Lips Of Faith - Sahti - New Belgium Brewing

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from bottle into a New Belgium globe. Poured red-orange with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, BIG wheat, BIG grain, spice, and big sweetness. The flavor was of sweet malt, spices, grain, subtle tea, sugar, and earth. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. With this being my first brew from the style I can honestly say that I don’t have a refined palate for this style, however, I was not a massive fan of it. The aroma was very sharp when it came to sweetness/maltiness. The flavor was a little bit better with a bit more balance. That was a very welcomed change as based on the aroma, I was rather concerned once I smelled it. Glad I got the chance to try this one though, but don’t think I will go out of my way to do so again.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 11:44:22 | More by thagr81us

rfbenavi80

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Was excited when I found this. Really interested in the ancient beer styles lately. Bottle poured into a pint glass.

A- Pours a hazy orange amber, with 2 fingers width of thick foamy off white head, that leaves a cap on top and no lacing on the glass.

S- Bready, lots of sweet malt. Slightly fruity. Not getting any hops on the nose.

T- Sweet caramel, kind of nutty. Sweet breads. Taste is crisp. Very malty. The thick breadiness is enjoyable.

M- Very thick. This beer coats the mouth. The flavor lingers a while, and there is a warming feeling from the alcohol content.

O- Another solid offering from the Lips of Faith series. Would recommend picking one up if you find it.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 22:50:15 | More by rfbenavi80

rawfish

California

3.43/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light clear copper, lots of floaties in the bottle which I was careful to avoid. Smooth pour nets a soft white one finger head with decent retention. The head folds in on itself leaving small wisps of tight lace on the glass.

Toasted and doughy with a bit rye character and white grape. No hop character to speak of, much like a mild amber or a vienna lager.

Mild grains, cookie dough, raw cocoa and peppery rye on the forefront that welcomes in a slight earthy hops that quickly moves to an acidic white grape and dulled lemon cream finish as it attempts to dry.

Mouth coating is a little unpleasant here as it feels thick and keeps the acidity on the tongue for some time. Other than that average body and carbonation with well hidden alcohol.

An interesting style but not one to revisit. Mundane cross between an amber ale and a dark lager with some fruit notes thrown in. More rye or juniper flavors would have done alot for this beer. Drinkable, hides it's alcohol well and reasonably priced yet middle of the road offering

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 02:31:53 | More by rawfish

hopfacebrew

Colorado

4/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from brown 22oz brown bomber glass to Perfect Pint glass. My man Rory hooked this beer up - thanks man!

A - The beer pours a deep copper color with a light white head with decent retention and lacing.

S - There is a subdued fruity character on the nose: lemon, slight citrus with some light toasted malt character.

T - Very unusual flavor. It hits the tongue nice and crisp and quickly evolves into a nice full flavored beer yet refreshingly crisp. The middle of the beer brings a light toasted malt character, juniper, fruit like the nose, and mild bitterness. It has a floral flavor, if that makes since. Not overpowering at all and a little subdued. A slight yeast flavor I have become used to on New Belgium's brews. The beer finishes with a slight spice flavor from the rye but is clean and crisp.

M - Light and mildly carbonated.
Finnish is the nationality of this brew.

D - Extremely for 7.2%.

Overall, I didn't know what to expect from this beer. I have found the Lips of Faith series to be hit or miss but I truly enjoyed this beer. I think I would really enjoy it on a nice warm day. I'd drink it again without hesitation.

Note: This review was a re-post from my former account, jmkratt, which was hacked and I lost all my reviews...sorry for the redundancy.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-15-2011 02:33:15

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 15:01:42 | More by hopfacebrew

vobr0002

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- hazy golden color with a thin white head that doesn't last too long.

S- fruit, lemon, orange, bread.

T- malty, and caramel hit you when you first taste it. Its also a bit sweet. Bread taste comes in there too.

M- full mouth with higher carbonation.

O- I'm glad I got to try ,my first sahti but I don't think that its one of my favorite styles.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 02:22:46 | More by vobr0002

TVolt1

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Standard amber clear beer with little head and little lacing.

S: Nice caramely malty smell to it. Not overpowering but just a sweet malty, yeasty smell.

T: I think this is my first Sahti and I am pleasantly surprised. Very sweet, very matly with hints of caramel, and a little nutty.

