Lips Of Faith - Tart Lychee - New Belgium Brewing

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had while at Brewvival. Served from tap into a sampler Brewvival imperial pint. Poured a hazy yellow with very slight orange tint with a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal ring very quickly. There was no lacing evident throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, tart fruit, sour fruit, and a nice Brett funkiness. The flavor was of sweet malt, big sour, slight tart, and just a hint of funky. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. I must say that New Belgium brought their A-game to this event. This brew was another standout on the day for myself. Just a great example of a well balanced sour. The sourness and tartness worked in unison to not destroy your palate with or the other. A definite must try given the chance.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2011 18:48:04 | More by thagr81us

ccrida

Oregon

3.93/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap in a snifter, Tart Lychee is a very murky dull burnt straw with a light tan head that quickly settles, giving the beer a thick, still appearance that is frankly not very appetizing. Reminds me of yeast dregs from a beer starter.

Smell is a bit pungent, overripe/rotting fruit, hints of sweetness.

Taste is pretty good, nice lacto tartness, tropical fruit vibe, cinnamon back-current that doesn't overwhelm or stand out to strongly. Not familiar with the lychee fruit, but I assume the taste is well represented here. Clean finish, and very unique overall.

Mouthfeel is dry and slick, medium light bodied, decent carbonation, totally different then it looks, in a good way.

Drinkability is pretty good for a very unusual fruit sour. I enjoy the acidity and the general cohesion.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2009 23:02:55 | More by ccrida

dirtylou

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber, split

appearance: split/served in my hopleaf tulip, cloudy straw-orange body, creamy white froth

smell: some tart berry, sugar, floral yeast

taste: a nice beer - the cinnamon was played well in my opinion and i disagree that it overpowers, nice notes of oak, berry, yeast, tart sugars

mouthfeel: light tartness, refreshing

overall: tasty, a little pedestrian

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 02:21:09 | More by dirtylou

jrallen34

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at fobab...Pours a murky gold with a decent white head...The aroma is tart fruits, very acidic, a little sweetness to balance, I like it...The taste is quit similar tart acidicness, vinous notes again. Not enough sweetness comes through for me, here not quite a as successful. Something about the sourness is not grooving with me, too acidic and sharp.

A pretty good wild but that's about it.

Serving type: on-tap

11-15-2010 22:47:16 | More by jrallen34

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bomber pours a hazed gold color with a fluffy white head. Decent retention and lacing.

Nose is quite sour, exciting! Definitely get some light lychee syrup aroma and the cinnamon is there too. Clever, this one is.

Ehhh, this one doesnt come together quite right on the flavor. It is nowhere near as sour as it smelled and the cinnamon and sourness clash, for me at least. An odd tart, back-of-the-throat fruitiness comes out as well that I am not a big fan of. It's not too bad, but after the mouth-watering aroma I am let down. If they could have bumped up the sour power and just left the cinnamon off altogether, I think we'd have something.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 22:45:29 | More by twiggamortis420

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

new lips of faith series brew. this is everything i like in a sour. pours a surprisingly cloudy pale yellow wheaty color, with a one inch white fizzy head. smell is interesting, definitely tart and citric, like pink grapefruit and lemons. also some brett style sour notes. flavor is very very sour, but also tart as the name suggests. its quite acidic and puckery, but not as dry as some of them. there are fruity notes which i have to assume are from the lychees, and even a hint of oak. it says brewed with cinnamon, but i cant pick it up in either the smell or the taste, maybe just a touch in the finish, but it is definitely quite understated. i really love the feel of this beer, effervescent carbonation, medium body, and all kinds of attitude. the tartness is a welcomed addition to the sour beer palate, and this may well be my favorite lips of faith brew to date. i enjoyed it with some smoked asian chicken thighs over a spinach red cabbage mango salad. really a nice early summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 21:37:30 | More by StonedTrippin

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.15/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I wanted to try this, but not so badly that I was ready to pay $9 or so for it. Then, I got to try this at the Lost Abbey tasting last night. Thanks, Jamie!

Light yellow/orange with a dense, white head that falls off to a ring rather quickly. The nose is sugary, mildly tart with a nice lychee aroma. Sourness is minimal, and this smells dusty, Bretty and mildly melony. The palate opens with melon sweetness, sweet and ripe lychees and floral notes. Stale pale base malt is noticeable. Light in body, moderately carbonated, a little too much IMO. Drying, clean finish. Decent.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 00:41:42 | More by DefenCorps

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle poured into a New Belgium globe.
7.5% ABV, 120410031 on "label".

