Fat Tire Amber Ale - New Belgium Brewing

sndleight

4.35/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

It was love at first taste!
This beer is awesome.
The appearence is a nice amber color with a medium to full head.
It has a smell of dirty laundry.
It has a second to none taste.
It goes done smooth and crisp feel.
Overall this is in my top five beers!

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2012 01:40:18 | More by sndleight

Alextricity

Michigan

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

For MONTHS I've been seeing Fat Tire advertisements around Michigan, and I just finally had one on draft. At $3 for a 20oz, I figured, why not?

Appearance: I feel like it's not even fair to judge a beer on tap because I've just found that any beer will look better when it comes on draft... this beer looked awesome. Had a small, creamy head that went away pretty quickly, but the lacing was great.

Smell: Has a dry, malt aroma. My friends like to say the smell is reminiscent of a "wet trunk". I can't disagree with that, but it's not an off-putting smell to me.

Taste/feel: Much like the smell. I've had a few ambers, and I find this tastes a little bit different. Most ambers I've had have had that "trunk" smell and taste, but Fat Tire's not quite the same. Not a fantastic beer by any means, but it's drinkable and cheap. The feel on this one is probably as good as I think it is because of it being on-tap... smooth and easy drinking.

Fat Tire's a solid beer all around. When left with this or the option of several BMCs, this one clearly wins.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2012 23:26:29 | More by Alextricity

HarryPotHead

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Started seeing this beer more frequently in Maryland over the last year so I figured I would "take it for a spin". ...groan.

S - Poured from 22 oz bomber with a 1/13/13 "best by" date into my favorite frosted mug.

A - A better than expected and frothy head sits on top of a rich amber body. The head eventually yielded, but hung around for at least half of the first pour. Average amount of lacing left behind.

S - The smell is the best thing about this brew! Not overpowering but very pleasant indeed. Subtle hints of cherry with a malted headiness. Very well balanced and unique.

T - Was expecting more based on the beautiful aroma, but was slightly dissapointed here. A little heavy on the malt for my tastes, but not bad. Aftertaste lingers awhile but is not bad either. Enjoyable, but nothing spectacular... a solid 3 in my book.

M - Lightly textured, cool, and crisp without a lot of bite. Nice.

O - I might have enjoyed this beer a lttle more a few monts back. It's winter here in Maryland and I think this beer would be a good summer ale. I'll stick with my porters and stouts and come back to this in April or May! This is a good solid American ale with a lot going for it... Just nothing remarkable. The label says they are "wind powered and employee owned"...I wish I could add extra points for those two facts alone!! Kudos!

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 03:37:55 | More by HarryPotHead

punky796

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass.

A - Pours a light amber-red, about a finger of medium-thick head. Head disappears in short time but leaves very nice lacing.

S - Bread/biscuit comes through first, with possibly honey and some hops. Malts dominate, though.

T - Bread/biscuit again, malts, honey or caramel, can't tell which.

M - Well-balanced, not just a heavy blanket of malt or just a tongue-stab of hops. Bright finish.

O - Solid, well-balanced ale. Would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 20:10:54 | More by punky796

jjboesen

Maryland

3.78/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This amber ale is New Belgium's flagship beer and honors bike riding - apparently. The ride begins with a massive marshmellow frothiness that includes shimmery bubbles and lather. The body is a translucent amber color wherein little carbonation or lacing. The head will eventually dissapear alltogether.

What little nose there is reminds one of honey and green apples while the palate detects grass and plum with a final and fleeting hit of hop. There is a little biscuit wrapped in the body along with some wispy strands of maltiness. Nice balance at the end of the ride.

There was much hoop-la surrounding the arrival of Fat Tire in the East, which now makes me scratch my head. Still this is a pleasant, if a somewhat underwhelming beer. That said, I am still glad to have it available here in Maryland - where I live.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 23:52:16 | More by jjboesen

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours an solid amber with a good amount of white head with good retention that drifts to a decent lace. The nose is refreshing, and nice not to get hit with a bag of citrus fruit. The biscuit/bready malt is surprisingly forward. Hops are floral and fruity (and yeast). Taste follows with lots of biscuit/bready sweet Belgium style malt and a bit of caramel. Hops are subdued, but floral and noble in nature. Also fruity yeast character. Mouthfeel is smooth and has good balance. Overall a fine beer, but I prefer SA Lager or Honkers Ale to this.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 14:39:31 | More by WoodBrew

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.73/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium coppery amber with a half finger white head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of bisquit malt with a hint of caramel, light hops. Flavor of biscuit malt and neutral hops. Finishes with light bisquity and caramel malt. Not complex, but pleasant low key amber ale. Medium bodied.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 02:01:04 | More by LiquidAmber

SportsandJorts

Michigan

3.41/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Type: 12 oz bottle
Glass: Pint
From: Meijer
Price: I think $9 a 6 pack

Appearance: clear orange color with a finger of foam that fades at a average pace

Smell: Malts, breadiness, maybe a touch of hops. not the most balanced smell and it can come off a bit musty at times

Taste: carmel malts, breadiness, and a touch of bitterness in the end. Again not the best balancing but still pretty good

Overall: not my favorite and not a go to session beer but definitely a decent to good beer. because of how easy to find and cheap it is, its a beer i will revisit on occasion.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 19:39:50 | More by SportsandJorts

beergoot

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Excellent, clear copper-colored body with a thick, sticky, creamy, white head; excellent lacing on the glass. Rich, biscuit-like aroma; mild spicy, floral hop notes. Smooth, toasted malt flavors up-front; light caramel and subtlety burnt sugar; light fruitiness in the aftertaste. Smooth, rich, medium-bodied.

