My first fat tire

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+1 on the drinking it on tap only. Also I only drink it in places where they sell enough of it to change the keg every once in a while. Pretty sure it doesn't age well and it doesn't bottle that well either. Kinda makes me wonder. Fresh on tap it's a great beer, bottled from the supermarket = gross.
 
I've enjoyed the Lips Of Faith series NB has done. I've heard good things about their Kriek. But honestly I buy the normal line up (FT, 1554 etc) to distract visitors & family from my secret stash of beer lying around. You guys know that stash right? Hidden away from the SWMBO or that chatty uncle who doesn't really appreciate a good beverage.
 
Had my first FT in Fayetville, NC while visiting my son. We then moved on down to Myrtle Beach, SC. and stopped in at a place called "The Beaver Bar" in Murrels Inlet. I liked the FT they had on tap at both locations. Had a slight chocolate finish to me. I have not seen anyone yet state they noted chocolate in FT, but as mentioned previously, everyone has different buds to taste with.

Just brewed up a batch which I was hoping would come close to FT, but I came up short of the mark. It is not carbed fully, but there is definately no chocolate flavor at this time. I only used 1/2lb. of bicuit, and I have had several people tell me this was 1/2lb. short of what I should have had.

In all, it should be an enjoyable brew when ready.

Anyone out there have a reliable recipe for a clone of FT? Sure would appreciate it.

Salute! :mug:
 
I agree with what a lot of you have said in this thread... Back in the day FT used to be one of my favorites... In fact for me, like many others, FT was the first non-BMC beer that I could tolerate. I had my first one in probably 2000 or 2001, and then when I moved to FL in 2003 I went many years without having one. Then last summer I was back home in MO for my old man's 50th birthday party and the bar had FT on tap... I was excited and definitely let down after I had it. I believe the reason is two-fold, main reason is that my tastes have changed and I also believe the beer itself has changed a bit as well.
 
I am not a fan of NB.. I cannot stand FT. I try it every now and again, thinking "so many like it, maybe its me?" and still, I cannot stand it.

1554 is OK
Broken Arrow Pale is the only thing I've had from them that I enjoyed
Mothership is no bueno
Sunshine is off, not sure what is wrong with that beer..

I am surprised they do so well, but I know there are lots that love it. Just goes to show, you can like a style from one brewery and not from the next. Thats what makes beer awesome!
 
KillerKellers said:
Broken Arrow Pale is the only thing I've had from them that I enjoyed
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Did you mean "Mighty Arrow"? (With the dog on the bottle)

SWMBO picked some of that up once.
The bottle mentions it having a "honey malt base". I read that and said, "no way... That would be too sweet."

Then I tasted it and now I believe the printing. It was so god aweful sweet that we couldn't finish a bottle between the two of us.

KillerKellers said:
Sunshine is off, not sure what is wrong with that beer..
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Hmmmm... Never had or heard of that one.
 
Walker said:
Did you mean "Mighty Arrow"? (With the dog on the bottle)

SWMBO picked some of that up once.
The bottle mentions it having a "honey malt base". I read that and said, "no way... That would be too sweet."

Then I tasted it and now I believe the printing. It was so god aweful sweet that we couldn't finish a bottle between the two of us.


Hmmmm... Never had or heard of that one.
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Haha, yeah.. thats the one. Obviously I do not drink much NB! I only had it once and it was awhile ago, I don't remember it being sweet at all. To me, fat tire is sickly sweet and I am pretty sensitive to that. However, I may have had quite a few to drink before I started to drink those, and my palette may have been burned already.

Sunshine Wheat is the other one I was talking about.
 
Back home.. 2 of the 6 fat tire are left. I drank ONE. I liked it at first ( as I posted) but by the end of the bottle not so much. I will drink it but not something I'd go out of my way for. I had heard there wa sa micro brewery in Gatlinburh but never got to go this time.
 
Brewham said:
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....
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Who said it was a Belgian? It's supposed to be an amber. It even says so right on the bottle. I don't think that anybody would claim it to be a Belgian pale ale.
 