M: Mouthfeel is medium bodied and okay.

O: Overall I think this is a good beer. I haven't had any other Sahtis to compare it to. Dont think its a beer I love for style but I think its a good beer and would rank high amongst the Sahtis.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 02:10:41 | More by TVolt1

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

2.4/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed from notes.

The bomber bottle artwork is really quite nice, it reminds me of the aesthetic of a bonsai juniper. But anyway, this is supposed to be about the beer, not the label.

Pours out into my tulip glass a slightly hazed golden-orange color with a two finger foamy head that dissipated in about two minutes, not bad! Dime-sized loops of lacing were left behind with each medium-bodied, crisply carbonated sip. Now for the bad news....I can hardly smell nor taste any juniper in this Sahti at all, just barely a tickle of it exists in the tip of the finish. How disappointing. Also, the rye flavor and nose aspects are in dire need of amplification. All that I have here to smell and taste is a very pretty and nicely-textured pale ale with a standard citric hopping on top of some bready malts, and merely the faintest ghost of a whisper of rye brassiness that really ought to be more prominent. Too bad, but I'm not really all that upset about one oddball screw up in a portfolio like New Belgium's. After all, they can't *all* be home runs every time you swing the bat..

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 00:07:56 | More by WastingFreetime

nickthegun12

Alabama

4.43/5  rDev +29.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

picked up a bottle of this stuff at green's in the atl! rare find!

the appearance is brown with not much head and splotchy lacing

smells bready to malty, maybe a hint of fruitiness in there as well

the taste is very smooth...but the malt comes to my taste buds more than anything else, then a bready flavor comes over....the traditional recipe uses bakers yeast so i think new belgium did a great job on recreating this traditional recipe

the feel is dry as i would think it should be

overall this is a lovely ale...i really should have picked up a few of these bombers!

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 01:04:37 | More by nickthegun12

kylehay2004

Florida

3.1/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Clear amber and golden mix with little to no head and some lacing. Bread and caramel malts with a sweet corn aroma. More sweet caramel malts in the taste. A little spicy but otherwise a rather bland beer. Medium body and moderate to high carbonation.overall this wasn't a very exciting beer. It's the first of this genre I have reviewed and I feel I need to try another to get a better feel for this beer style.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 01:33:08 | More by kylehay2004

match1112

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

a: bright golden orange/ copper with a small thin bright white head that settles to a crescent moon shape in the glass. no lacing.

s: mostly malt, some subtle spice, juniper and citrus.

t: orange, lemon, malts, hops.

m: medium body with decent carbonation. tongue tingling spicy finish.

o: nothing too exciting about this beer. looks, tastes and smells like beer, nothing to set it apart.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 21:59:22 | More by match1112

Blakaeris

Iowa

2.38/5  rDev -30.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Pours clear red-golden with just a slight white head that doesn't hang around long.

Aroma is dominated by a metallic, oxidized funk. Sweet, with just a hint of light fruit and strong fusel alcohol.

Taste is bready pale malt. Once again, hints of light fruit.Finishes with a slight nutty quality and a metallic sting.

Mouthfeel is light. Thin.

Overall; forgettable beer flavor with a relatively unpleasant aroma.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 00:33:44 | More by Blakaeris

bashiba

Iowa

2.65/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured a slightly hazy copper color with a light white ring of head.

Has a funky musty and bready smell.

The flavor is surprisingly boring, just a light bit of bready malt and a touch of bitter juniper, not much going on here.

Mouthfeel is fairly thin and a bit flat.

Pretty bland and poor overall.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 00:23:35 | More by bashiba

Rhettroactive

Virginia

2.17/5  rDev -36.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

From 22oz bomber to Bruges hybrid glass on 11/11/11
*From notes

A: It looks like unfiltered peach juice. It really is a lovely beer. A forceful pour yields a one finger head that fade fast. Zero lacing.

S: Pear skins, star fruit. Huh, to be honest it's kind of hard to get much out of the nose at all, actually.

T: The flavor is...nil. WTF - I didn't know I was gonna be taking a tour of Bland City. Really, I've never had a beer like it before. It's just a buttery, bland mess.

M: Middle of the road here.

