Skinny Dip - New Belgium Brewing

Drew966

Florida

3.65/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Skinny Dip pours a golden yellow with a thick white head that drops quickly from a brown twelve ounce bottle. The aroma is citrusy with a bit of grain. The flavor is light and pleasant with a similar twang to it that Fat Tire does (the malt bill?). Finishes a bit dry. Nice.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 22:24:58 | More by Drew966

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a plae golden yellow with a thin off white head. Decent lace left behind from a sparkling clear liguid. A nice bit of carbonation bubbling up from the bottom. Smell was light, with the biggest hints coming from grain, and a nice bread tone. Slightly sour tones present as well, maybe some sour grape or apple. First impression was crisp and somewhat bitter. Nice play on the palate and a decent hopper aftertaste. Biggest flavors were by far malts and grains, with a musty bread flavor being the biggest factor here.

Overall it was a little bitter to be a real sessionable ale, and is honestly a bit forgettable. Nothing really standing up and greabbing you about this one. A decent pale ale that doesnt really stand out in the crowd.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2011 01:49:30 | More by mikesgroove

u2carew

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz longneck.
A) Pours with a finger thick white head. Settles slightly leaving a nice lacing at the edge of the glass. Clear bronze body. Thin and semi-sticky lacing.
S) Earthy grain notes. Hints of orange. A subtle hops aroma.
T) Flavors are not very robust; a bit thin. The palate opens up a bit as time passes but not much. I pick up some citrus notes - orange. Some caramel malt. A nutty finish with a slight hop bite.
M) Crisp. Fizzy. Lighter side of medium body. Smooth finish.
D) An easy drinker. I'd have another one.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2011 00:57:30 | More by u2carew

harrymel

Washington

2.48/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed 06/26/10

Poured from bottle to pint glass.

A: light orange, absolute clarity. Continuous ribbon resotres the paper thin white film capping the ale.

S: Smells like a standard pilsener. Only unique grace befalls the slight lime accent, which is a pleasant touch.

T: Tastes like a light amber, really light. Lime unfortunately does not make it to the flavor of the beer, and leaves itself to the nose.

M: Quite carbonated, almost a burning sensation as buds are attacked with constant expulsion of gas from ale. Med bodied.

D: Although the beer isn't bad, I will be unlikely to purchase again in near future.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2010 06:28:32 | More by harrymel

GreyMorel

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Serving - 1/2 in bottle, 1/2 in tumbler.

I'm not a huge fan of their most common brew, 'Fat Tire', so I wasn't expecting much from this brew. I was pleasantly surprised.

The brew poured a generic amber-orange color, with a single finger cream or off-white head. Head was only of moderate life.

Smell was a mixed bag of hops and malts.

Taste was surprising - My only other experience with New Belgium brews so far is 'Fat Tire', which I can only describe as liquid hard-tac (chalky malt domination). THIS brew, however, was perfectly balanced between malts/grain and hops. One thing I DIDN'T notice though was the advertised 'lime leaf citrus' flavor - something was there for sure, but I couldn't tell if it was just the natural citrus note of the 'cascade hops', or if it was the result of the gimmicky spice.

Mouthfeel was thin and effervescent - a good deal of carbonation.

Drinkability is very good. I would not say its spectacular, but it is better than most microbrews - its on the verge of macro level.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2010 17:46:08 | More by GreyMorel

TCMike

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +26.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a great easy drinking beer for those that are not hop-driven. It's a light amber color with a 1 finger white head. The taste is that of malt, light citrus, and even lighter hops. It's a summer seasonal product, so I relieved the local liquor store of their remaining 3 cases in early fall.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2010 20:55:34 | More by TCMike

JayS2629

Alabama

3.63/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- hazy orange/amber with lacey head.

S- Toasted biscuits, citrus hops, malts

T- Honey, and that signature New Belgium biscuit taste with a slightly citrus hoppiness

M- Very balanced, crisp on the front end and smooth and creamy with a thin finish.

D- Refreshing and easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2010 18:43:25 | More by JayS2629

tetonka4kzoo

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light orange hue and not quite amber. Had a lacey head.

The nose has a malty aroma with some hopiness like many New Belgium brews.

This ale has a pleasant malty flavor with slight citrus and hops in the background. It has a light sweetness from honey and maybe caramel.

Skinny Dip Ale is crisp and light or medium bodied. Its a decent choice on a hot 90 degree summer day. Thanks to Rob for New Belgium variety pack.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 00:19:12 | More by tetonka4kzoo

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewery. August 2009. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a slightly-hazed yellow color with a light white head and not much lacing. The nose brings some really faint citrus notes. Other than that, there's just some light grain. The taste is the same with some very mild sweetness and a bit of citrus. Light body. Drinks fine, but really is nothing to even say about this other than that it is quite plain.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2010 01:47:34 | More by Thorpe429

secondtooth

Indiana

4.08/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This clear golden ale is New Belgium's summer seasonal, and it's among the brewery's lighter offerings. The flavor is mild and malty, with a slight hoppy character and a hint of citrus. Oddly, I place this one curiously between a traditional lager and a pale ale. It's certainly tasty, and unique. Like most of New Belgium's employee-(and Earth-) friendly brews, this one's quite satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2010 03:12:21 | More by secondtooth