+1 on the mythology and hype surrounding NB and especially Fat Tire. I went to Ft. Collins for a week in May and had the pleasure of drinking lots of NB and Odell's. The Fat Tire taste was fairly unique to my East Coast palette. I now have a keg of FT clone on tap - did a side by side last night (one of FT, two of mine), pretty much everyone liked mine better than the original. That said, I did come to prefer Odell's by the end of the week. Wish I had more time to drink some of their St. Lupulin, that was real nice.
 
I would second what folks say about FT - I think it was one of the better beers you could get while out, back 'in the day'. Ranger IPA is one of our favorite NB's (and Dead Guy is an old sentimental favorite.... not sure why it gets mentioned in this thread).

For those who like Ranger - you might try Schlafly's A-IPA - it's like Ranger, but a little smoother on the top end. Both are regular 6-packs in my beer fridge!
 
I guess my point is it must be good enough that they can sell it and make money on it. Just like AB does with the beers they make. Just because I don't like a beer doesn't mean it is bad.
 
livErD69 said:
+1 on the drinking it on tap only. Also I only drink it in places where they sell enough of it to change the keg every once in a while. Pretty sure it doesn't age well and it doesn't bottle that well either. Kinda makes me wonder. Fresh on tap it's a great beer, bottled from the supermarket = gross.
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Agreed. I was in Peoria last week and had a FT draft and it was terrible, certainly not the FT I remember drinking in Portland a couple of years ago. I hope it was just an old keg because it was sh*t.
 
Jersh said:
Back in the day FT used to be one of my favorites... In fact for me, like many others, FT was the first non-BMC beer that I could tolerate.
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Is this not the point of FT. For many people it served as the gateway between BMCs and good micros. It is no different than Sam Adams (for me), Sierra Nevada, Serenac (also for me), and more recently Magic Hat and Blue Moon (I know, I know, I know).

I equate it to music. Your tastes evolve and grow and differ over time. It does not mean Air Supply sucks (ok maybe a bad example).

BMCs are carbon copies of each other and had it not been for Saranac or SA I would still be drinking Bud. Those two beers made me realize there was better out there. They served as a bridge from Bud to a whole new world of beer. I can tolerate either one of them today but they are in no way shape or form my preferred beer. They are to me, the Godfathers of the micro generation. We should therefore exult the trail they blazed and sing their praises rather than condemn them for not meeting our lofty taste profiles. After all, no one can make a beer as good as we can when we brew it ourselves.
 
I'm a Fort Collins homer so Fat Tire has a special place for me. I don't find myself drinking it all that often any more unless I'm over at the parents. I think Odells makes a better amber, Levity. However, I have drank so much Fat Tire I think I over did it. It was the 2nd beer I tried to brew though! I must say in college I flew to Houston for an interview and they had Fat Tire on tap! I was amazed the local beer was on tap in the big city, but it did NOT taste the same as fresh brew from home.
 
eljefe said:
Is this not the point of FT. For many people it served as the gateway between BMCs and good micros. It is no different than Sam Adams (for me), Sierra Nevada, Serenac (also for me), and more recently Magic Hat and Blue Moon (I know, I know, I know).

I equate it to music. Your tastes evolve and grow and differ over time. It does not mean Air Supply sucks (ok maybe a bad example).

BMCs are carbon copies of each other and had it not been for Saranac or SA I would still be drinking Bud. Those two beers made me realize there was better out there. They served as a bridge from Bud to a whole new world of beer. I can tolerate either one of them today but they are in no way shape or form my preferred beer. They are to me, the Godfathers of the micro generation. We should therefore exult the trail they blazed and sing their praises rather than condemn them for not meeting our lofty taste profiles. After all, no one can make a beer as good as we can when we brew it ourselves.
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That's a good way of phrasing it :rockin:
 
I don't have anything against Fat Tire, hell, New Belgium is banking big time on it. I just hate hearing people talking about this Fat Tire Brewery and that they drink real beer..blah blah. You mention New Belgium and they don't know anything about them. I guess I'm sick of explaining that beers like Fat Tire and Blue Moon aren't the greatest examples of the traditional styles in Belgium. I know the brewers that make these beers are inspired by Belgian beer, but most of the people that come from drinking BMC try this stuff and think it's the greatest thing. You know they aren't going to go out of their way to go and buy the real thing. Well, I guess I just have a problem with those people, don't I? Once I started getting into beer more and more, I felt it was important to learn about the styles in order to enjoy the beers and know what to look for and what I'm tasting. I've never been one to drink, just to drink. Respect the old world brews and remember where they came from!
 
