA, and Mountain Time

New Belgium sponsored the Mountains to Coast Bike Tour I took last week. Free beer when the camping sites allowed!! Here are notes on three beers I sampled. 

Trippel
Brewer's notes: Our Trippel has always been a big, beautiful Belgian-style ale, but in 2015, we tweaked the recipe to include a new yeast variety and even more complex malt profile. This golden beer opens with a bold blast of spicy Noble hops, courtesy of Saaz and Hallertau Mittlefruh, and gives way to the fruity aromas offered by our traditional Belgian yeast. Brewed with Pilsner and Munich malts, Trippel is classically smooth and complex, and sings with a high-note of sweet citrus before a pleasantly dry finish delivers a warm, strong boozy bite. Give Trippel a sip to get you smiling.

Tasting notes: I liked it the best of all the beers I sampled. Nice clove flavor without being overbearing. 

Rating = 3.5 glasses. MIght merit 4.

Voodoo Ranger IPA
Brewer's notes: Bursting with tropical aromas and juicy fruit flavors from Mosaic and Amarillo hops, this golden IPA is perfectly bitter with a refreshing, sublime finish.

Tasting notes: Eh. Ok but lacked the hop bite I seek.

Rating = 1.5 glasses

Mountain Time
Brewer's notes: Crisp and clean as snowmelt in spring, Mountain Time Premium Lager is brewed with only the finest ingredients by the employee-owners at New Belgium Brewing. This refreshing lager will take you to another time & place. Live life on Mountain Time.

Tasting notes: The surprise of the tastings. It is a decent lager and went well with fried fish and shrimp. Not good enough to savor - I did not finish a second can when the time to leave arrived.

Rating = 2 glasses

Jester King The Weigh-In Montmorency

Brewer's Notes: Montmorency cherries from Michigan were added to mature barrel-aged sour beer and refermented to dryness. 

Tasting Notes

August 2023: I bought a bottle from Corks and Kegs as a treat. I was expected something like a tart Kriek. I am disappointed. The beer has an earthy sourness and, maybe, some tart cherry playing in the background. The earthiness may be oak from the barrels used for aging. The beer is brewed with skill but for the price I want more tart, vinegar, and cherry bite.

Rating: 1.5 glasses.

RAGBRAI

Here are some quick notes about beers I sampled while biking with RAGBRAI, the Register Annual Great Ride Across Iowa.

New Glarus Spotted Cow
A decent saison. It was a gift from Nancy and I would have drunk a second one if it was on the table.
Rating = 3 glasses

Cross Plains Esser's Best
A decent Helles. Another gift.
Rating = 2.5 glasses

Big Grove Tailwind
Notes: Tailwind is a celebration of all things RAGBRAI® and Big Grove Brewery. We brewed this light, refreshing golden ale for the “oldest, largest, and longest recreational bicycle touring event in the world.” Relax and embrace the Tailwind.
Rating = 1.5 glasses

Big Grove Easy Eddy
Notes: Easy Eddy showcases big tropical aromatics of pineapple and mango. Flaked wheat and oats make for a brilliant golden haze in this Unfiltered IPA. Hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe.
The other RAGBRIA beer. A decent NE IPA.
Rating = 2.5 glasses