O: Lips of Faith Sahti is terribly forgettable. Don't go out of your way for this. In fact, I'm giving this a hearty thumbs down.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2011 23:26:50 | More by Rhettroactive

lonestar4lunch

Texas

2.98/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into my New Belgium goblet with a deep copper hue and a light 1in lacing. The aroma lighter than expected but had metallic copper bite and just a hint of spice. The taste follows the nose and is lighter than expected. There is some sweetness in the beginning that is followed by a little rye and some bitterness. I can't really figure this one out. It is very drinkable and does have the nice, faintly dry finish from the rye and hops. But to me it has the feel of a lager which is odd but maybe it is this bottle. It has been in my fridge for who knows how long. I for sure remembering this different when I sampled at the brewery. I have another one put away, will try again soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 00:28:43 | More by lonestar4lunch

DCon

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Received a 1 PINT, 6 FL. OZ. bottle in a trade w/ CurtisMcArthur back in August and the estimated price is around $15. Poured from the Sahti Tree covered bottle into my 12oz Surly Darkness Tulip Glass. Has a Bottled on Date of 09/09/10 on the bottom of line of the bottle.

Story Behind this Brew: In the hunt for enjoying every one of the Lips of Faith Series beers, this one was attractive because I've never had a Sahti brew! This is my first Sahti ale now and very interested in reviewing it. Thanks Curtis!

Aroma- Tons of malt and spiciness in the starting of the nose. Has a good floral hop aroma and nice yeastiness. Very complexed aroma!

Appearance- Pours a .5 finger head that dies very quickly. Has an amber/dark orange colored body with tons of haze. Leaves thick, spider-web like lacing behind.

Flavor- Has a great combination of fruits, spices, and malt. Very light hops are in the taste but can tell they are citrus covered. A good grapefruit taste finishes off this brew. Bitterness is at a medium level and is finished with spices. Nice!

Mouthfeel- Medium Bodied, Medium Carbonation, Effervescent, and has a prickly, acidic finish. Leaves good spices behind on the palate.

Overall Impression- While never having this style before and not able to compare it to any other brews, I definitely wish this one was going to be brewed again! I wouldn't mind enjoying another Sahti when available as well. I haven't seen this style in any liquor store in St. Louis. Nice amount of spice and fruit flavors all the way through.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 05:16:56 | More by DCon

mattboyer182

Indiana

3.55/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - pours a clearish copper color with basically no head.

S - smell is all malt pretty much. A biscuty grainy scent.

T - taste is very similar to the smell. Tons of malts. It finishes sweet. Kind of brown sugar maybe.

M - medium bodied a medium carbonation.

O - not a lot of balance In this. It's not bad just not complex.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 23:26:59 | More by mattboyer182

TheWhiskerReview

Tennessee

2.85/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a yellow-tinged apricot. Retention and lace unknown as this was a tasting sample.

With this being such an obscure style I was expecting something pretty crazy and out-of-the-box, even if NB didn't stick to the true method of making a Sahti. But instead, what they delivered tastes more like a Fat Tire with a hefty dose of rye.

The nose basically melds the Fat Tire toastiness with that buttery, fruity and spicy rye character. The juniper is no where to be found, while the hops add a bit of citrus that still barely manages to push its way through the hearty rye malt. Some toasted walnut from the malt and some estery apricot.

The medium-bodied palate once again takes your Fat Tire character but subs in the drier and chewier rye maltiness. The bitterness is mild while the juniper finally makes an appearance at the very end, imparting a juniper tea-like tone to the buttery, toasty apricot character.

Is it good for the style? Dunno, it's my first Sahti. But I seriously doubt that Sahti is meant to taste like Fat Tire, so I'm going to say that this isn't very good for a style. Nor is it really that great of a beer. If I want Fat Tire, I'll drink Fat Tire. And I don't often really want it to begin with.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2011 22:21:18 | More by TheWhiskerReview

FosterJM

California

3.53/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

802nd Review on BA
Bottle to NB Globe
22oz

No date.

App- A very deep gold with a 1-1/2 finger head. A few whispy lines of lace. Smaller rings of bubble funnel from the outside rim inward. A little bit of a pond layer on top of the beer.

Smell- This was far less aromatic than I anticipated. It was a little damp, seemed a little old, a little dense wood-like and maybe a hint of stale berries. At the very end a slight tinge of sugar.