Quoted directly from beeradvocate.com about respecting beer:

First, Keep It Real.
As stated, beer is the ultimate social lubricant and a beverage that's meant to be fun, enjoyed, and celebrated. However, some who "mature" into craft beers tend to become beer snobs (different than beer geeks) and take things a bit too seriously, thus giving the rest of us a bad name.

Secondarily, a point I always try to remember, an anecdote from a brewer friend while he was on vacation in France - he says he and his wife were enjoying a terrific dinner in a little cafe and enjoying an awesome house red wine. Two tables over was a French couple drinking the same house wine with an ice cube in the glass. Such thing would be considered a heresy in the US, but even in France (where one might argue they have a far deeper wine heritage) something like this can be done.

With music, cigars, food, or beer, the bottom line is listen to, smoke, eat, and drink what you like.
 
Brutus Brewer said:
Agreed. I was in Peoria last week and had a FT draft and it was terrible, certainly not the FT I remember drinking in Portland a couple of years ago. I hope it was just an old keg because it was sh*t.
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I was in the Quad Cities the other day and had Fat Tire at the hotel we stayed at and it was great. I just don't understand how it can be as inconsistent as it is.
 
I went to a dinner co-sponsored by New Belgium last spring. First off, the people from there were great. Not that I know much about brewing, or am all that great at it, but they had a genuine interest in what I had made and my enthusiasm for the craft. Their beers were paired with matching food, and I have to say 'holy *#*$R', was it spot on. It was my 1st experience where good beer was paired with good food. I've had a few of their beers that I don't really care for, but others are pretty damn good. I can say much. ,much worse for other breweries. Match that with their overall genuine sincerity for what they do and the scale they do it on and I'm more than willing to tip my hat to them. After my evening with them, I really can't knock them at all.
 
iron_city_ap said:
I went to a dinner co-sponsored by New Belgium last spring. First off, the people from there were great. Not that I know much about brewing, or am all that great at it, but they had a genuine interest in what I had made and my enthusiasm for the craft. Their beers were paired with matching food, and I have to say 'holy *#*$R', was it spot on. It was my 1st experience where good beer was paired with good food. I've had a few of their beers that I don't really care for, but others are pretty damn good. I can say much. ,much worse for other breweries. Match that with their overall genuine sincerity for what they do and the scale they do it on and I'm more than willing to tip my hat to them. After my evening with them, I really can't knock them at all.
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I have a friend who is a brewer at NB. He is very passionate about his work and has shared fresh kegs with us from NB that were fabulous. FT is definately not their best beer.
 
I was in Ft Collins this weekend, visiting a friend, and had a Fat Tire at one of the bars downtown. I tried it when I moved here a year ago and didn't like it much back then but I really liked it two nights ago. I was so surprised that I decided to have a 1554 an hour later just to see if my tastes had changed that much. I first had 1554 back in Sept and sincerely thought it was the worst beer I had ever drank. Two days ago, I LOVED it. Home brewing has changed me.
 
Fat tire tastes like dust. You know when you're sweeping your garage and all the air your breathing smells and tastes like dust. Fat tire tastes like that. It's like tripping and falling into a mud puddle with your mouth open. It's what I imagine mud pies taste like. I may be biased towards hoppy beers....
 
I still like 1554. Some of the Lips of Faith beers are ok but I haven't been blown away by any of them. I used to like Fat Tire. It's one of the few beers we get around here that's canned and not crazy expensive so it's a decent one to take on the water.

I used to drink quite a bit of Fat Tire and their Belgian offerings (Abbey and Tripel) but other than the occasional 1554 or Lips of Faith it's probably been a couple years since I've had any of the others. There's just too many other good beers to drink.
 
New Belgium brews are OK, but being from Kansas, I've been able to get it for a long time. My friends in Oklahoma, who can't get it regularly, go nuts for the stuff.

I'd rather have the Odells. I really like their 90 shilling.
 
I also find ft to not be the ft I used to drink in Colorado in the early 90's. Still enjoy it, but it's not the same. Maybe recipe change, maybe a freshness thing.

It's funny so many prefer Odells, I remember when they came out....... Hated their beers, haven't had one for probably 15+ years.
 

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