How I feel about Fat Tire Amber Ale.

[Chadwick]

The New Belgium brewery produces a lot of different ales. Most of them do not make their way to Kentucky. I've always been anxious to try their beers. Recently Fat Tire Amber Ale has found it's way to a local beer store near me.

Unfortunately, it is the only offering to find its way here. At least as far as I have found. I bought a 6-pack based on positive reviews alone.

I'm now 4 beers into that 6-pack, over a 4 day period. This is my opinion of this beer thus far. It is easy drinking. This would be a great beer to use as a "gateway" beer to turn BMC drinkers on to better beers. It's very good, in an unremarkable way. It is an excellent example of an amber ale. I don't want to take anything away from it for that. It's good, it's very good. But it doesn't ring any bells. It doesn't stand out, it doesn't make any statements. It is simply a very good basic amber ale.

Reading online, it is often considered a very good example of a hop-forward American Amber Ale. I don't get that. It isn't hop forward in the least. If, perhaps you are comparing it to BMC brand A or B, then yes. It is hop forward, at least when compared to BMC brands. When you compare it too other brands of American Pale Ales, it still manages to shine. Mostly because most American Pales are still rather bland by large. Even then, it fails to make any statement.

In the end, is this beer a poor beer? Oh, no. It's very good. It just isn't anything amazing or new. In fact, it isn't even bad. It's good. Just don't expect anything life-changing. Don't expect it to be a beer that sets any new standards. What you can expect is a solid American Amber Ale that is easy for BMC drinkers to appreciate. In that may even be the marketing goal of New Belgium. At least I would like to think that is their goal.

While it doesn't appeal to me, I'm sure there are plenty of beer drinkers it does appeal to. After all, my tastes are far removed from the average beer drinker. With that in mind, I think New Belgium brewery is being realistic and smart in their offerings.

It I was heading a brewery, it would only be barleywines.

 

[Genuine]

I was just having this discussion with a couple beer friends of mine. They, along with myself are huge DIPA fans for the most part....and the question that keeps coming up is this: are you able to appreciate, understand and enjoy other styles for what they are.

Take SN Pale Ale for example- I think it's one hell of a solid American Pale Ale - however some of my friends think it's just ok and doesn't really stand out. Which brings about another age old question...does a Beer need to stand out to be appreciated simply for what it is?

I, like you, think Fat Tire is a great amber ale and would get it more if I was available in my area.

 

[Rotor_Head]

Plenty drinkable but I am not a fan of bitter beers. Unless, they're free....Then I'm drinkin'em all day until we run out or the late night pizza shows up.

 

[plumbrew]

It's a drinkable beer but, I've started to shy away from it. And for some reason, it really dehydrates me. Overall, I think New Belgium doesn't have the most impressive beer selection. I do like their 1554 and they use to have one called Snow.. something and it was more of a Winter Ale that I liked but I think they stop producing it. I do hear though that the brewery gives a great tour so it's definitely on my list of things to see when I get to Denver.

 

[bobeer]

I remember back in the wee early 2000's a few of my west coast buddies would rant and rave about how good fat tire was. Since then I've been told it doesn't taste the same as it once did many years ago. Back then "craft" beer wasn't what it is now so was it just that you couldn't find that much overall flavor in beer which is what made it stick out? Or was it truly a great beer brewed in smaller batches which made it taste better? I got a chance to taste it when I moved to Chico in '06 but I honestly don't recall what it tasted like. I was drinking my weight in SN offerings I've never really been a fan of NB beers but for the price point they're not bad.

 

[Grannyknot]

I swear that Fat Tire tasted a lot different when I first started drinking it in ~2004.
Then again I made this comment in another thread and was labeled a F-ing moron because I couldn't possibly remember how something tasted that long ago.....

 

[Hello]

Fat Tire is easily the answer from many who are asked "what was your gateway into craft beer?" If I touched a beer back in CA, it was a Fat Tire or Alaskan Amber, most FT. When I came to NC, Fat Tire was headed here. 7 months later it hit and it was the bees knees to many. It was a great craft beer that was also safe as it was not too heavy, not too hoppy, and not too weak.

