REVIEW 70: FAT TIRE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  New Belgium Brewing

STYLE:  Amber Ale

ABV:  5.2%

PURCHASE:  Draught (60-oz. pitcher), $10.00

SERVING:  Said pitcher, poured into chilled pint glass. A standard pour yielded a standard 3/4" head, which was more or less equaled by a pour half the speed. A fast pour got 2 1/2 inches, roughly. Decent retention.

APPEARANCE:  Transparent amber-copper color with a typical white head that's equal parts fizzy and rocky. Very good lacing.

BOUQUET:  Very evenly balanced between malt and hops. However, there is a distinct note of sugar as well as of tea leaves. I'm not hallucinating.

PALATE:  Average body and carbonation. Starts very well balanced, and stays that way, with slight crescendos on both the malt and hops. A mild sweetness permeates the entire mouthfeel. Finish is yeasty, leading to an addictive tea-like aftertaste, one also seemingly evenly split between subtle hops and toasted malt. Fairly simple; nothing too fancy. But very, very easily drinkable. 

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  This may be the closest thing to a crowd-pleasing craft beer that exists. If you're throwing a party, and want to include a microbrew that won't turn anyone off, this is the one to do it with. Probably because it became a sort of "it" beer last decade. So much so that in the film, Fast Food Nation--set in Colorado, where Fat Tire is brewed--director Richard Linklater made sure it was mentioned during a crucial scene, in which Bruce Willis sips one to wash down a burger, while discussing the "shit in the meat" problem with Greg Kinnear.

Movie trivia aside, this is not a champion in its field; more like a sometime all-star.




GRADE:  B