A nicely balanced beer with some interesting malt complexities. Grain flavors over-ride the hop characteristics and masks the ABV. A good journeyman representation of this catch-all style.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 01:33:51 | More by beergoot

kojevergas

California

3.03/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served on-draught into a pilsner glass. Expectations are average; I'd had it from the bottle before. Reviewed from notes.

A: Pours a beige floater. Body colour is a semitransparent amber. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show.

Sm: Amber malts, caramel, hints of butterscotch? Some biscuit malt. A mild strength aroma.

T: Amber malts, caramel, and biscuit malt. Clean but simple. Pleasant and balanced. Little yeast comes through.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Suits the flavour decently. A touch too heavy on the palate for the lack of diverse or bold flavour. Good thickness. Overcarbonated.

Dr: Drinkable but unremarkable. A good beer for drinking at a bar on the cheap, but it's lackluster. Overpriced at $6.00. New Belgium makes far better beers.

Low C+

Serving type: on-tap

11-06-2012 17:41:46 | More by kojevergas

yamar68

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ruby gold body, plenty of paper white head that laces well.

Very clean aromas... loads of sweet malts, hard water, simple syrups, brown ale notes, nothing too aggressive, very approachable.

Super smooth. That's this beer's mantra... complete balance. Some almond notes, stale coffee, dried hop presence, brown sugar. So easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 05:27:28 | More by yamar68

Schmidts

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours from the bottle light amber with a 1/2 inch head and lots of lacing!
Smells of malts and bicuits. Taste is bicuity and a nice smooth malt and touch of hops. A very smooth drinkable beer.
Light and refreshing in your mouth
I give it a 4.0 overall, it is a very nice beer.
Thanks to Jason from Epps Beverages for the bottle of this.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 23:47:23 | More by Schmidts

tectactoe

Michigan

3.8/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a copper color, fairly translucent, with a slightly off-white head, thick and fluffy looking, decent retention and a little bit of lacing. The smell is malts, malts, and malts all day. A tiny bit of a floral aroma can be picked up if you really force yourself to find it, but the malts are what smacks you in the face. The taste is quite nice - clearly lots of roasted malts, most heavily in the form of burnt caramel, toffee, and light, milk chocolate. This sweetness is counterbalanced by a subtle, yet apparent hop sting that jumps out about two-thirds of the way through. Slightly piney, the slight touch of bitterness at the tail end leaves your mouth in perfect harmony from the jumbo sweetness of the up-front malts. Medium body, medium to high carbonation, decent mouthfeel.

Very tasty amber ale, I'm glad New Belgium finally brought this product to Michigan. Easy to drink and enjoyable, plus it's relatively inexpensive and is being served at a lot of local places!

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2012 03:19:06 | More by tectactoe

Jangles

California

4.43/5  rDev +22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I enjoyed this out of my home Kegerator, drawn on tap at 36* into a frosty mug taken straight from my freezer. It had a beautiful copper color and a three-finger head that made its way onto my upper lip, since I could barely wait to drink it. It was absolutely delicious.

This beer for me strikes a nice balance between the everyday lagers and the heavier ales and craft beers that I enjoy. I love the spices and the drinkability. It is a wonderful Autumn/Winter brew for my Kegerator; it is a substantial enough seasonal offering without being too heavy or over the top.

Many dismiss it as pedestrian, mainstream, or just the gateway to craft beers, but I respectfully disagree. I have a two-tower Kegerator, and it has firmly established a position on one side for the Fall season.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2012 21:11:25 | More by Jangles

Lemke10

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer that made New Belgium famous! Fat Tire pours a most clear amber color with a modest off-white head. The aroma is sweet with malts with a touch of caramel. The taste is a delicious toasted malt and spice blend. Though it’s list as an amber ale, it has more spice taste then some companies Oktoberfest offering. It finishes with a slight chalky after taste. I’ve had this in my cooler for about 6 months and I think it drinks a little nicer now that it did when it’s fresh off the truck. A highly drinkable and highly enjoyable amber brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 04:30:56 | More by Lemke10

rlee1390

Indiana

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

A-Clear orange-amber, one finger head that doesn't last, not much carbonation.

S-Caramel, grass, some hops. Lots of malt.

T-Caramel, wheat, other malt. Good bit of grass and not much bitterness.

M-Medium bodied, not much carbonation, tad bit on the watery side as well.

O-Not sure how this beer is so popular, seemed boring to me. To each their own I guess.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 16:35:16 | More by rlee1390

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.73/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle in to pint glass

Appearance – Pours a nice amber color with a one finger white head. The head fades over a moderate amount of time to leave a decent level of lacing on the glass.

