Somersault - New Belgium Brewing

CraftBeerTastic

Pennsylvania

2.53/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Ba Review #175
Served On: 06/19/2012
Glassware: Tumbler Pint
Labeled ABV: 5.2%
Date/ Code: 09/16/2012

This was as a 12 oz bottle from a sixer I picked up at Evergreen Liquors in Frederick, MD today. Love that place.

Look: Poured a super clear golden yellow color. Head was a thin concaved layer of random sized white bubbles. Carbonation bubbles seemed rather sparse on this brew – given the macro lager appearance.

Smell: Aroma was of musty basement with some weak hints of spice and citrus.

Taste: First was a wave of soapy biscuit with a well-defined bitterness that lead into an almost sour middle. The finish was a brief note of lemon rind. Aftertaste was very clean.

Personally, I can’t quite see how Ba (Jason) scored this at 100. Granted, the clarity and palate definition is impressive. But I would consider this another summer-type ale. High drinkability with the usual lemon component and a watery finish. Nothing special here.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 01:25:50 | More by CraftBeerTastic

kojevergas

California

2.6/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a nonical pint glass in me gaff in high altitude Castle Rock, Colorado. Reviewed live. Expectations are average.

Served straight from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a beige colour head of bad thickness, okay cream, and average retention. Colour is a clear light copper. Not particularly vibrant. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show.

Sm: Crisp clean barley, some cream, light hints of lemon, and lemongrass. Very light citrus and floral hopping. A mild strength aroma.

T: Clean fairly full barley, some cream, lemon, and light vague hints of citrus ester hops. Straw. Not at all as full-bodied as it ought to be. Simple. Balanced alright. Built decently. Lacks complexity or subtlety. Pretty boring and bland.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Undercarbonated. Thin and weak. Hardly suits the flavours well at all.

Dr: Drinkable but boring and bland. I wouldn't get this again (knowingly; I'd reviewed this beer before and got it again by accident). A substandard offering from New Belgium.

C-

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 05:18:59 | More by kojevergas

mactrail

California

2.78/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Impeccably clean, brutally crisp. I mostly taste the lemon. A sourish flavor is the most noticeable trait. Very light and on the thin side. Really thin.

Clear pale golden color in the chalice. A slight head, but quite sudsy in the mouth. The mouthfeel is the opposite of "rich," whatever that is. I don't care for the sour feeling in my stomach as this goes down. Maybe it's a thirst-quencher, but not on an empty stomach. A hint of hops, but I only tasted them when I burped, sorry to admit. I am just not getting any aromas.

I suppose this is a matter of preference, whether you like the sharp and tart flavor. It doesn't relate very well to the Blonde category. More like a malt-free Wit with an overdose of citrus. From the 12 oz bottle. "Best before" 19 Aug 2012.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 04:12:02 | More by mactrail

smakawhat

Maryland

2.8/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

I guess I bought a blonde ale... sheesh.. maybe I'll luck out, I seemed to not mind the last blonde ale I had from New Belgium (Hoptober), let's pour into a nonic pint and see how it goes.

Really super clear body on this with a kind of nice brassy yellow and red hue to it. Head forms white and bright, kind of fluffy with a three fingers cap, settling with some valleys and real nice. Real nice looking beer.

Nose reminds me of a macro lager strangely. Macro sweetness, some faint bread toasty malt hiding. Clean. Overall though not really doing much for me.

Palate seems weird. This brew actually feels a little fizzy, but also strangely lemon sour and a strange astringency. The malt action on this comes out on the finish with a bizarre sticky slightly syrupy and yeasty aftertaste. Gets slightly better as it warms up.

Overall, sigh, not doing it for me, not having another one of these that's for sure, but it could be worse.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 18:29:37 | More by smakawhat

UCLABrewN84

California

2.85/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap at the Amberstone Bar & Grill inside the Red Lion Hotel in Denver, CO.