Today, I don't love Fat Tire. My palate has matured, I have grown to love hops a lot more, and if I'm going to drink an Amber, I reach for Nugget Nectar. I will drink Fat Tire if that is really all that is offered or if I'm with a buddy who still loves it. I no longer find myself fall down drunk after 6 though. That's probably nothing to be proud about.

I agree that Fat Tire is a wonderful example of the style. There is no denying that nor can many say there is anything really wrong with the beer. What may be deemed wrong is really personal opinions. It is boring, it lacks hop character, it's too watered down, and so forth.

To me, if someone starts talking craft beer to me and their go-to's are PBR or any BMC, I always tell them to pick up Fat Tire. If they want to visit a brewery with me and they're in that crowd of people, I take them to a brewery that has an amber on draft and usually it works out very well.

@Grannyknot you're not a moron. I remember Fat Tire being more flavorful in 2009 and all the way into 2013. A year after I started brewing and drinking a great deal of commercial beers and expanding my appreciation of hops, Fat Tire just didn't give me the same satisfaction. I'm hardly a moron and anyone that doesn't understand that palates can mature over time actually fit the bill of being a bit of a moron. Since brewing I've also began eating things I would never eat before. Again, palates mature.

 

[brewcephus]

I also once enjoyed Fat tire. I will say that Sam Adams and NB are the two Breweries that are solely responsible for my leap into craft beer and brewing. I'm not so much a fan of Fat Tire these days, but I still love 1554. I'm not sure if it's my love of overly hoppy beers or the fact that I can actually walk into most stores and buy Fat Tire these days, but it's not the beer I remember it being when I first started drinking it about 7 years ago. I'm thinking that it probably had something to do with it being scarce in my area, I could only get it when I went to visit relatives up in southern Missouri. I would usually bring a couple of cases of Fat Tire and 1554 to bring back with me.

As others have stated, I don't want to take anything away from this beer as it is a good American Amber ale, but it's no longer at the top of my list of beers to buy when I go to the bottle shop these days.

 

[1977Brewer]

I haven't had a Fat Tire in what seems like ages, but I do like it. I've never seen anyone call it "hop forward" in any capacity. Tastes like straight up toast. I will drink Ranger like water, and 1554 is delicious also. Haven't had a bad beer from New Belgium.

 

[burninator]

It's very good, in an unremarkable way.

This is exactly what I'm looking for, when I reach for an American Amber.

 

[blizz81]

Overall, I think New Belgium doesn't have the most impressive beer selection.

They make a fair amount of nutty beers in their Lips of Faith series / collabs / sour beer offerings.


Nothing in their regular lineup really ever makes its way into my fridge...pretty unremarkable stuff overall to me. Ranger is probably their best normal offering to me. Fat Tire, I can't have more than like 1.5 of them...I'd have to have one in front of me to remember exactly why, but it's something like a sticky cloyingness / not great aftertaste. For what it's supposed to be, I would honestly rather drink Amberbock.

 

[kristiismean]

NB is nothing special to me, but consistent.

If I make a run to a store, or grocery store, then I would have no problem grabbing fat tire or ranger. In Chicagoland, every liquor store has it.

But then SN is the same way, found everywhere as well.

NB recently (or I just noticed it) came out with slow ride, and it's different than their other beers. I picked up a 6p and was pleasantly surprised. it's not a run of the mill beer, it's very good, easy drinking and I would easily pick it up again.

 

[hunter_le five]

I loved me some Fat Tire back when I was first getting into craft beer.

Now, it's pretty much been relegated to what I get when the only alternatives are BMC (kinda like Sam Adams in that way).

It's not bad, but there are so many better options out there. But at the same time it's a decent, approachable beer for newbies.

 

[SeeMont]

One thing to consider about Any brew that has to be transported, How old is it? How has it been stored? Age and poor storage is a killer for hopped beer. I as for Fat Tire and most beers for that matter, I enjoy them better out of a tap rather than a bottle.