A - Densely hazy dirty apricot golden in color, Tart Lychee has a tall white head with good staying power and little dribbles of lace caked on the glass.

S - Sour, acidic oak bursts fourth with tingly floral hop attributes delicately lingering behind. A unique playful tropical fruitiness bounces off the sourdough bready malt as a sprinkle of light cinnamon wafts in on the back end.

T - Sweet but certainly not sugary fruit flavor hits the tongue first but is quickly abolished by bold tartness. Light acidity follows into the oak wood flavor but I'm hard-pressed to taste the cinnamon in here. The flavor is much more straight-forward; less depth.

M - The sweet and sour of Tart Lychee balances wonderful on the palate, keeping it really refreshing as it dries out the tongue. Medium-bodied and otherwise smooth, the tart, sour finish is a rewarding way to end each sip.

O - A refreshingly sour spring brew, Tart Lychee is far less deep than I had anticipated from a Lips of Faith series beer, but the oak and fruit come together nicely for a very drinkable beer. The cinnamon is lost somewhere in here but it makes little difference in the end. A good level of "sour power" at a good price point.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 16:07:29 | More by BeerFMAndy

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle. Served in a Unibroue tulip, the beer pours a hazy golden/orange color with about an inch off-white head. Head retention is decent, and there's a good amount of lacing left on the glass. The aroma seems light to me, it smells like sweet and tart fruit and some oak. But it is a nice smelling brew. I couldn't tell you what a lychee smells like anyway, so I have no idea if the fruity aroma is from the lychee or not (but I assume that's what it is). Luckily the flavor is stronger in comparison to the aroma. It tastes like tart and sweet fruit (it kinda tastes citrusy and like a strawberry too, but I guess it's lychee), and a little bit of cinnamon. I'm liking the taste of this brew more and more the longer I drink it! Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's well carbonated and quite refreshing. It's a bit slick, too. Overall I think it's a good brew. At $9.99 a bottle, I'd buy this one again in the future.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 22:30:06 | More by bluejacket74

AgentZero

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

FoBAB, from notes.

A - Hazy orangish color with some yellow on the edges. Finger of white head that had some good retention and left some fair lacing on the sides.

S - Smells like some unripened cherry, oak, vanilla, sweet spices, some acetic notes. I'm not sure what lychee is supposed to smell like exactly, so maybe it's in here somewhere and I don't realize it. Smells good though.

T - Tart, quite tart actually with a pretty sour profile that finishes with a bit of oak and vanilla. A little bit of a vinous quality to it.

M - Medium bodied with some active carbonation.

O - Good beer. I need to go eat some lychee (is that possible?) to see if the beer tasted like that. Pretty good beer though, and a nice American Sour.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2011 00:14:29 | More by AgentZero

champ103

Texas

3.88/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Hay Merchant in Houston, TX

A: Pours a cloudy, deep hazed orange color. A two finger bubbly white head rises in a second, and noisily recedes to a ring. A light cap sticks throughout. Not much lace is left behind however.
S: Ripe orange and passion fruit. Apple cider, tart and acidic. I really like the nose.
T: Tart and acidic. Some fruits that are very nice. Orange, mango, apple cider are all there, but a little muddled. Grainy malts. I really like it, I just wish the fruits were a bit brighter.
M/D: A medium body and very effervescent. Crisp, dry, and refreshing. Really enjoyable to sip on. A nice puckering that makes me want to keep taking sips.

Very well made. Maybe not my favorite Wild Ale by New Belgium, but very good in its own right. I will be drinking more of these while places still have it on tap and in bottles around town.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2012 21:48:26 | More by champ103

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber into a Duvel tulip. Big thanks to Kingkong for this one.

A: Slightly cloudy pale amber body under two fingers of creamy off-white head. Good retention, great lace. Lovely.

S: Hugely tropical and fruity, mildly tart and spicy. Lactic acid is substantial, but definitely in the background compared to the fruit. Cinnamon is only an afterthought. Really nice.

T: Opens with sour lacto and oak, then broadens into sweet lychee and tropical fruits before closing out with a clean, dry, lactic finish. Sourer than the nose promised, but still on the sweet side. Good, not quite great.

M: Creamy, frothy medium body. Lively and enjoyable.

