Lips Of Faith - Sahti - New Belgium Brewing

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Ken's bottle.Light orange with carbonation bubbles, two inch head. Funky and malty aromas. A spicy taste, with some pine and spruce. A smooth mouthfeel. Sweet, then a bitter finish with mint aftertaste. I am not the biggest fan of Juniper. Lacey. Drying.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 04:48:39 | More by northyorksammy

mikesgroove

South Carolina

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

one of the last beers i got to drink before being put on this self imposed hiatus. this one was served in a pint glass and consumed on 11/07/2010.

decent pour here with a light peach color to it with a nice amount of haze rippling throughout the glass. aroma is a touch of fruit, light peaches maybe an apricot with a light grain bill and a touch of fresh grass, again nothing truly spectacular but it seems to do the job.

light profile here as the carbonation seems a touch low and the body as well, but the flavor seems decent. light honey an touches of juniper even, which was odd. rice and apricot round it out and the finish is clean and clear.

overall it was decent. i have had a better example of the style but this was surely decent.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2010 15:06:03 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

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

A: The pour is a clear light golden-amber color with almost no head, just a few islands of white foam.

S: A slightly soured aroma with some hints of lemon. A decent amount of woodsy herbs and an interesting berry-like fruitiness. A fair amount of alcohol is noticeable as well.

T: Very woody, herbaceous, and "green". I don't really get the same fruitiness that I found on the nose. Sort of harsh and abrasive to the palate, especially with the high level of alcohol.

M: The body is medium with a fairly high level of carbonation.

D: This didn't seem all that "Sahti-like" to me. I think you're better off sticking to a more traditional example or at least the Nogne-O version.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2010 23:21:46 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.4/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Picked this up at the Liquor Stop in Indiana. Shared at a recent tasting and poured into a tulip.

Really not a good example of a Sahti. Oh well, here goes. The beer pours a moderate golden color with a thin white head with moderate retention. The nose brings forward a bit of bready malt. Really plain. Plain, plain, plain. How does that happen with a sahti? Normally I'm complaining that there's way too much going on. The taste is along the same lines. A bit of mild weirdness from who knows what in the background, but mostly just a bit of lightly-sweet malt. Feel is medium and average. Decent carbonation. Nothing horribly offensive about this beer, it's just a bad example of the style. It just doesn't really present anything that would make me think this was a sahti.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 03:16:01 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.68/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

22 ounce bottle - $5.49 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a clear, amber-hued body with a two finger-high, whitish head.

Smell: Sweetish, grainy nose, smelling of malted barley with a hints of spicy rye, golden syrup, peppery alcohol, and juniper-scented soap.

Taste: Toasted barley and a zip of rye with a caramel-like sweetness and hint of crushed sugar cookies. Slight hint of juniper berries. Light kiss of citrus. Somewhat soapy character midway, picking up warming alcohol nearing the end. Dry finish with a bit of displeasing medicinal twang to it.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: A letdown, really. The loosely medicinal, booziness of the brew, along with it's ho-hum flavor, leaves me a bit flat.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 23:15:39 | More by ChainGangGuy

TMoney2591

Illinois

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

Served in a shaker pint glass at The Firkin.

Another consequence of a random trip to the Firk. It pours a clear pale amber-straw topped by a finger of white micro-foam. The nose comprises red apples, nutmeg, carrots, caramel, and wheat. What? I know, right? Anyway, the taste holds notes of wheat bread, clove, flowers, potato skins, and that Belgian-yeast character normally reserved for dubbels, quads, and the like. I think my tongue is confused. The body is a light medium, with a light carbonation and a sorta watery feel. Honestly, this is an odd beer, even for a sahti (which, in my experience, have been quite odd). Despite the strangeness, it's all pretty drinkable. I don't know what has happened here.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2010 07:18:46 | More by TMoney2591

drabmuh

Maryland

2.23/5  rDev -34.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle shared by Thorpe, this was a thoughtful "Best of" style share by Mike but this is BY FAR the worst Sahti I've ever had, and I've had some bad ones. On top of it being a bad beer, there is NOTHING in this beer that is reminiscent of the Sahti style. It is actually a HUGE disappointment to me overall.

