My first fat tire

Walkin down the street in Gatlinburg. Saw a sign for FAT TIRE. Bought a sixer and drinkin one now. Very different taste. Not sure yet if I like it or not.

What is the aftertaste. I think I do like it!

What is the aftertaste? I think I do like it.

That would be the biscuit malt and the hops.

Where did you pick it up at? The SWMBO and I will be down there the middle of next month. We spend a lot of time in that area on vacation.

Didn't really care for it myself, but I'm glad you found something interesting that you like!

I had some in Colorado. I thought it was gross. Nasty sweet malt water.

Whatever it is that Fat Tire tastes like, it's got to be a house flavor. It also ruins Elysian Immortal IPA (though to be fair I've never had one brewed AT Elysian).

Yuck. I know some people like it, but not this person.

Lotta fat tire haters round here. i think its great. I have always thought it had a bit of nuttiness to it which i love. considering the price and a bottle that you can use, its a good deal IMO.

I gotta jump onto the bandwagon. I don't like it either. Although I see it is one of the top selling recipe kits on AHS.

It has it's own fan base, I have yet to have a New Belgium brew do much for me, but to each their own. Fat tire is great when at a friend's house and free, other then that it wont likely ever see the inside of my fridge

It's one of my favorites! I love the malty, biscuity (sp?) finish. I get it anytime I'm outside of Ohio. Now Ranger IPA..... thats a different story.

Their raspberry seasonal is by far my fave. Frambozen..... mmmmmmmm and their 2 below is delicious.
I LOVE New Belguim. They do it right IMO

I too found it in gatlinburh last April for the first time. Didn't hate it, had much better beers too.

I love them all - Big fan of New Belgium since the beginning. I think they have a flavor (yeast) that sets them apart and makes their beers unique - whether you like them or not. Seems like you either love them or hate them and I love em.

i like some of new belgiums stuff, but when i had it (been a while) fat tire did nothing for me at all. I did not enjoy it. too malty i guess.

I should say - nasty sweet malt water with an aftertaste like a Pabst Blue Ribbon hangover. I was really surprised to hear it called Belgian - I thought it was more like a cigarette butt floating in Budweiser.

Let the flames begin....

1554 is by far my fave from NB....(Here is my conspiracy theory, folks) but back in the day when I lived in Fort Collins (1993-1996), I loved Fat Tire, couldn't get enough, until, well, either I did, or something changed...

I stopped drinking it (and most commercial beers) when I started brewing a lot of beer myself. I had my next NB Fat Tire a few or many years later (strange, I can't recall how many, though), and to me, it wasn't the same beer I remembered. I recall the early 90's version being sweet, malty, and darker amber (reddish) than today's. Now it seems lighter colored more golden or well, like amber (ie the color of actual fossilized tree resin), and has more "Belgian" pedigree (maybe its a different yeast or character derived from their newer facilities), or maybe the myth of the secret ingredient pineapple juice is true...(which I had heard second/third/fourth hand)....or was changed or authenticized when Belgian brewer Peter Bouckaert was hired as NB's Brewmaster in 1996.

or the simplest explanation (Ockhams Razor to my conspiracy theory)...my tastes evolved. Fat Tire is a balanced and drinkable introduction to craft beer....I just remember loving it....my favorite beer in Fort Collins. I remember being at a party where there was a keg of 90 shilling (O'Dell's) and a healthy supply of FT in bottles, and after trying both, preferred (and drank) the FT. Nowadays, I would opt for the 90, and especially the draft. This has not happened with my affection for any other beer. I have grown to like beers that I didn't, but never have I grown to dislike a beer that I liked (I always tolerated the Coor's, Millers and Buds....but still love PBR...I can't explain that either).

Anyway, drinking Fat Tire now makes me believe the conspiracy (or maybe I was abducted by aliens and my DNA was altered....I do have missing time between drinking Fat Tires).

I also liked their Abby Ale back in the day.....I think it is a seasonal now....or whatever series their Ranger IPA is in.

I'll drink 1554, but Fat Tire, not so much. It's still far better than any BMC, but there are just too many other better options out there IMO.

marubozo said:

I'll drink 1554, but Fat Tire, not so much. It's still far better than any BMC, but there are just too many other better options out there IMO.

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agreed fat tire is alright definitely a different flavor 1554 didn't impress me either and in my neck of the woods the first response when you say you brew is you mean like fat tire? i honestly think that New Belgium should be considered a macro beer company thats lost a bit of pizazz with how big they have become there are so many other good craft breweries in the front range area NB doesn't get much business from me

400lb monkey from Left Hand now that is a awesome beer!

I stopped drinking it (and most commercial beers) when I started brewing a lot of beer myself. I had my next NB Fat Tire a few or many years later (strange, I can't recall how many, though), and to me, it wasn't the same beer I remembered. I recall the early 90's version being sweet, malty, and darker amber (reddish) than today's. Now it seems lighter colored more golden or well, like amber (ie the color of actual fossilized tree resin), and has more "Belgian" pedigree (maybe its a different yeast or character derived from their newer facilities), or maybe the myth of the secret ingredient pineapple juice is true...(which I had heard second/third/fourth hand)....or was changed or authenticized when Belgian brewer Peter Bouckaert was hired as NB's Brewmaster in 1996.

or the simplest explanation (Ockhams Razor to my conspiracy theory)...my tastes evolved. Fat Tire is a balanced and drinkable introduction to craft beer....I just remember loving it....my favorite beer in Fort Collins. I remember being at a party where there was a keg of 90 shilling (O'Dell's) and a healthy supply of FT in bottles, and after trying both, preferred (and drank) the FT. Nowadays, I would opt for the 90, and especially the draft. This has not happened with my affection for any other beer. I have grown to like beers that I didn't, but never have I grown to dislike a beer that I liked (I always tolerated the Coor's, Millers and Buds....but still love PBR...I can't explain that either).

