Lips Of Faith - Super India Pale Ale (Alpine Collaboration) - New Belgium Brewing

Vonerichs

Illinois

4.21/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Golden orange and hazy color with a couple inches of white head.

Tropical fruit aromas of papaya, mango, and pineapple. Hints of peach, too.

I know this has some age on it, relative to a IPA shelf life, but it's still drinking great. Tons of tropical fruit and extremely bitter. The finish is a floral perfume. It's missing a malt balance but what do I care?

Mouthfeel is dry, slightly sticky, medium carbonation.

I wish I would have crossed path with it fresh. It's really a great IPA that showcases the tropical fruits.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 01:44:18 | More by Vonerichs

seagullbeer

California

4.7/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

forgot about it in the fridge for a few months. frickin delicious beer. reminds me a bit of pliny the elder. super bitter as to be expected but interesting and lots of other flavors in their with the hops. definitely pick it up if you like ipas. claims to be a triple dry hopped imperial ipa. not overwhelming as the name made me think.

a- pretty clear, nice light amber

s- hoparomas, we debated the fruit that it smells like, pineapple guava? that feels like a stupid thing to say

t- sweet bitter, clean fresh pine trees, little sapplings that are popping out of the melting snow. doesn't taste like a 9% but feels like it.

m- short and sweet with a lingering bitterness

is there a beer like this or pliny the elder that is super strong and bitter in all the right ways that is year round?

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 05:12:29 | More by seagullbeer

Amalak

New York

3.38/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A. It has a semi-opaque wheat gold color with a little bit of a white head that leaves a tiny bit of lacing.

S. It has a nice citrus scent.

T. This is extremely fruity. It has an a strong pineapple taste mixed with a strong citrus flavor. A touch sour. It has a long finish of fruitiness. Maybe some simcoe hops?

M. A tart carbonation to it. Medium bodied.

O. The after taste of pineapple and citrus is just too strong. Extremely flavorful, but this has to be something that you like.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 23:53:31 | More by Amalak

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.93/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from bomber into snifter. Pours a big orange with a finger of head. Lots of pine and fruit hop aroma. Taste is huge fruity pebble with some pine...but a huge malt profile. A bit over malted but great hop and candy fruit flavor...nice brew but way to malted.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 23:53:17 | More by DrinkSlurm

t420o

California

4/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

New Belgium/Alpine Super IPA

A- pour produces a nice 2 finger light tan head resting on a straw colored body that's very clear. One of the lightest colored DIPA's I've seen. Good retention and lacing. 4 

S- nice mix of tropical fruit and citrus. Orange and lemon zest, light grapefruit,  guava, mango. Malt is in good balance. 4  

T- no flavors really pop in this one just a good balanced beer that is quite enjoyable. That said the flavors also seem to be lighter than a normal DIPA causing the alcohol to poke through more. Some tropical flavors, citrus, bready malt, lemongrass, slight pine. Very enjoyable but didn't amaze me 4 

M- very good mouthfeel. Nice carbonation and on the lighter side of medium 4

O- a good beer. Drinkability is alright. 4

A-

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 22:24:03 | More by t420o

secondtooth

Indiana

3.65/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a semi-opaque golden, with a nice head of sudsy carbonation. Beautiful, frilly lace, too.

Nose is pine and floral hop goodness. Yum.

Flavor is a wallop of heavy pine and citrus hops, tempered by a firm malt backbone. Good balance, and definitely on the heavy and dry side. My only issue is that this one seems too acidic for my palate, somehow. Still, a unique and well-done IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 04:22:54 | More by secondtooth

brother_kenneth

Virginia

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

22oz bottle, shared with my brother in tumbler glasses. I scored the last two bottles on the shelf at my local bottle shop!

A- Nice golden color, with plenty of bubbly carbonation. Mild amount of head, perfect lacing.

S- Huge notes of citrus, plenty of hops. Nice floral aroma with what I can only describe as a "west coast IPA" smell.

T- Again, citrus bomb! Lots of grapefruit and orange up front, with some floral notes and lots of pine from the hops. Perfectly sweet and quite a nice mouthfeel. Great carbonation.

O- I cannot believe how incredible this IPA is. Never had anything from Alpine before, but this has to be the best collaboration beer from New Belgium so far. Such a great IPA, I am leaning towards questioning some of my favorites....pick it up if you can find it!

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 03:05:33 | More by brother_kenneth

srhoadsy

Florida

3.98/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured chilled into a tulip

Pours a nice honey blonde color with half an inch of light beige head that quickly fades.

Very strong citrus and floral aroma, with a background spiciness.

Flavor follows through from the aromas. As it warmed I also got hints of honey.

Medium body with low to medium carbonation. Pleasant aftertaste lingers on the back of the tongue.

