Day 17, Jan 17 / Fat Tire Amber Ale

Day 17 / Jan 17

Fat Tire Amber Ale

New Belgium Brewing Company  /  Fort Collins, CO

Where:         At Home, but purchased in NC

We’re going on a Beer Run! 

UPDATE:  On second thought and prodding from my followers, I have upped my rating on Fat Tire from a Good to a Very Good.  JD

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What’s a Beer Run?  Well, in terms of this blog, it’s a series of 3 or more days where I will sample and write about beers that have a certain similar characteristic.  It could be multiple beers from the same brewery, of the same style or have something else in common.

So we’ll kick off the first Beer Run with Fat Tire Amber Ale, the first in a set of beers from New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado.  I remember when I was younger (both from my beer can collecting days and my early beer drinking days) that Coors was the golden fleece of beers – you just couldn’t get it here on the east coast.  Now that my beer palate has matured, I wish that was still the case.

Anyway, for a long time, Fat Tire has been the “Coors” of craft beers, for the same reason – you couldn’t get it around here.  It was something that business associates talked about fondly when they returned from a west coast trip.  In the last couple years, it has become available in North Carolina, so you’d often ask a friend who was heading to the Outer Banks to pick some up for you.

So this weekend I found myself (or lost myself) in the OBX, so a friend and I mixed and split four different six-packs from New Belgium Brewing Company, whose flagship beer is Fat Tire.

So is it worth the hassle?  I’ve got to say, Fat Tire is a thoroughly enjoyable beer for any season.  It’s a medium amber color, a nice frothy head, slightly hoppy.  Makes me wish I didn’t split that six pack (but I do have a few more beers to sample this year).

If you get a chance, check out New Belgium’s website.  They are definitely one of the most eco-friendly breweries around.

P.S.  Yes, I know, it's a Dogfish head glass.  I have a lot of beer glasses, but most of them have something printed on them....