 

[ss4ivan]

In my area they sell an IPA "Rampant IPA" its a DIPA. Its the only beer from new belgium that I have been impressed with. Very good IMO.

 

[FarmerTed]

Reading online, it is often considered a very good example of a hop-forward American Amber Ale. I don't get that. It isn't hop forward in the least. If, perhaps you are comparing it to BMC brand A or B, then yes. It is hop forward, at least when compared to BMC brands. When you compare it too other brands of American Pale Ales, it still manages to shine. Mostly because most American Pales are still rather bland by large. Even then, it fails to make any statement.

I don't drink it often, but when I'm at a Chinese restaurant, and all they have is a bunch of Chinese imports, Coors, and Fat Tire, I'm pretty glad they have Fat Tire. As far as being hop-forward, I don't think it's fair to base your expectations on what you've read online. New Belgium's website says that they use Willamette, Goldings and Target hops. The beer may be 'hoppy', but clearly it's going to be hoppy in an English sense, and not at all in a West Coast sense. It's also only 22 IBU.

 

[botigol]

Fat Tire definitely has more hop aroma and flavor out of a keg than bottles. I will second that it has changed over the years. For that matter, I will say that it has changed multiple times. I have a very clear recollection of it in the 90s and it only somewhat resembles the beer with the same name today.

 

[SnakeRidge]

My sister in law is convinced that Fat Tire is my favorite beer. She buys a 12 pack for me every time I visit them. I'm not complaining, she's very sweet to think of me but after a couple I'm really craving something else. It gets really overwhelmingly biscuity to me after a couple.

I really like Ranger and Rampant. They also make a hoppy pale lager called Shift that is one of my absolute favorites, so much so that I developed my own clone-ish recipe for it. If you get it fresh, it's got a great Nelson Sauvin flavor and aroma. Plus it comes in cans for taking on the river or to the beach.

 

[MotorcycleMatt]

I swear that Fat Tire tasted a lot different when I first started drinking it in ~2004.
Then again I made this comment in another thread and was labeled a F-ing moron because I couldn't possibly remember how something tasted that long ago.....

I think its that your palette has evolved. When i first started drinking beer (never started with the cheap stuff lol) i thought sierra nevadas pale ale was very hoppy. Now a days my opinion on that has changed.

 

[zoomzilla]

Ive been thinking a lot lately about this idea that....I once liked fat tire now I don't. Scarcity and expense make things taste better. All of my friends are beer snobs and we all homebrew and trade for beer all across the country. None of them would consider a beer like fat tire or Sam Adams whatever even worthy to brush their teeth with, but I have been considering for a long time setting up a blind taste test and telling them that 3 of these beers are ultra rare expensive ones they've never had and 3 of them are great expensive local beers they have had. They will all in fact be very common craft brews they would scorn. I would be interested to see what beer people think of beer if they can't see the label.

 

[swmalone]

Unfortunately where I live I can't rely on the flavor of Fat Tire to be remotely what it is supposed to taste like. When I moved to Utah I bought some at the liquor store, the only place you can get it here by the way, and first it isn't refrigerated. I took it home cooled it down and popped it open. I thought the smell was off and then the flavor was just awful.

I contacted New Belgium and they basically told me if I wanted to drink their beer and actually enjoy it for what it is supposed to be to not buy it in Utah. They told me that they had received a lot of complaints and that they discovered that often the warehouses that the state liquor stores use are not climate controlled and could have massive temperature swings. They sent me some swag and thanked me for being a customer.

I have tried the beer at their brewery and enjoyed it. I still like it every now and then, just not from the liquor stores in Utah. Like previously mentioned you have to enjoy it for what it is.

 

[FarmerTed]

Unfortunately where I live I can't rely on the flavor of Fat Tire to be remotely what it is supposed to taste like. When I moved to Utah I bought some at the liquor store, the only place you can get it here by the way, and first it isn't refrigerated. I took it home cooled it down and popped it open. I thought the smell was off and then the flavor was just awful.