O: I could see this being a terrific gateway sour. It didn't have quite the depth that I found in Le Terroir, but it was really good in its own way. I'd always prefer more tartness over more sweetness, but I'm really glad to have another bottle of this to try after some time.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 01:47:58 | More by woosterbill

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.6/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is a gift from friend Tim H; thanks man! Not bad beer, but with the high score, I expected more. Poured at a good temperature with no head or lace. Color is a hazy amber with a bubble trail. Aroma's the best thing here: lots of caramel, some sour, fruit, malt. Flavor's decent, but I don't pick up the spice, sweet/sour up front along with some carbonic tang, but not a lot else. Body and carbonation are good. Finish is like flavor, of average length, and drinkable. Good burps.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 00:10:39 | More by drpimento

flagmantho

Washington

4.18/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 22oz bomber into a tulip.

Appearance: medium golden hue with a light haze and a moderate effervescence. Head is a finger of frothy white foam. Not much in the way of retention or lace, but not bad.

Smell: sweet and fruity aroma with a two-tone tartness: a deep sour component combined with a light, evanescent piquancy which I think makes for an intriguing aroma. I really enjoy it.

Taste: starts off with a tartness and a kind of Brett-style funkiness, which fades into a fruity middle ground. Finishes with a broader sour character. Not as quite as intriguing as the aroma, but really quite good indeed.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation and a nice, big creaminess. Great job.

Overall: massively drinkable wild ale. I'm not always a fan of New Belgium, but this bad boy, weird as it is, really suits my taste. Dig it.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 01:42:25 | More by flagmantho

tdm168

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at World of Beer in Raleigh

A - hazy yellow with a soft cap of white, dense head that has good retention.

S - tart, sour, cinnamon

T - nice tartness up front, mouthpuckeringly sour, a hint of cinnamon in the finish, light sweet fruitiness throughout

M - mouthpuckering, smooth, crisp, heavy carbonation leading to a lighter body

This was a delicious beer. It was perfect for sitting outside on a hot day. Great flavor, great drinkability, definitely worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2012 12:29:36 | More by tdm168

ngeunit1

California

4.43/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a cloudy golden-yellow color with a finger of frothy white head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet tart light fruits, a bit of cinnamon, oak, vanilla, and a bready funkiness.

T - Starts off with a mix of tart light fruit with some sourness and a bit of vanilla. Through the middle, some oak comes through with some cinnamon, and some bready funkiness. The finish is a mix of tart and funky flavors with some oak, cinnamon, and a hint of bready flavor.

M - Medium-minus bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a tart and funky finish.

D - Very drinkable. I really like the mix of the light fruits and the tartness, and the oak and cinnamon give the beer some nice complexity.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 03:22:30 | More by ngeunit1

superspak

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle into signature globe glass, bottled on 4/10/2012. Pours slightly hazy golden amber color with a 1 finger fairly dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of big sour apple, lemon, pear, cherry, pineapple, pepper, clove, wheat, grass, hay, earth, oak, cinnamon, funk, and honey. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity, spicy, malty, and funky notes. Taste of sour apple, pear, lemon, cherry, pineapple, clove, hay, grass, wheat, oak, pepper, earth, light cinnamon, light funk, and light honey sweetness. Light fruity tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of tart light fruits, pineapple, clove, hay, grass, wheat, oak, earth, light funk, and light honey sweetness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice flavor balance and complexity of fruity, spicy, malty, and funky notes; with zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly slick and lightly acidic mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an excellent blended wild ale. Great complexity and balance of flavors; and very smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 06:44:18 | More by superspak

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter.

3.5 A: Well hazed bright orange color. Two fingers of fizzy white head. Retention is a touch below average and just a few whisps of lacing are left.

4.0 S: Mild in terms of acidity and funk, but still enough to please. Lychee, peach, and apple come through well. Rotting wood and earthy funkiness. Cinnamon is subtle cold, but comes through quite strong as this warms up.

4.0 T: Load of cinnamon and lychee. Only a mild tartness with a bit more lactic tang. Peach and apple again. Woody funkiness with wet grass and apple orchard.

4.0 M: Lighter medium body. Good higher level of prickly carbonation. Reasonably creamy. Good here.

4.0 D: I love it when a unique beer is tasty and this certainly is tasty. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 19:01:16 | More by DavoleBomb

billab914

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle poured into my Allagash glass. It poured a bright golden color with a thin but frothy head covering the top. It left some good lacing on the glass as I drank it as well.