Pours a crystal clear light orange color with a 1/2 inch white head that fades to a thin cap. Fat foamy rings of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of sweet malt, honey, citrus, and slight apricot/peach notes. Taste is of sweet malt, citrus, apricot/peach and unfortunately a cooked veggie flavor which really detracts from the taste. There is a good level of carbonation with a bubbly and smooth mouthfeel. Overall, the veggie flavor in the taste kind of ruins the beer. I would be willing to try this from a bottle to see if the same thing happens again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2011 18:24:22 | More by UCLABrewN84

champ103

Texas

2.9/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A: Pours a transparent orange/yellow color. At first a one finger white head forms, but recedes to nothing in a second. No lace is left behind.
S: Soapy, piny hops up front and center. Nothing much else that I can put my finger on.
T: Again the hops are very soapy and even oily. Pale malts with a light sweetness.
M/D: The body is very thin and watery. There is an oily consistency, and a bit under carbonated even. Not hard to drink, but nothing I care to come back to.

The overly soapy and oily hops detract for me. I love New Belgium, but there are many other beers for the summer that I will pick over this. Locally made at that. Nothing I would recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

05-29-2011 23:05:51 | More by champ103

KajII

North Carolina

2.9/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

[Best served in a Pint glass]

Poured a light yellow with an average sized frothy white head that was mostly lasting and had excellent lacing. The aroma was very mild of a grain malt and a moderate dose of floral hops with a hint of citrus (lemon), apricot and spices. It tasted very lightly sweet with notes of citrus and fruit at first then became a tad sour with a mild hoppy finish. Mouthfeel was light in body and watery yet a little dry in texture with a very soft carbonation. Overall basically a lager with a little more of a hoppy flavor, very little.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2011 13:36:05 | More by KajII

Bitterbill

Wyoming

2.98/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This pours a clear light golden colour with about an inch of foam and has some good lacing.

It smells fruity, of apricots mentioned on the label. A bit of hoppiness behind the fruit.

The taste is of apricots with some hop bitterness, a flavour of, umm..seltzer water? That could be because of how thin the body is. Not very flavourful, imho, and not a good substitute for Skinny Dip, which I enjoyed quite a bit more and was only 4.2%abv vs 5.2.

Very light bodied with ample carbonation, it has an okay mouth feel.

Drinkability is average because my palate just can't wrap itself around the total package that is Somersault. My summer can do without this beer..

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 17:28:25 | More by Bitterbill

Schmittymack

Colorado

3/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a pretty clear golden color into the SA Perfect Pint Glass. Nice creamy white head that hung around for a couple minutes and nice lacing. Not a whole lot on the nose: malt, a little yeast, and some flowering overtones. Taste was pretty decent: malt, biscut, some citrusy flavor, and no bitterness whatsoever. Not bad for a summer brew, I guess, but there are better ones out there. Doubtful I'd seek this one out again.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 07:57:19 | More by Schmittymack

beertunes

Washington

3/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in bubble pint glass. Poured a clean, clear light yellow color with just a thin cap of white head that had no retention or lacing.

There was a nice grainy malt aroma with a trace if hops in the background. The flavors were pretty much the same, an evenly balanced mix of grain and hops.

The body was on the thin side of average for the style. Drinkability was OK, but why bother when there are better examples out there.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2011 02:22:34 | More by beertunes

DannyHartman

3/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This is a pretty decent beer.... Not close to the best beer out of the New Belgium Brewery, but certainly in the upper half of what I've had from this Fort Collins brewery.... It definately tastes better out of the tap.... It has a "not too hoppy" taste, but quite enjoyable.... It's almost as if there's more citrus notes than it being a super hoppy beer.... I prefer it over Shift, 1554, and would place it right around Fat Tire as far as quality of taste, though they are completely different tastes.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 17:53:50 | More by DannyHartman

mooselvlt

Wisconsin

3.03/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from 12 oz bottle into standard pint glass

A - Pours a clear golden color with a 2 finger off white head with little retention and slight lacing.

S - Not much in the nose, I'm struggling to come up with much. A little bit of citrus-hop but its faint.

T - Some malt, something earthy (like a grain), then a splash of citrus hops at the very end.

M - Pretty thin but for this style I'm sure its the norm. There's a little carbonation but again, not much.

O - Its a session beer and I can see where they were going with it. Its actually pretty refreshing I certainly could see drinking a couple of these on a summer day. Nothing though stands out in this one. But I can't say its not a decent beer either.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 05:54:46 | More by mooselvlt

bismarksays

Iowa

3.05/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Coppery to pale golden, decent amount of head retention, clear

S- A bit of Belgian yeast...maybe citrus. Not much on the nose at all

T/M A touch of citurus, maybe a touch of pepper. Mouthfeel was thin and maybe even a touch watery.