I feel your pain. I lived in Utah for a couple of years, and the refrigeration rule was just a killer. When I was there (late '90's), it cost something crazy like $2.50 for a bottle of Sam Adams, and it had been stored for who-knows-how-long at 90+ degrees. It's a long-ass drive, but you've got to go to Evanston or Wendover to load up on beer, and make sure the pigs don't pull you over when you cross the state line.

On the plus side, the skiing is 100X better over there than in CO. The mountain biking is better, too.

 

[Grinnan5150]

I don't have any problems with Fat Tire. It's not something I drink all the time but if I am in the mood for an Amber it does the job. I like the toasty aspect of it. Also glad to see it's now a beer option on Southwest flights in addition to BMC

 

[markpace]

I really like Fat Tire and will say it was my "gateway" beer. It was the very first craft beer I ever had when I moved to CO in 1995. The craft beer scene in Tallahassee FL at that time was none existent. When I moved back to Tallahassee you could not get Fat Tire and I would drive up to GA to buy it. Now a days Tallahassee has quite few local craft brews, but I do still like Fat Tire. My favorite style is Amber Ale and Fat Tire is still a great example.

 

[dsaavedra]

In my area they sell an IPA "Rampant IPA" its a DIPA. Its the only beer from new belgium that I have been impressed with. Very good IMO.

Rampant is f*****g awesome. It is a great tasting DIPA, strong and hoppy as hell, and cheap too! Most places that carry it around here sell it for $8.99 a 6 pack (while most other craft beer sells for $9.99 or $10.99+).

As for Fat Tire, I bought one bottle of it years ago before I was really into craft beer and I liked it a lot (my buddy had told me it was really good, I agreed). Since then I have only had it two more times I think, both times it was on draught at restaurants, and I really enjoyed it both times. I think it has a nice malty flavor, pretty much exactly what you would expect from an American Amber (which I consider a good thing).

I did notice the two times I had it on draught that it had some flavor to it that distinctly tasted like pumpkin seeds to me... anyone have an idea what that could have been???

 

[ss4ivan]

Unfortunately I live in Utah. You can only get high point beer at the liquor store and they like to rape you with taxes. I paid $16 for a sixer of rampant IPA

 

[swmalone]

Unfortunately I live in Utah. You can only get high point beer at the liquor store and they like to rape you with taxes. I paid $16 for a sixer of rampant IPA

Also check my post at the top of the page for other issues you run into with purchasing certain beers from the Utah liquor stores. I make sure to stock up whenever I visit family in Idaho. Having now lived in Utah for 10 years I sometimes forget how readily available good beer is in the grocery store up there Better selection than Utah liquor stores and a much lower price.

 

[ss4ivan]

Also check my post at the top of the page for other issues you run into with purchasing certain beers from the Utah liquor stores. I make sure to stock up whenever I visit family in Idaho. Having now lived in Utah for 10 years I sometimes forget how readily available good beer is in the grocery store up there Better selection than Utah liquor stores and a much lower price.

Sorry, missed that post for some reason.... But I totally agree with your above post. I plan on taking a trip over to Colorado soon to visit the new belguim brewery and Odell brewery.

 

[Chadwick]

I was just having this discussion with a couple beer friends of mine. They, along with myself are huge DIPA fans for the most part....and the question that keeps coming up is this: are you able to appreciate, understand and enjoy other styles for what they are.

Take SN Pale Ale for example- I think it's one hell of a solid American Pale Ale - however some of my friends think it's just ok and doesn't really stand out. Which brings about another age old question...does a Beer need to stand out to be appreciated simply for what it is?

I, like you, think Fat Tire is a great amber ale and would get it more if I was available in my area.

You hit the nail on the head. Each style needs to be appreciated for what it is rather than be compared to what the drinker might prefer.

I prefer well balanced barleywines. They are a precarious style for oodles of reasons. When they are done well they are a treasure. When done poorly they are a struggle to drink. However, even within that style there is a great deal of variety. So much that I feel that the style needs to be broken down into sub-sections. For instance, SN Bigfoot and Dogfish Head Olde School are two completely different beers. Still, they are both simply called barleywines. They are both very good and stand up well. However, they are so different that it would be difficult for most to consider them both beers under the same umbrella of "barleywine".

