Beer Review: New Belgium Cherry Almond Ale

The Cherry Almond Ale from New Belgium Brewing is I guess what one could call a fruit ale in how it may be described for a style. The beer provides a great appearance with its reddish brown color and nice tannish and foamy head. Drinking this brought up images and tastes associated with chocolate covered cherries. This definitely played out as a malt forward beer and of course that is no surprise considering the IBU on this ale is only 16. And at an ABV of 5.8% the beer doesn’t play out too heavy, although its sweetness could become a factor for some. Check out my video below to see more of my thoughts on this limited availability ale.

Brewer Notes:

With a vibrant splash of cherry, and gentle chocolate aromas, our Cherry Almond Ale delicately balances malty sweetness with a refreshingly bitter finish. Find it only in Folly Packs in early 2017.

TASTING NOTES

VISUAL: Bright ruby/mahogany color with a light off-white foam.
AROMA: Coffee, roasted malt and chocolate initially with some caramel, cherries, cola and nuts, slight smoke.
FLAVOR: Sweet throughout with very subtle sour middle and a mild lingering bitterness.
MOUTHFEEL: Starts lightly coating, finishes astringent.
BODY: Medium body.

BEER FACTS

ABV: 5.8
IBU: 16
YEAST: Ale
HOPS: Nugget, Cascade
MALTS: Pale, Munich, C-120, Victory, Black Prinz