I pour aggressively assuming that it will be undercarbonated but I'm wrong, beer is tan and hazy with a big white head of small and medium bubbles that collapse into a fairly contiguous head, some lacing, moderate and steady carbonation....OK.

Aroma is sweet, biscuit malt....ummm...juniper I was thinking / hoping....how was this beer filtered?

Beer tastes like diluted malt syrup. FUN! No spiciness detected in the palate. The dominate flavor is malt, followed by alcohol. Alcohol? Really? Why are there more examples of Sahti on the market that are above 6% than the opposite? It doesn't have to be a huge beer. I would NOT have this again. If it is CALLED SAHTI IT SHOULD TASTE LIKE A SAHTI.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2011 18:12:50 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle. Excited to try this one as it is only my second sahti.

The beer pours a golden-orange color with an off-white head. The aroma is heavy on the grain and spices, but I can't identify any of the individual notes. The flavor is a mix of pine (or is it juniper), grass, grain and spices. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not much going on here, one of the least exciting Lips of Faith beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2010 05:10:31 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

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

A - Poured out a clear, copper color with a one-finger, tan head of foam. It left minimal lacing.

S - It smelled yeasty with a fruity/floral nose. Not much else really stood out.

T - It tasted of some juniper, spices and sweet caramel malt. A very subtle bitterness.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium-bodied ale with a dry finish.

D - This is only my second Sahti that I've tried. It was good although I don't really know how true it is to the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 23:46:53 | More by zeff80

Gueuzedude

Arizona

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

A solid pour into my produces a two-finger thick, pale, off-white colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. The beer is a light amber hue that shows an almost brilliantly clear, bright copper / red color when held up to the light. The aroma smells of cascade hops, ample biscuit like malt character, some spicy grain notes, lots of grapefruit, some lychee like aromas and some light juicy fruit gum like notes. I don't really notice the juniper, but I think that it is mixing in with the fruity hop notes and does seem to add a touch of spicy berry character to the more dominant fruit character. This smells like a nice hoppy ale, but I was hoping for more of the Sahti character coming through; other than this disappointment though this is quite a nice smelling beer.

Somewhat lighter than I was expecting and the beer has a cleaness that I associate with a bit too aggressive filtration process. Flavors of tangerine, lychee and ruby-red grapefruit are balanced by an almost turpene like spiciness towards the finish that seems to be from the juniper. This beer is fairly sweet, actually perhaps a bit too sweet in that it could use more hops or spice character to balance the sweetness. The body definitely has a fullness to it that keeps this from being quaffable. There is some nice backing malt character here that has a touch of spiciness to it, some toasty whole grain like notes, lots of lingering biscuit like character, and some caramelized-honey like malt sweetness.

Interesting perhaps, but not with the Sahti character that I was hoping for. I can't help but feel a bit disappointed as the hops seem to dominate this beer. I can't even just fully enjoy this as a hoppy beer as it comes off as being overly filtered and lacking in malt / hop complexity because of it.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 02:17:46 | More by Gueuzedude

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.85/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up at Goebbel's in Wichita. I believe this is the first Sahti I've ever had, was tempted to drink outta my cow horn flagon!

Pours a bright honey/amber colored with 2+ fingers of cream colored head. Much clearer than I figured it would be, average head retention & lacing

S: Yeasty, bready & slight pear notes when warm

T: Honey, lemony faint yeasty flavors up front, slight peppery notes to this as well. I pick up some medicinal notes, peppery notes as this warms, along with earthy yeast notes, a touch of honey dryness, also just a touch of lemon. Finishes with pear fruittyness, a touch of honey sweetness & a bit medicinal & woody bitterness, a bit of yeasty bite, plus almost a doughnut type flavor, wild! along with some peppery notes

Medium bodied, a touch over carbonated based on the style profile. Something in this is making my lips tingle, perhaps the ABV ( I doubt it ) or the Juniper

This is drinkable enough, would love to try some Finnish stuff to compare & contrast. I would drink this again if was an option & I was looking for a break from hoppy beers/something different. I'm betting this isn't quite as old school as it could be. Still, here's to New Belgium for taking a shot at this obscure style!