It's simpler for most other styles. The style should be this or that. The definition is clear. And for those styles that do have clear definitions, we should be focused on what it is. Not how it compares to another style based on personal preferences.

Like you, I say we should appreciate a good Pale Ale for being a good Pale Ale. An Amber for being an Amber. A Lager for being a Lager, and so on. It doesn't make sense to compare apples to oranges. Compare apples to apples, oranges to oranges, and so on and so forth.

 

[rupert130]

Ive been thinking a lot lately about this idea that....I once liked fat tire now I don't. Scarcity and expense make things taste better. All of my friends are beer snobs and we all homebrew and trade for beer all across the country. None of them would consider a beer like fat tire or Sam Adams whatever even worthy to brush their teeth with, but I have been considering for a long time setting up a blind taste test and telling them that 3 of these beers are ultra rare expensive ones they've never had and 3 of them are great expensive local beers they have had. They will all in fact be very common craft brews they would scorn. I would be interested to see what beer people think of beer if they can't see the label.

Studies such as this have been done with wine. I saw it on a TV show on one of the science channels. The conclusion was that when tasting two glasses of the same cheap wine, one said to be rare and expensive, the other common and inexpensive. People genuinely enjoyed the "expensive" wine better. Different parts of the brain were actually activated. Just the idea of rare and expensive changes our brains and increases enjoyment.
Fat Tire likely was more enjoyable when it was less common. Now that you can get it anywhere, our brains do not react the same way.

 

[A2HB]

Rampant is most def my favorite beer from NB.

Back when I was a craft beer noob I thought the amber ale was great but now I dont buy it.

 

[Weezy]

Fat Tire might as well be MGD to the hop heads among us. Look around, all of the "pale ale" recipes on here lately have big dry hips, when they traditionally don't have any. DIPAs winning IPA category. Its hop creep.. Anyway, I find fat tire almost tannic TBH.

 

[signpost]

I used to love Fat Tire.

And I still do.

Just because your preferences have changed over time and with trying out different styles doesn't mean your palate has matured or some other condescending BS. It just means your preferences have changed. In general in the American craft beer world, hops are worshipped and nothing malty is considered worthwhile unless it is a BBA Russian Imperial Stout or barley wine.

Only beers that can boast the most of this or that or more intensely in-your-face flavors seem to get people's attention.

Oh well. Subtlety can taste pretty damn good, too.

 

[MattyIce]

I used to love Fat Tire.

And I still do.

Just because your preferences have changed over time and with trying out different styles doesn't mean your palate has matured or some other condescending BS. It just means your preferences have changed. In general in the American craft beer world, hops are worshipped and nothing malty is considered worthwhile unless it is a BBA Russian Imperial Stout or barley wine.

Only beers that can boast the most of this or that or more intensely in-your-face flavors seem to get people's attention.

Oh well. Subtlety can taste pretty damn good, too.

This is where Mong would say BOOM!

 

[Onkel_Udo]

It is odd for me to read this thread because I have been contemplating my "go-to" beers when I actually buy beer. As I tend toward lower gravity beers in my homebrewing, I have been buying similar beers for inspiration.

I recently tried Fat Tire again and was underwhelmed...used to like it. Same issue with Anchor Steam.

Oddly, I still love Goose Island Honkers ale even though many would consider it relatively bland. I find it extreme well balanced with a nice malty profile and just the right hop finish. I wish they still made Mild Winter as that is my favorite example so far of an Americanized Dark Mild.

I still enjoy SNPA for kind of the same reasons but given the choice I would grab Founders All-Day IPA.

Still LOVE and cherish every bottle of Spotted Cow I can get and I do not think anyone would consider that a beer that stands out for its overwhelming...anything. It stands out for its balance.

I long for a good Redhook ESB just to see if I still like that but I have not seen that on this side of the Rockies ever.

Finally, my "big" beer is still FFF Zombie Dust. I love it for all the same reasons I love the others...the balance. It stands out because the slight maltiness, excellent hop flavor and exceptional aroma compliment each other without competing for you attention.