Anyway, drinking Fat Tire now makes me believe the conspiracy (or maybe I was abducted by aliens and my DNA was altered....I do have missing time between drinking Fat Tires).

I also liked their Abby Ale back in the day.....I think it is a seasonal now....or whatever series their Ranger IPA is in.
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I agree with you %100. I lived up in Summit County in 95' and we drank ourselves sick on fat tire. Loved the stuff - all we drank pretty much - wasn't a party unless fat tire was flowing. Had no clue at the time what was good or bad but FT was the bomb along with Breck brew kegs. Cant tell whether it has changed so much but Fat Tire is still tasty as hell to me. Not my first choice when buying beer these days but still a fantastic, taken for granted, beer IMO. Am I the only one that thinks Dead Guy ale is a copy of this beer in some ways? Ranger, for the price, kicks ass as well, IMO.

I enjoy a fat tire from time to time, The Mothership Wit ain't to shabby either. BUT, their ranger IPA definitely takes the cake.

It has changed. When i first tasted ft back in the day, i loved it. Now i wont drink it. Products change when outfitts get bigger. Anyone tried Hazelnut Ale from Bertrams Brewery in Salmon Idaho? Best nutty beer ever! A few growlers of that go great with a steelheading trip!

Fat Tire was definitely my favorite beer there for a while, about 1.5 years ago actually. After I started drinking a larger variety of things, I stopped buying it for the most part. Recently I've gone back to it and had it twice: once on draft and once in bottles.

When I had it on draft I couldn't tell if it was old, or if my tastes had changed, but it just was not the same as it used to be. When I had it in bottles, I knew that it was old because this was yesterday, and it expired in April.

Has anyone else noticed a change in this time frame? Or do I just not like it anymore?

I'm brewing a hoppier version of Fat Tire this weekend! I love the biscuit taste but enjoy hoppier beers so looking forward to this one!

So, if I am not crazy and they have changed the recipe (or perhaps FT just doesn't age well), maybe New Belgium (Kim are you listening?) could brew Fat Tire "Classic" (you have to be old enough to remember the New Coke debacle) to give some love to their old fans.

Not sure if you are still in Gatlinburg, but they have a brewery/restaurant there called Smoky Mountain Brewery. I have a had a couple of the offerings, and was impressed by the Pale Ale.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/943

My wifes loves it on draft, cant stand it in bottles.

Not a real big fan of FT either but it's usually drinkable. Until 4th of July weekend, where my dad had some in a can. I'd never seen it in a can and it was terrible. And I mean dump it down the sink, go get a Bud Lite, terrible!

I used to dislike it quite a bit, but now I like it. Not a go-to brew, but I think it has a nice malty flavor.

Fat Tire was set up perfectly for failure.

I used to drink it when I lived in CA. It was good... not great... but good.

After I moved to NC (where you couldn't get it) it seemed to develop this almost mythical reputation somehow. The suspense built and built and built. I kept telling one of my buddies that he was going to be disappointed when he finally got to try it. When it finally arrived... it was indeed a massive let down to my buddy, as well as many many other folks who had been waiting for it.

Like I said, I always thought it was decent, but not spectacular. The reputation is much better than the beer, IMO.

edit: I really don't care for anything NB produces, to be honest. Ranger is pretty good, but the rest of tastes mediocre to me.

I really like 1554. Fat Tire is the usual option when I go somewhere without a good beer selection.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

I really like 1554. Fat Tire is the usual option when I go somewhere without a good beer selection.

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I thought I liked 1554 at first, but then I realized that I was saying things like "if it was a little more <this> or a little more <that>, it would be excellent". Which means I don't like it, but like what it COULD be with some changes.

+1 on Fat Tire in a pinch. Went to a little sports bar with my son the other night and all they had on tap was Bud, Bud Light, Blue Moon, and Fat Tire. That was an easy choice, but it did just BARELY edge out "ice tea".

it's a decent beer and a beer that swings bmc drinkers in to craft but it is just that tasty enough for new comers but not interesting enough to keep them once their in.

Now as far as Ambers, I like Rogue AA, west coast style with some bitterness.

Fat Tire is one of my favorite commercial brews. Don't drink much of anything off the shelf anymore. Why settle for someone elses beer when you can make your own? hehe.

ToddO said:

Am I the only one that thinks Dead Guy ale is a copy of this beer in some ways?

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Yes.

One is an amber, one is a maibock ale, which doesnt technically exist. One has a biscuit finish, one has a caramunich finish. If you tasted them next to one another, I doubt you would think so.

Plus, Rogue is older than New Belgium, so the copy would likely be the opposite direction.

Yeah... I don't see/taste/smell any similarities between DG and FT.

ToddO said:

Am I the only one that thinks Dead Guy ale is a copy of this beer in some ways? Ranger, for the price, kicks ass as well, IMO.

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huh, those are 2 beers I would not put in the same sentence as tasting like eachother.

If your going that route, I think ranger was a copy of prima pils

I live fairly close to NB. I have tasted all their beers and many of their "Lips of Faith" brews. I like their beers - I just have other beers I like better. My favorite is probably 2-below.

Fat Tire is my least favorite beer from NB. You should try Ranger IPA, out now, and in the fall and winter, Hoptober and 2&#730; Below.

I wish someone would clone Hoptober and 2&#730; Below.