Taste- My buddy said he found this offensive. I don't find it offensive so much as its just lacking in HUGE flavors we have come to expect from a beer. It was a little muted, a little malty and retained some of the berry and wood notes from the smell. Could've been a little less damp feeling and a little more crisp.

Mouth- Medium bodied and a slightly medium/lower carbonation level to me. A bit thick in the drink and was a dense berry and wood flavor.

Drink- As stated above in my taste section, it was a little lacking in huge flavors but not that’s its a bad beer. It's not. Its supposed to have subtle flavors and little nuances from the ingredients. I would like to try the DFH to compare them. I probably wont come back to this one though. A little too un-crisp for me for the flavors.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 15:02:37 | More by FosterJM

OnThenIn

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a clear dark gold with a thinner, but tight off-white head. Looks good.

S: Smells very spicy and floral, but not super pungent.

T: The initial taste is lighter than the body with an almost tea like feel that is throughout the beer. Definitely leans towards the sweeter side. It isn't bad, but it lacks a certain beeryness and the sweetness hurts it a bit.

M: Thicker than I expected, but it does slowly become more drinkable. The carbonation is a little low and it sits on the palate too much.

O: I honestly would buy this again if I found it for a cheap price and was feeling some alcoholic, slightly-sweetened tea, otherwise I do not think I will be pick this up again.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 23:52:24 | More by OnThenIn

Duff27

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours an orangish-pink with a quart-inch white head. Cool step lacing and pretty good head retention.

S- Subdued nose. maybe some rye.

T- More mellow that other sahtis I've had in the past. Slight juniper but you'd have to do some searching to find it. More rye notes.

M- Very nicely carbonated. Medium mouthfeel.

D/O- If you're going to do a style that most aren't familiar with, then you might as well go "balls" out and i feel New Belgium left something on the table here. Also, points lost for using hops. Not a bad beer per se, but there are better representations of the style out there.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 18:49:18 | More by Duff27

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber into a Duvel tulip

A- pours a dark, clear shade of amber with a solid offwhite head that sticks around for awhile and leaves some excellent lacing. Looks gorgeous.

S- smells very spicy. A little grassy. Almost like a saison

T- getting a lot of tea flavors from the juniper. The finish is pretty sweet. The flavor is overall very mild and laid back...feels like drinking a cold tea

M- the feel of this one....it's really thick. But not syrupy. It's more thick like a stout than thick like a DIPA...and I really enjoy that

O- this is a fantastic beer in a style that doesn't really get much love. I'd really like to see more breweries give it a whirl

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 23:29:40 | More by bigfnjoe

jeffjeff1

California

3.6/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at Monument Wines and Spirits last week.

Appearance- coppery golden color, half inch head

Smell- very floral, malt, spices

Taste- malt, spices, very pleasant

Mouthfeel- medium bodied

Drinkability- I thought this was pretty good. It was my first Sahti and a good experiience for me. I would buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2011 21:48:40 | More by jeffjeff1

mikechance

California

3.9/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer has a nice rusty orange color and about 1/3 inch head. I'm picking some earthy, yeast and nutmeg scents. Very smooth taste with little carbonation and a light oiliness in the aftertaste. I can sense a few spices, but nothing distinctive enough to call out. I’m enjoying it on a very hot summer day and it works well (although it’s not a summer ale). Overall it’s a very nice beer which I would try again.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 00:53:07 | More by mikechance

nanobrew

California

4.13/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: this has a very nice vibrant orange color, no real head forms

S: very fragrant with floral and citrus nose, really pleasant

T: Fairly sweet and malty, nice sharp citrus notes and some berries. Did not pick up on a lot of the spices

M: Very drinkable, light and refreshing. Overall I liked this beer a lot, I think it will be great as a summer beer.

Serving type: on-tap

07-26-2011 21:03:11 | More by nanobrew

chugalug06

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From brew notes taken this past weekend:

A - Very little head pours. Pours strong, but diminishes quickly. Nice amber color with lots of yellow and orange hues.

S - Spots of lemon and orange. Strong spice scent. Very mild. Age has really mellowed this one.

T - Very smooth and delicious. Strong spice notes. Juniper has gently faded. Very refreshing brew.

M - Over carbonated. Light mild body.

O - Great brew. Highly recommended. Try if you're able to find.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2011 03:07:52 | More by chugalug06