The aroma is very tart and sour. I get a lot of green apple and sour lemon flavors to it. It definitely has a strong fruit presence that I assume is the lychee, but I can't say I know what lychee smells like though. It's a little acidic, but not too bad. The sour lychee fruit was a little strange at first, but I'm really starting to like it the more I get into it.

The taste also has a strong sour fruit flavor throughout. Again, green apple and sour lemon are both things that come to mind as I'm drinking it. The finish is a little acidic, but the fruit helps cut through it. The sourness lingers pretty well.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied for the style with carbonation being above average. Overall, it was a very interesting and pretty good beer. It was a little strange at first as the sour lychee flavors were very strong and unique. The more I got into it though the more I liked it. I really liked that it had a very bold sourness to it without becoming overly acidic or one dimensional. I definitely appreciated the uniqueness of it as well. Very enjoyable beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 23:15:32 | More by billab914

ArrogantB

Colorado

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle $9.49, this is my second bottle. Cloudy orange-yellow with a short head. Smells fruity and funky, clearly it will be tart. It also reminds me a bit of Kick and Le Terroir in the aroma. Taste is fruity, hint of cinnamon, tartness and again I am reminded of previous New Belgium sours, must be a house character or maybe some of the blends have a base sour? Either way, good stuff and New Belgium is doing nice stuff with the Lips of Faith these days.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 04:28:06 | More by ArrogantB

srandycarter

California

3.5/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Dirty straw, small near white head leaves to ring fast, some cling lace.

S - Tart is in the nose, a middle tone that might be the lychee, followed by some malt.

T - Tart, somewhat nutty in the center, small malt attribute. Very mild in general.

M - Medium body, good carb, fair balance.

D - Overall, a drinkable beer, but not anything to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 04:01:53 | More by srandycarter

Overlord

California

4.33/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Certainly the most unique brew at the Sour Fest.

Pours an insanely cloudy orange-ish golden brown. Looks like unfiltered fruit juice. No head. Smells like some sort of sweet fruit. I guess that's lychee. Also some wood tones and a bit of spiciness in the nose. With some trepidation, I tilted it back.

And really enjoyed it. It offered blessed relief from the crushing, crushing heat. Sweet, but with an interesting undercurrent of sour, almost unripe fruit. Quite balanced. More spice and wood in the flavor. This was very nice. Wish I could buy some in bottle form.

Could use some more carbonation, though.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2009 07:32:55 | More by Overlord

mdaschaf

Washington

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Latona Pub.

A: A very hazy golden/orange color with a foamy white head, about one inch in height that dies down quickly leaving a small cap on top.

S: Nice tartness with some fruity aromas of cherry and some other dark stone fruits. Faint spices as well.

T: Nice brett flavor mixed with some strong fruity flavors. More cherry along with lychee giving it a slight sweetness.

M: Light to medium body with active carbonation

O: Quite impressed, liked it a good bit. Nice fruity flavors with a good combination of brett/tartness in this one.

Serving type: on-tap

08-01-2012 15:18:07 | More by mdaschaf

morimech

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazy golden color with a quickly rising and disapating head. Very little lacing is left on the glass.

Aroma of tart lychee and sourdough bread. Some very mild funkiness rounds things out.

Mildly tart and acidic. Flavor of lychee and bready malt. I do not taste cinnamon but there is some warmth in the finish. Somewhat dry. Rather basic and pedestrian.

The beer lost most of its carbonation in the pour. Lacks the life to make acidic beers pop. Surprisingly light body for the ABV.

Rather disappointing beer considering barrel-aging and price.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 19:16:45 | More by morimech

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Received a bottle of this as an extra in a trade. Poured into my Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a nice hazy orange golden hue with a big, creamy two finger head that faded to leave a nice creamy white blanket and solid lacing.

S - This really, really has to warm up in order to get the cinnamon aromas. Get nice La Folia style sourness that is pleasant, getting NO lychee though but the cinnamon is quite nice and different.

T - Interesting. Not really quite as sour as I like from these guys, with maybe some slight sweetness from the lychee. There is an odd flavour that must be the lychee. Not bad. The end note with cinnamon was pleasant, surprisingly so.

M - Mouthfeel is a bit thin/flat for my liking. A bit too lowly carbonated.

O - Overall this was a good beer but like other Lips beers the recipe doesnt quite translate over for me. Glad to try this though.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 03:06:28 | More by rudzud