New Belgium Releases Two Winter Seasonals
06 Nov 2014 --- With the first snowfall already arriving for some, it’s starting to feel more and more like winter, which means the return of beloved cold-weather favorites from New Belgium Brewing.
Accumulation White IPA and 2-¦ Below Winter Ale can be found on shelves, with Frambozen arriving November 11. This year marks Frambozen’s twenty-first birthday. Frambozen is one of the few New Belgium special release beers to return every year and Accumulation and 2-¦ Below are joining the ranks as festive favorites.
Accumulation White IPA is all about the hops and the wheat. This beer pours an unfiltered white-gold tone as a snowy head drifts atop. Mosaic and Amarillo hops offer an unmistakable tropical aroma. This white IPA is a counterpunch to the traditional practice of brewing dark beers for winter and offers hops that create a nice, bitter balance against soft peach and citrus flavors. Accumulation drinks like a proper American-style IPA, despite its wheat beer appearance and creamy, refreshing notes. Accumulation is available through January 2015 and comes in at 6.2 percent ABV and 55 IBUs.
Illustrating New Belgium’s love for Belgium-style brewing, 2-¦ Below Winter Ale brings a bright, warming blast of Sterling and Liberty hops with tawny-roasted malts making it the perfect beer after a long day on the slopes. This beer is dry-hopped during fermentation, creating a rosy, floral nose with a hint of pepper spice and estery undertones. Pushing the beer into a final, nearly freezing state brings out a brilliant clarity in the pour. 2-¦ Below is 6.6 percent ABV and 33 IBUs, and available through January 2015.
For Frambozen, the brewery’s unique Raspberry Brown Ale, it’s a milestone year as the beer turns 21. Named after the Flemish word for raspberries, Frambozen pops with fresh, tart and fruity complexity, backed by nutty, chocolate and caramel malts. New Belgium takes great care in its raspberry selection for this beer — per tradition, the brewery sends delegates to the Pacific Northwest to select freshly picked berries, which then become pure juice that is used during the fermentation stage. Frambozen is 6.5 percent ABV. It is available from November 11 to January 2015.
