New Belgium Brewing - 1554 Enlightened Black Ale

New Belgium Brewing - 1554 Enlightened Black Ale was a gift from a friend who had recently been out west. If you can imagine the coffee-chocolate of a stout without being too rich or leaving a lot of aftertaste. It has an exceptional aroma and a very clean finish, but I'm starting to sound like one of those wine reviewers, so I'll just use New Belgium's own description of the beer.


"1554 Enlightened Black Ale redefines the phrase keeping time in a bottle. From an ancient, crumbling Belgian library book, our intrepid researchers found references to this obscure style dating back to the year 1554. Overcoming obsolete script and units of measure, our brewers discovered an ale with a surprisingly bright taste and a dry, chocolaty finish - one evocative of dark brews enjoyed in Belgium taverns 500 years ago."