May 28, 2009: 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

Few beer enthusiasts, even the most hardcore that would put an amateur like me to shame, seem to really recognize the incredible influence that tradition Belgian ales have had on modern brewing processes. I doubt the Belgian monks who cloistered themselves up in the monasteries, brewing beer for their own enjoyment, shut off from the rest of the world, would have had any idea about the kind of impact that they would have had in the history of brewing beer. Almost all dark, craft beers owe a little something to their Belgian predecessors that paved the way centuries ago. Even some larger breweries have begun to embrace the classic abbey style brewing made famous by the Belgians, including the ever popular New Belgium brewery that produces American classics like Fat Tire Ale and Mothership Wit.

The story behind 1554 Enlightened Black Ale is actually quite interesting and tragic. 1554 Enlightened Black Ale was first crafted by the brewers at New Belgium from an ancient Belgian recipe that had been discovered buried somewhere among the dusty shelves of an old library. While 1554 Enlightened Black Ale proved to be a resounding success, a flood at the Fort Collins, Colorado headquarters of the New Belgium brewery destroyed the original recipe forever. The good people at New Belgium weren't content to simply let this one of a kind recipe disappear into the annals of history, so one of the owners and the brewmaster embarked on a quest back to Belgium to track down the original recipe once more. They eventually found something very close to the original recipe, and after much trial and error were able to create something that actually improved upon the original recipe.

1554 Enlightened Black Ale is a dark, heavy ale that isn't for the squeemish. There are many qualities about 1554 Enlightened Black Ale that resemble a tradition Belgian abbey ale, but there are also a lot of improvements that I think make this beer more accessible for the average beer drinker. Abbey ales are traditionally very strong and have some of the highest alcohol content to be found in any beer (aside from the new tradition of creating so called extreme beers that often top out at over 15% alcohol, but 1554 Enlightened Black Ale is much more mild than most abbey ales. Part of what makes this beer so great is that it manages to be a bit lighter than an abbey ale, without sacrificing any of the taste that one could expect from an abbey ale. 1554 Enlightened Black Ale is still somewhat of an acquired taste, and if you're used to sipping on Coronas then this is probably not a great choice for you. But, if you'd like to man up and put a little hair on the chest, be sure to give 1554 Enlightened Black Ale a go.

Op uw gezondheid and A Votre Sante!
Ian

http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/1554