New Belgium Rampant
I have reviewed some summer beer and session ales, but now let’s get back to what we all love…hops & lots of them.
I wanted to pick a beer that most people might ignore…New Belgium Imperial IPA. This is New Belgium’s first shot at an everyday big hoppy 6 pack.
Appearance – Rampant pours a clear, light brown. It is super-clear. You can definitely tell it has been filtered, and it has a thick white head. You could probably float a penny on this head it seems so thick! It seems to be very lively with a lot of carbonation. Great lacing on this beer (“Lacing” is the white rings that the head leaves behind on the side of the glass.)
Smell – Wow! Tons of hops! I get a tropical fruit-like mango’s citric and maybe even slight pear, but all over hops.
Taste – Just like the smell, I get big hops right up front, but with a great tropical fruit undertone…mainly mango. You can taste a tone of different hops in the middle….It is like the beer is playing hopscotch on my tongue. It finishes with a big bitter end that really wraps up this monster quickly.
Mouth-feel – A lot of carbonation, and that gives it a crisp feel. It was kind of thin for an imperial IPA, but I think that the flavor made up for it.
Overall – You might have gotten the impression that I like Rampart. I really love when I don’t expect much out of a beer/brewery and out of nowhere they deliver in a BIG way.
Rampart is great and I can’t say enough about it! I think that every “hop head” should try this beer. Rampart has a tropical hoppy taste that I just love. Don’t forget that Rampart is coming in a 8.5% ABV. You can’t beat it! I also think that Rampart is a good beer for the novice IPA to try. If I could ask one thing on how to tweak this beer, it would be with fresh hops and unfiltered, in a bomber.
12 oz. 6 pk nr on sale for $9.97 (6/7 thru 6/13)
Cheers,
Beer Guy