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 01:57:43 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

3.78/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

22 oz. bomber,

A: Pours a light amber with a minimal white head, fizzy. For the style it's OK.

S: Juniper, definitely herbal almost cilantro type hop notes, hints of tree bark/cedar.

T: Juniper again, green tea leaves, a bit astringent. Nice overall flavour, woodsy, thought the hops make for a weird interpretation of the style.

M: Light-bodied, crisp, very mild ethanol play.

D: A very drinkable beer, quite refreshing. I just wish there was a little more to the overall flavour.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 03:03:29 | More by Halcyondays

glid02

Georgia

3.68/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Porter Beer Bar in Atlanta.

Pours a crystal-clear copper color with a one-finger white head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of muted pale malts with moderate amounts of earthy hops. Also present are slight amounts of spiciness, not unlike the hop presence in a year-old IPA.

Tastes similar to how it smells though more one-dimensional. Somewhat grainy malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by solid amounts of earthy hop flavors. The malt flavors sweeten up midway through the sip before hints of spiciness dry things out and carry through to a moderately bitter ending. The alcohol is fairly well hidden and the aftertaste is medicinal.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with solid carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I finished my glass without a problem and could have another.

Overall this beer was drier and had less juniper influence than other Sahtis that I've had. As I noted in the aroma section this beer is more reminiscent of an IPA (or maybe an APA would be more apt) past its prime than anything else.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2010 23:15:30 | More by glid02

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.08/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Purchased in the US and cracked open with @laituegonflable and @tobeerornottobe.

Pours a very clear and bright orange colour, slightly burnished, with a fine but light head of white bubbles. Lots of body to it, which means it forms some pleasant static carbonation when swirled. I like the colour - would have expected a sahti to be cloudier, but otherwise, looks pretty decent.

Nose is slightly metallic and phenolic. Some organic hints giving rise to a kind of honey-fermentation character, and a bit of gin-like spice. Smells of chemicals and booze for the most part. Often you get a whiff of that, but this is overdone.

Taste is very light on, really. Initial metallic sharpness dies off almost immediately, leaving a subtle bitterness and a bready yeast note on the back. Some hints of phenolics throughout, and there's still that chemical note coming through for the most part, leaving some green organics in its wake.

Feel is remarkably light and empty, given the look of it. Smooth enough: it feels like silky water.

Eh. Not really that interesting, and I feel a Sahti needs to be interesting in order to be good - they just have an oddness to them that rankles unless they have complexity to keep you interested. This one's very much the worst example I've tried, both other examples had oddity, but complexity and balance.

This one's surprisingly bland.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 23:08:20 | More by lacqueredmouse

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.3/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I have to say, I was dissapointed in this beer. I like the Sahti style, primarily because I like the zing of juniper you get from it, and the woody bitterness that fills the throat. This beer has none of that. While its pleasant enough, I guess, and there is a hint of juniper, the overall impression is of creamy, malty sweetness, with just a hint of that bitter woodiness. I'd prefer this to be more assertive and the base beer to be a bit less sweet. While I appreciate the fact that New Belgium attempted such an unusual style, but on the other hand, I think if you're going to do that, go full hilt and make it more true to the original style. Most people just don't have the reference point to appreciate a riff on a style they haven't tasted- so just give'em an authentic experience first.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 23:50:21 | More by Georgiabeer

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.38/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The wife picked this 22 up for me at the COOP last night... poured into my Sierra Nevada globe... Very very short lasting 1/2" white head... no lacing... no cap... the brew is bright orange.

Nose is lightly malty with hints of muted citrus zest.. medicinal with warmth.

Flavor is really bready... some toasty notes .. I guess I am getting some minor juniper notes, but it is less than other Sahtis that I've had.. a bit "woody".. a bit antiseptic elements toward the finish.. Body is about medium.. carbonation is pretty up front yet is small bubble and ever present.

Meh... I remember liking the Nøgne alot more... and the DFH more too... this is okay, but doesn't scream out Sahti to me.. really doesn't scream anything at all.. toasty malts .. maybe.

I knocked the drinkablity slightly.... too much house malt flavor in common with NB regulars... I wish had shared this bottle with the boys... there is no reason why I would ever buy another outside of a trader wanting it.

