Woo Hoo! A video review. Hopefully they get better than this one in the future, but it is a good start. I need to keep the camera off the table so it doesn’t bounce. Anyway….I think for at least right now I will type out the normal review because not every one loves video and I am greedy and want the search traffic too.
New Belgium Brewery’s 1554 Enlightened Black Ale
The Pour
On the pour you get a good head, about 2 fingers of head of a creamy color. It is black, but you can find a little light coming through that gives of an amber bit of color.
The Nose
The nose if very biscuity much like the malts you find on New Belgium’s Fat Tire (review). In the video I picked up something else that I described as hoppy, but that isn’t quite right. I need to work on my vocabulary.
The Palate
Soy Sauce soy sauce soy sauce. I am not sure about the chocolate flavor that New Belgium claims, if it is there it is super subtle and would be more like a bittersweet cooking chocolate than anything. I found a little bit of a coffee flavor in there, but am stuck on the gross salty soy sauce taste that dominants the palate.
I was reading my book Tasting Beer last night and one identifiable flavor your taste buds pick up on is called umami and in beer you can often find it if the beer has been aged, but I am not sure this is the case. My guess would be that the brewer added salt to enhance the beers flavors, but on my palate it backfired.
If you bought a Folly Pack give it a shot, otherwise steer clear of this one.
The Rating
2.5 out of 5
Other Stuff
We are running a beer bracket tournament with Old Chicago Pizza in Merrillville and Champaign starting March 16th so be sure to check that out and to come back here and vote. Tomorrow we will be at Brickworks Brewery in Hobart doing a tasting with their Brewmaster so come and enjoy it with us.
Adam,
you are a superstar now pal. Get ready for the autograph seekers and babes to hit you up soon.
I could send you one if you would like. It is only 5.99 plus shipping.
Wow, that’s cheap for a babe.
I live real close to Gary, it isn’t hard to find the cheaps ones there.
Adam,
Great video. The look on your face in the video allows me to experience the saltiness of the beer more then the discription ever could.
Wow, Phil posted a comment! I didn’t notice my face until you and Petry said something about it. It is classic.
Phil and I discussed this at Brickworks and your face definitely looks as if it struggling to even swallow the beer. Just the same as a picture takes a thousand words, your face explains a thousand reviews!
Awesome video, your face is priceless, it makes me never want to drink the Soy!!!!
The look on the face provided by 1554 was only topped by your expression while drinking Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout. Please do a video review of that for your fans!!
I will have to get me some of it, but it is expensive as hell.
Petry and I are filming an episode at Brickworks tomorrow night, you want to come? Scott & Robbie might join us too.
What time are you meeting. I have to work all day before it’s beer-thirty for me.
We are meeting there at 6:30 but I am sure we will be there for a while.
Adam I am digging the vid. Awesome addition to what is already a great site. Keep it up, and all ways bottoms up.
As for the beer haven’t tried it, but will give it a try.I hope I can get out to Old Chicago and to get my beer on.
I will have to let you know when I am gonna be there so we can grab some pizza and beer.
Adam, I found this beer rated pretty high being a 2.5. A beer shouldn’t ever be really painful to drink and this beer just made you want to spit it out. Either that or grab a egg roll and eat it while drinking.
WOO!! I got mentioned during a video! lol While some beers mix together in your mind when you drink several, this beer definitely sticks out clearly.
Is that a MRBEER ad to the right?! I made my pale ale using their kits and it was….well disgusting. I don’t know if I made it wrong but I dumped probably half of my mix out.
Hey no wonder the beer sucks. What the hell do 500 year old dead Belgium people know about beer?