Overall- I wanted to like this. I like blondes. It looked good. And while I went into it thinking that I should be comparing to session beers, not actual blondes, I still found myself bored and uninterested.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2011 07:41:27 | More by bismarksays

Momar42

Maryland

3.08/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a New Belgium globe

In my quest for a flavorful, sessionable summertime beer, next up NB Somersault:

A - Crystal clear deep yellow. Virtually no head but lacing is apparent...odd.

S - had to put my finger on the aroma here. Definitely some yeast and citrus but the most pungent is the artificial lemon smell. Dishwashing detergent comes to mind, please dont let the taste mirror the nose.

T - ok, whew, no detergent. Some jumbled up stuff going on here though. Cereals mixed with old lemons. As I drink it, maybe a hint of lemon pledge, but honestly ANY is unwelcome. I dont know, cant really distinguish WHAT I dont like, but I know its there.

M - heavier than I would want in a summer beer and almost chewy at times. Finishes sort of clean but the aftertaste is a puzzling mess too.

O - First off, I suppose its better than alot of the mostly crap summer offerings, but this NB is just not for me. I have been enjoying some high quality stouts and IPA/IIPA lately so maybe I am spoiled. This beer just furthers my belief that this time of year is the doldrums for beer. The search continues....

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 00:44:07 | More by Momar42

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

3.08/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap from Nice Ash Cigar bar poured into a New Belgium snifter glass

Appearance- A nice golden yellow with 1 finger of cloudy white head that stood pat for a good long time.

Smell- Got wheat with lots of citrus notes.

Taste- Wheat with lemon and orange flavors and a sour hop finish that works well with the wheat. Was really happy because I'm not a big fan of piney hops and I've noticed that many New Belgium beer uses the piney hops.

Mouthfeel- Nice amount of carbination mixed with a very drinkable mouthfeel.

Overall- Was impressed with this not being a big New Belgium guy. Very good summer beer. Not as good as some of the pale wheat ales but it holds it's own for summer beer.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2012 03:05:14 | More by BrownAleMale

Bookseeb

Washington

3.15/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance is a golden yellow with a thin but steady head and spotty lace. Smell of the light apricot blending with the malt and hops. Taste has that light sweet apricot note with a light blend of hops that make it go down easy, but leaves a twang in the end. mouthfeel is light with good body and carbonation. Not bad, I like the initial flavor but not the cloying twang in the end.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 01:21:56 | More by Bookseeb

Mora2000

Texas

3.15/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Flying Saucer on the Lake.

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is full of wheat with some grass from the hops. The flavor is more of the same with a little bit of citrus notes mixed in. Still, the dominant flavor is wheat with not too much else exciting going on. Easy to drink and I think this would go nicely on a hop summer day. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

07-05-2011 01:26:53 | More by Mora2000

corcoranjc

Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

appearance: nice looking beer. golden, bright, head dissipates into an attractive lace on the glass. yum!

smell: woah. weird. well, weird for me. grainy for sure, but there's something else going on here, and i'm not sure i like it....like a tart smell. interesting, but not making me want to take a huge sip or anything.

taste: woah redux. grains and tartness again. interesting again. not totally my cup of tea again, but i could see some really going for this. i appreciate that it's really like nothing i've ever had before, but it's not something i would necessarily go back for.

mouthfeel: fine. nothing spectacular, nothing terrible.

overall: i got a few of these in the summer mix twelver from NB. the first one i pretty much hated, and i'm reviewing the second one now. my opinion of the beer has definitely improved since my first taste of it, but it is not a beer i would buy on it's own in single, bomber, or sixpack format. a few in a twelve pack is just fine.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 02:38:33 | More by corcoranjc

climax

Kansas

3.18/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Somersault pours a golden color with bubbles abound. The white head was huge and frothy with retention unrivaled.

The aroma is light but satisfying, without the often tinny and phenolic flavor of lesser summer ales. There is a nice snap of citrus, some buttery flavor, and apricot hidden behind a clean and refreshing front.

The flavor follows the same trend as the nose. It's clean and void of any offensive flavors. However, there's not much to it other than a hint of citrus, noble hops, honey, and grain.