Interesting to try something outside the realms of normal American brewing, but if you're going to do a beer with Juniper boughs and berries... do it up AHMUUIRICAN. I want bark chips in my teeth and the occasional berry in the bottle. :-)

3/3.5/3.5/3.5/3

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2010 06:59:44 | More by JohnGalt1

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

mactrail

California

3.2/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Amber in the snifter, decent head. I don't actually taste the alleged juniper, orange, and lemon flavors cited by the label. Nor the hops, really. It's kind of a stew of very modest flavors. A little on the delicate side with a hint of fruit in the nose. The rye must be only a dose, as well, since that doesn't come through much. Just a slight graininess and a touch of canned peaches.

I'm always up for unusual flavors but this doesn't do much. If you're a fan of either rye or juniper, you can pass on this one. Goes down easy enough in a heavy sort of way.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 04:04:05 | More by mactrail

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.83/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Comes out of the bottle a lovely clear amber with a thick, white, fine-bubbled, fairly persistent head. Aroma is strong, yeasty and spicy with fruity and malty hints. Flavor has a strong spicy tone, mainly cloves, and also some woody hints along with a malty undertone and fruity and yeasty tones. Texture is rather ragged and fizzy, leaving behind a nice spicy tingle.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2011 03:33:11 | More by Cyberkedi

cokes

Wisconsin

2.7/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clear and somewhere between golden and bronze in color. The thin off-white head is low and fades fast, leaving some scattered lacework.
Neutral, floured dough aroma. Some backing toast and lowly evergreen notes, presumably from the juniper. There is not much to smell here.
It hits the mouth toasty, lightly toffee sweet, with some pecan nuttiness. Doughier as it sits and that carries it through the middle and later portions, all dusted with flour. Jupiter and piney hops add a late evergreen needle-y bitterness, dotted with phantoms of citrus. Some boozy heat dots the swallow.
Medium bodied with a bustling CO2.
I'm not an expert on the style, but this is nothing like the few I've tried. The rye doesn't pop, the juniper doesn't pop, the citrus peel spicing doesn't pop,the non-traditional hopping doesn't pop either, and the fermentation/yeast profile is bland. It's far more reminiscent of an American Amber ale, and a bland-ish one at that. New Belgium already does one of those, without the exotic name, fancy bomber, and inflated price tag.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 08:06:03 | More by cokes

beertunes

Washington

2.93/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in 160z goblet. Poured a medium brown with 3/4 inch of just off-white head that had OK retention and lacing. The aroma very bland and neutral. The flavor had some grain and spice notes, but was also bland and neutral.

The body was medium and OK. Drinkability was OK as well. I don't have a lot of experience with this style, but I suspect that there much better versions out there.

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2010 19:24:52 | More by beertunes

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

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.03/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

22 oz bomber pours a crystal clear copper color with a minimalistic white foam. Not much retention and no chance for lace, but leaves a preacher sized collar around the sides.

Nose is mostly caramel maltiness with some piney/juniper notes and some nutty yeast.

Taste is pretty sweet with very little bitterness, I think the hops got left out of this one and the juniper twigs did not provide enough balancing bitterness. Mild herbal touch in the middle, but this comes across as a malty, alcoholic mess. Thin it out some, add something bitter or use more juniper and lower the ABV, then we might have something here. This is up there with the LoF Biere De Mars for my least favorite of the series. Not sure I will be finishing this bomber or if I will share some with my sink disposal unit.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 21:05:50 | More by twiggamortis420

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

champ103

Texas

3.4/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at the Flying Saucer in Houston.

A: Pours a clear amber/orange color. A two finger white head forms with good retention. Some sticky lace is left behind.
S: Big floral and herbal aromas up front. Like green tea. Kind of minty as well. Very bready with a light sweetness. Interesting.
T: Just kind of sweet with a bread/biscuit flavor. Light herbal flavors as well. Not nearly as interesting as the nose.
M/D: A medium body with crisp carbonation. Fairly dry as well. Easy to drink, I can quaff several without a problem.

Not bad at all. Nothing really exciting going on, but enjoyable. Cheers to New Belgium for trying something new though.

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2010 02:54:21 | More by champ103