JMad

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this one on draft at Fuzzy's tacos, poured into a goblet.
Pours a golden color with a thin white head.
Smells mostly of sweet malt and bread.
Tastes almost like an amber, sweet malt, buttered biscuits, with a hint of citrus.
Light and has a great taste, very chuggable. I was really impressed with this beer, at first I was skeptical but it turned out delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2010 00:27:00 | More by JMad

cindyjeffsmith

Georgia

3/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

appearance: Weak straw color. Bland at best.
smell: Again, bland at best. Just not much happening. Some subdued hops.
taste: More of the same. Some subdued fruitiness.
I see some high marks for this beer. Wonder if I got a glass from a bad keg. But nothing terrible...just bland. Tastes like a beer but with lots of extra water.

Serving type: on-tap

09-11-2010 23:06:37 | More by cindyjeffsmith

Bierschenker

Belgium

3.75/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I traded this sample with HardTarget whilst in Brugge.

Best before: 17 November 2006, sampled on 08 September 2010
When I opened the bottle, beer started spilling out. Bad sign?
I served the salvaged content in a pint glass

Appearance: The beer has a warm and bright misty orange colour. It resembles an ice cold glass of ice-tea. At first it gave a huge cloud of foam that quickly collapsed.
Nose: The scent gives strong malts and a ginger/lemon element to soften what was strong.
Taste: The taste is very soft and smooth. The two main factors are still malt and a soft touch of citric fruit.
Mouthfeel: The beer is dry on the tongue. It remains fresh and light. I presume this could be a perfect summer beer.
Aftertaste: The malt slowly becomes softer and some bitterness sticks to the cheeks.
Drinkability: It is made to be drinkable on a warm day: low in alcohol, soft in taste, as rich in colour as a setting summer sun.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2010 20:48:58 | More by Bierschenker

budgood1

Minnesota

3.13/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

pours out a copper and bronze hue with an ample head sticking like meringue...lots of bone white lace. looks impressive. slightly citric and buiscuit like in the nose...hints of hops meld well with the citrus tones. a definite munich maltiness hits sweet at first then dies away a crackery quickness, followed by a slight citric lime zest. hints of cascade hops ride the wave provided by the previous zest. finishes dry. sort of quenching. ample bodied for a "light beer", with a spritzy mouthfeel and again, a dry finish. drinkability is ok. and pretty good for a light beer or blonde ale.

overall i don't really like the malts used in conjunction with the rest of the flavour profile, they don't seem to mesh well with me... and as a summer quencher it doesn't have that "oh yeah" quality to it when quaffing it down, probably not even on a hot day.

although as a lower calorie and low abv beer, it does have a lot of flavour and body and mouthfeel going for it, so i'm in a bit of a conundrum as how to rate it. my feeling is that it looks great, smells good, tastes ok, has a nice mouthfeel but drinks hard. weird.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 21:46:26 | More by budgood1

kflorence

California

3.83/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a nice golden, copper color with a thin layer of creamy, white head. Some lacing around the glass as you drink. The appearance kinda reminds me of Bass.

S: The smell is dominated by sweet malts and hops. There is also a more subtle, creamy butter smell in there and an ample amount of citrus (probably the lime).

T: I must say this is a very balanced beer. The hops shine up front with a citrus, grapefruit flavor, followed by the bready, malt notes and lots of lime. I'm usually not a fan of beers with a prominent hop character, and although I can definitely taste them here they are nicely balanced out with the lime and malts. Finishes dry and tart with lingering citrus notes. The flavor overall is pretty simple, but it tastes like a lot of work was put into perfecting the blend.

M: Although this is no doubt a light beer, it packs plenty of body. Ample carbonation and a medium-body make this smooth and creamy, though a bit thin on the finish.

D: This is a great summer beer. Nicely balanced and drinkable, this will definitely quench thirst after a long, hot day. While nothing spectacular, this is a solid beer with a good amount of flavor and refreshment. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2010 03:05:33 | More by kflorence

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A- Pours a splendid caramel color, slightly on the dark side of the style with a two finger head that disappates down pretty quickly.
S- Bready malts are the big aroma, with some earthyness in there. The advertised lime is present in good proportion.
T- A quick lime zip with bready malts finishing out. No flavor is very strong, but still rather tasty.
M- Full bodied considering it's also a light beer. Though I suppose it's still light bodied in general. There was an excess of carbonation, particularly in the finish.
D- A very nice drinkable and sessionable beer. Certainly an interesting take on the summer seasonal. I must compliment NB in that I was very worried that the advertised lime flavor would be too central to this beer, but it was constructed in a way that was well balanced and enjoyable. Could certainly use some tweaking, but it's pretty good and refreshing both in theory and practice.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2010 05:15:37 | More by jsprain1

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The first of many tasting notes on the BlackBerry...

A - Pours a nice caramel brown colour, finger of head and sticky lacing.