Smell – The aroma is of caramel and some light roasted malt aromas. Mixed with these are subtle hop aromas of citrus and a light herbal smell.

Taste – The taste begins with some of the bready and caramel flavors. These are quickly meet by a lighter fruit flavors of a sweeter citrus hop as well as some very light roasted notes. As the taste advances to the end a light herbal flavor come to the tongue and leave a sweet, light hop, and light roast flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer was on the average side with a carbonation level that is slightly lighter than the average. Perhaps a bit more carbonation would have made it a bit more crisp and good for the fruit and herbal hops, but yet the not as good for the roasted flavors. It’s hard to say which would be better.

Overall – A good easy dining brew with some nice flavors. Quite tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 01:53:03 | More by Darkmagus82

Theheroguy

Maryland

3.93/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ahh the ubiquitous fat tire, probably the flagship of New Belgium (although curiously it isn't a Belgian brew).

This cult classic is amber with a respectably thick white head. Not bad but nothing special either.

This beer smells like citrus fruit slightly sour

The taste in one of maltiness and slight sourness.

Overall this a good beer that I would recommend

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 19:11:55 | More by Theheroguy

jeranbrews

New York

3.6/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - perfectly clear, dark apple juice with tiny effervescent bubbles. Head is one finger high and clumpy but thin. No lacing.

S - crisp sting of fresh hops and ting citrus zest. Simple. A model for this style.

T - initially sweet sour and bitter. Sweetens as it warms.

M - thin but slightly fizzy.

O - easy to drink. Smooth inoffensive. All around good.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 02:42:01 | More by jeranbrews

SometimesIfart

Michigan

3.6/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours very light copper with a two finger head. Very small amounts of lacing left.

S - Slight hop resin, soap and slight amounts of citrus.

T -Lemon, wheat, small hop resin, and a sight malt bite in the finish.

M - Heavy, lemon body with a medium amount of carbonation.

O. Overall, this was a good, somewhat interesting beer. I received it from my buddy for eating an exceptionally hot pepper. At $3.99 for a 22oz bottle, it is priced right and is an easy drinker. Just wish the flavor were a bit more complex

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 05:45:14 | More by SometimesIfart

jeremyd365

Michigan

1.9/5  rDev -47.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This is cheap beer. It tastes like it was massed produced with cheap ingredients and was pretty disappointing for a $5.99 bomber. I'm glad I split it with someone so I only had to drink half. It had decent mouth feel and appearance, but the rest was rather disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 23:35:24 | More by jeremyd365

chinchill

South Carolina

3.63/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Fall for Greenville Fest.

Pour is amber with a rather orange tone; clear; A small amount of coarse carbonation was visible.

Caramel malts over citrusy hops.

Sweet up front. Balanced mid-taste through the finish.

A well-crafted brew deserving of its widespread appeal (and sales).

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2012 02:56:24 | More by chinchill

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz beer was poured into a pint glass. Thanks to my brother for bringing back another CO beer from his trip to TN.

Appearance: This beer poured a small head that has reduced to a thin layer. It is a pale orange color with great clarity and a few bubbles slowly coming up through the glass.

Smell: bready and biscuity malts, some fruitiness to the beer too, and slight caramel malts too.

Taste: malty, bready, biscuity, a bit fruity, and very tasty.

Mouthfeel: smooth, chewy, medium bodied, low to medium carbonation,

Overall: it's funny that there is a resemblance to American style Oktoberfest beers, but this is in a world of its own. Last time I had this was in a can back in December when I was in Denver. Always looking for more fat tire.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 02:31:21 | More by Flounder57

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Fat Tire pours a clear amber color with a small, frothy white head on top. The foam dissolves quickly leaving behind a netted pattern of lace on the glass.

The aroma is malty with caramel with a touch of pale malt and a touch of rye. Some light fruit (apple) and a touch of grassy hops.

Each sip of this light to medium bodied beer is creamy with light carbonation. The flavor is malty with a touch of spice. Caramel malt and bread dominate, possibly rye. A little fruityness in the middle with a moderate grass and pine hoppy bitter finish. Once gone the bread and grass bitterness lingers on the palate.

This is a tasty, easy drinking beer. A bit more malty than I expected. Have to thank a friend for giving me a can from a recent trip to the mid west.

Serving type: can

10-09-2012 23:24:20 | More by WanderingFool

kangarooAdam59

Maine

4.5/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Into a pint glass:

A: clear amber colored body that yields a nice lumpy yet foamy one finger white head and lasts for a good minute and a half. No carbonation is seen rising. Some light spider web lacing is left.

S: sweet with really light hints of caramel coming in and out with each different sniff, I really like it.

T: toasty and brings back the caramel really strong while adding a decent yet subtle flavoring of hops. A very nice crisp aftertaste adds to this.

M: light to medium with nothing harsh on the tongue, very sessionable

O: holy crap, I didn't know this was going to be this good. This is an excellent beer and definitely would have this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 18:22:04 | More by kangarooAdam59