New Belgium Rolls Out 1554 Brussels Style Black Ale
Careful research finds black beers ancestors of porters and stouts
April, 1999This spring, while looking for ideas for the New Belgium Brewing Company's Special Release program, Peter (the brewmaster) and Phil (the research & development wiz) visited a brewery library here in Colorado. They were tipped off to the former existence of black ales in Belgium. Prior to the lambics, the strong beers and the abbey beers that now make Belgium breweries famous, the ancient brewing industry there produced varieties the likes of hoppe (white beer), roetbier (red) and zwartbier (black). There are modern day interpretations of white and red beers, yet black ales have vanished from the brewing scene.
Being the inquiring minds that they are, Peter and Phil wanted to know more about these native black beers that were once prevalent in the taverns of Brussels. So, this fall while at a brewing conference in Belgium, this dynamic duo once again hung out in a brewing library to research this style of beer. Blowing the dust off tomes crammed with the history of Belgian brewing, they found numerous references to black ales being brewed in Brussels during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. When they returned with their gatherings, their notes revealed the year 1554 as the oldest mention of a black ale.
From their diggings, Peter and Phil believe these Brussels black beers are not the ancestors of porters and stouts. Hence, as they developed the New Belgium recipe, they wanted to steer clear of any resemblance to a stout beyond color. In the profile of 1554 Brussels Style Black Ale, the New Belgium staff has hoped to create an ale that it would be easy to imagine as a beer served 445 years ago, but also a beer that doesn't ignore 445 years of brewing advancements.
Since its first release on December 22, the initial consumer feedback (and purchasing) of 1554 has overwhelmed New Belgium. Distribution manager, Nate Turner, claims "never in my wildest dreams would I have expected a beer kicked-off in the dead of Winter to be so hot." Currently, 1554 is on allocation but supplies should improve by early February as Nate had production switch to brewing bigger batches.
1554 Brussels Style Black Ale will be available in the New Belgium Special Release six pack carrier until early April. New Belgium hopes folks will continue to agree that 1554 is a delicious result of a lot of library time.