The body is light but not watery. The carbonation is ample and adds a little bit of fizz before a slightly dry finish. This one is neither here nor there, which I think was the plan. Easy to drink, no problems, no frills.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 00:11:45 | More by climax

Northsider

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From bottle at Fountainhead Chicago

Pours an amber yellow, clear, with great white head that leaves a nice ring around the glass.

Smell is a bit too piney for me, a little too hoppy.

Taste...I was expecting something more like a wit, but this was just too bitter and piney for me.

Overall I'd pass on this one again. Not a drainpour, but not sometime I'd actively seek out.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2011 23:36:02 | More by Northsider

magictacosinus

California

3.18/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass. Freshness date is 08/12/12.

Produces a blonde, golden color indeed, as well as some modest carbonation. No head to speak of, although a ring remains atop the glass and some laciness. There's an apparent thickness to this that definitely makes it a distinguishable ale rather than a generic lager.

Fantastic sweetness galore on the aroma, though! Other than sugar and honey, the yeast contains a strong flavor of pineapple, passion fruit, and perhaps strawberries. Far more tropical than I expected it to be, and contains a malty backbone underneath the hops, alcohol, and fruitiness. Pretty good, although remains subtle overall.

Hmm, far more malty than I expected, although the flavor seems to be a mixed bag overall. There's light hoppiness on the tongue, and immediate malty flavors at the beginning. However, the end is a little too alcoholic on the astringent side, and a texture and flavor equivalent to gelatin pops up out of nowhere. I honestly wish this retained the fruity aromas in the flavor, but there are barely any that are overwhelming enough. More disappointingly is perhaps the body of this beer: while it is moderately malty in nature, it's extremely watery towards the end. The strong alcohol taste further throws off the flavors that could of come around in this beer.

Not the worst beer of its kind, but horribly unbalanced. Why can't they make more beers like Dig, which are thick, juicy, and with a moderate hop explosion? This works aroma-wise but the drinking experience on its own is not my favorite. Works well with a meal due to its lightness, but it's definitely a blonde ale that was trying to be something else. Whatever it was, I've no clue.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 23:17:01 | More by magictacosinus

Zorro

California

3.2/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear amber gold color with a medium sized off-white head.

Smell is pilsner malt with a pepper and grass hop scent. Fair amount of the scorched sugar scent that I associate with Fat Tire. That's about it not he most aromatic beer.

Starts out dry and grassy. Little bit of a scorched sugar taste and a little smoke. That's all, think bone dry Fat Tire and you will know what this tastes like.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Drinkability can be described as..Meh. Better that Fat Tire I suppose, but boring. No resell here.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2011 01:14:42 | More by Zorro

Mdog

Minnesota

3.2/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Yellow-gold, good head.

Smell: Mild citrus, hint of grass.

Taste: Very lemony, almost artificially lemony. There is a hint of black pepper in there and a dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Light as it should be. If you can deal with the lemon it is pretty drinkable.

I'm not a big blonde ale fan, this has more flavor than many, but that flavor is an artificial-tasting lemon. Not offensive, but not really what I am looking for in a beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 19:59:47 | More by Mdog

jpro

South Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had a pint at EVO...

A: Serves up a nice clear golden color, with a tinge of copper; thin white head doesn’t manage much retention and leaves no lace.

S: Light grains; light tartness; some fruity notes; nothing too crazy... smells refreshing!

T: Light and sweet grainy malts; some citrus zest; very lightly bitter and very clean.

M: Light-bodied (maybe leaning slightly on the light-medium side) and high carbonation... that’s about it.

O: A nice spring ale - refreshing, crisp and clean. But not too flavorful... probably won’t be picking up any sixers of this - oh, well.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2011 02:30:11 | More by jpro

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.23/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

not a great seasonal from new belgium. pours a very watery looking pale yellow color, clear as can be, with a small white fizzy head. smells like czech malts and lemon extract of some kind. flavor is very lemony, but not in a fresh lemons way at all. a light biscuity malt flavor comes in there too, right before the metallic brassy tart aftertaste comes in. pretty gross at the end actually. feel is too light, even for a summer beer, there is just no body here at all. medium carbonation is fine, but this beer isnt happening from the get go. it is sad to see the spring seasonal dig be replace by this one. dig was pro, this one is weak street.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2012 18:07:57 | More by StonedTrippin