This is one of the beers that came in the New Belgium Folly Pack, and of the four beers in the pack, this one is definitely my favorite. It's a dark, sweet, malt beer, not too heavy, and though it's not a session beer, it's a reasonable 5.6 ABV%, which means if you're having friends over for a barbecue, you can have a couple or three over the course of the evening. Note, by the way that this is a Belgian style ale; it's a bit lighter than a traditional Belgian ale (Try New Belgium's Abbey Ale for a beer that's closer to the Belgian monastic brewing tradition). New Belgium is not kidding when they call it an "Enlightened Black Ale." That's a very good description.

New Belgium's 1554 was inspired by a flood in 1997 that destroyed the recipe found in a library by New Belgium's beer researcher, Phil Benstein. So naturally, Benstein and brewmaster Peter Bouckaert traveled to Belgium for hands-on primary research.

It's a very dark beer in the glass, with a thin but bright head, and lovely deep red highlights. The aroma is malty, with a hint of chocolate, and grain. It's one of those dark beers that makes me think of brown bread made with molasses. There's a hint of hops in the finish; just enough to make it clear that this is a beer. This is clearly made with dark, roasted malts, but it's not at all heavy but it's rich with flavor. There's a reason the bottle suggests that it's served at 7 C / 49 F; the temperature makes a huge difference in both flavor and aroma with this style of brew.

You can find some other opinons here and here, and here. I plan on packing some 1554 in a cooler with some barbecue this summer, and I'm going to try pairing it with some slightly spicy ribs. I also think this would be a fabulous chili pairing.