S - Very bready and wheaty, however, some brown sugar hits the nose, and it finishes with some lemon hops.

T - Hops dominate the top and finish, bready malts come in to balance it out. The hops are leafy and green, and the malts are sweetened by a touch of brown sugar.

M - Perfect carbonation, smooth with a medium body. No complaints here.

D - Pretty well rounded offering. The flavours are nicely balanced, and there's nothing to complain about.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2010 03:21:36 | More by andrenaline

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer pours a clear medium copper hue, with two fingers of soapy off-white head, which leaves some broken curtains of lace around the glass as it quickly recedes. It smells of crisp biscuit malt and musty grass. The taste is biscuity grain, some muddled citrus (the proclaimed lime leaf lost in the albeit weak cascade hoppiness), and more grassiness. The carbonation is moderate, the body medium weight, smooth, and a tad creamy. It finishes dry, dusty, and a little citrusy.

An interesting offering - the mild, but weird citrus, matched with the biscuity malt, makes for one crisp beverage, to use New Belgium's lingo. However, it gets a little watery towards the end, making this easy to drink, but also easy to forget.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2010 23:18:17 | More by biboergosum

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Passed to me at a BBQ. Pours an interesting amber with a decent head that doesn't last. Smells lightly of hops, but with a different citrus beneath it. The taste has the same interesting undertone, and when I read the label kaffir lime leaf is mentioned... There we go. Crisp and finishes nicely. An enjoyable brew to quaff poolside in the summer.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2010 02:38:57 | More by kjyost

bnes09

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Transparent copper brew with a solid off-white head and rings of lace. Malt backbone is subdued in the taste to give way for an assertive, pine hop. There is also an off flavor here that I can't quite put my finger on (garlic maybe?) Anyways, its not too pleasant. Light to medium-bodied and drying on the tongue. Overall, pretty average beer. Won't be buying it any time soon.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2010 23:23:12 | More by bnes09

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.83/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Clear and light orange. Not too much head but some good lacing. A few light bubbles rising.

Smells of grasslands, citrus and light hops.

Tasted pretty strong for a summer brew. Hops and grains, citrus and a light spiciness fill this beer's profile.

Feels light and dry, very summery. Good for the style.

Drinks well. Another good beer to possibly wean BMC drinkers to better beers. A solid, if unspectacular offering from a solid brewery.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2010 21:01:27 | More by AlCaponeJunior

NODAK

Tennessee

3.83/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Aroma here is of mostly lemon and some grassiness. Not too much to write about really.

The taste seems somewhat watery...however, some citrus is definitely noticeable (if not a little weak) upfront....there is also some biscuity, toasty flavor present as well, a la Fat Tire. There is an arrival of some hops at the back....certainly nothing big, though.

Finishes pretty clean, as one might expect. Seeing as how it is very thin and somewhat watery, little is perceptible after the swallow.

I don't think anybody goes into a beer like this expecting something mindblowing, however, if you're looking for a summer refresher that is easy sipping...well this is your beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2010 01:28:43 | More by NODAK

davidchollar

Washington

3.93/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours out a sort of clear copper-orange with a thin white head that settles down but never fully goes away. Smells very grainy. I get almost a watered down rice and wheat heartiness that is not very strong, but certainly smells good. Deeper sniffing reveals some definite citrus hoppiness. The label says it has lime leaf ...

The label also says it is full-bodied. I didn't think a 4% abv beer could be full-bodied... and I still don't. It could pass for medium. Again though, just like the smell foretold, the taste and mouthfeel are not strong but not bad. A surprising amount of bitterness and overall kick. Lots of flavor. One of the best beers I've had at under 5%! Definitely recommended for a summer session.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 06:06:30 | More by davidchollar

jampics2

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a snifter. This is a light beer, but one with some craft elements. After enjoying this one sunny summer afternoon, I wish I did get the chance to drink it more often. This would be a great go-to summer session beer.

Into the glass goes a copper colored liquid with little head and whimpy lace. Fairly active carbonation. Could use more head.

Smell is caramel malt with some citrus hops that give orange and lemon impressions.

Taste is average but enjoyable. There is a nice malty base that helps the flavors feel balanced. The malt has a slight biscuit, toasted taste, most likely due to the specialty malts. The hops aren't too prominent but contribute a touch of orange and grapefruit. The lime leaf is barely there, but it does show up on certain sips. While this does have an interesting mix of flavors, there just isn't enough to make it exceptional.

Mouthfeel is crisp and refreshing. But does taste like the sweetness of the malt ends a touch too soon and some wateryness occurs. That's cheating on a clean finish!

So, of course a beer that lacks definitive flavor is going to take it's lumps from me. But I think this is decent for what it set out to be - a light summer beer that will keep you in skinny-dipping shape.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2010 17:56:54 | More by jampics2

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.38/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear yellow with lots of carbonation, no head or lacing to speak of any signification amount. Lack of aroma.

Taste, a little spring floral feel, minor twang of carbonation and lemon. A good, marginal palate cleanser between heavier styles. Easy to drink, but what really are you paying for with this beer?

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 20:15:36 | More by Beerandraiderfan