Overall a very nice effort from these two breweries. Nicely balanced between hops and malt.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 01:58:55 | More by srhoadsy

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours bright medium orange color with a two fingered thick, frothy head, mild carbonation. Sticky foam clings to the glass like dense glue.

S - Resiny and slightly spicy tropical fruit, orange, tangerine citrus, the malt is light in the nose and barley detectable.

T - Pine and tropical fruit resin, oranges, grapefruit, earthy, and onion zest goes down with some peppery warmth. The malt, even at (3) months out is still well hidden behind a mouthful of resiny hops. Leaves an onion-grapefruit coating with a lingering bitterness. The malt, although barely detectable, balances out the beer in a subtle way still allowing the hops to shine.

M - Heavy medium body, thick, oily, and viscous.

O - At three months out it's still drinking decent but snatch one or two up now before it really goes south. The hops are tasting great but having experienced Alpine beers in the past I can only imagine a few months ago it was more intense compared to now.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 22:30:03 | More by jzeilinger

Keyportnick

Wisconsin

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

22oz poured into a pint glass. No date indication.n

A- Pours a clear pale, somewhat of a strong pour turns into about a half a finger head. Head is pure white, small bubbles, fades a bit but covers the beer and hangs around.

S- it's a battle between citrus hops and piney/grassy hops . Very interesting a pleasing

T- oily grassy juicy hops. Lots of green in the flavor. Faint orange and sweet malts

M- medium oily body that coats the tounge, carbonation is light.

O- Great refreshing double, can't tell it's 9%. Wish it was summer out because this is very refreshing. Awesome change up from your typical double grapefruit bombs.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 04:07:13 | More by Keyportnick

dbell23

Tennessee

4.83/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bomber into a New Belgium tulip. You know it's a good ipa when you get a whiff on pouring. Nice slightly off white head with good retention and very good lacing. It seems to coat the inside of the glass. Clear slightly burnt orange color. Looks like an ipa.

Smell is really nice. Malty slightly hoppy sweet. Orange tangerine seem to dominate.

I really like the taste. Citrus hops to start with a muted orange slice candy taste in the middle and a lingering citrus hop finish. Very different from the ipas I usually like. It doesn't whack you in the head with hops but it is a really good different taste. The alcohol is very well hidden but certainly there.

Mouthfeel is very good. Oily hops and good carbonation. A perfect match to the taste.

Overall this is my favorite New Belgium beer. I really like the taste and mouthfeel. It's a very different but great ipa.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 22:40:13 | More by dbell23

jsulko

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into a tulip glass

Pours copper colored with a slight haze. Pretty decent thick white head on the beer.

Smell is of fainty citrus notes with some of the oily pineyness in the background. This one is NOT a grapefrut bomb.

Piney hop bitterness comes through more in the flavor but not in an offputting way. Some citrus hints with a touch of sweetness. Alcohol hidden well on the finish.

A very very good DIPA but not the style I tend to favor. May give another try before it is all gone.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 05:32:32 | More by jsulko

snaotheus

Washington

3.95/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a large mug

Pours slightly cloudy golden with a coppery tinge, nice fine medium sized head, lots of active carbonation. Smell is citrus and flowers and sweet malty goodness.

Taste is fairly heavy on the lemon zest side. Lots of hop character, but not piney or even bitter tasting, which is a bit odd. It has lots of clear malt flavor, which makes it seem oddly tilted toward maltiness, but it isn't really. The hops just come out differently than I'm used to.

Mouthfeel is slightly oily, but otherwise fairly light and open. Overall, I think this is a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 04:32:05 | More by snaotheus

Beerandboards

New Mexico

3.79/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Served on tap at BackAlley Brewery in ABQ

A - Look is standard golden copper, pretty clear, about a half inch of dense white head sits on top. Half rings of lacing as the pint glass goes down.

S - Piney citrus hops, a little floral, a little yeast/malty/breadiness. Really smells great if you get after it with the nose. Doesnt come out and overpower you, but smells very nice.

T - Very nice. Piney hop bitterness leads, a small malt note evens it and then there is some lemon rind acidity to it, finishes with a floral hop note.

M - Great for an IPA. Medium low carbonation, sticky sappy hop feel. Good finish.

O - Very solid IPA. Hits well in all categories. I've had this both in a bomber and on tap, tap is a good letter grade above the bomber. Very enjoyable beer, glad to have had the chance to enjoy this one on tap several times now..

Serving type: on-tap

11-16-2012 17:23:30 | More by Beerandboards

riored4v

Colorado

4.45/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured in to a tulip. Lightly hazed, copper colored body with a rocky, white head.

Aroma was tangerine and orange with some good amounts of pine. Mildly sweet and some maltyness. A bit bready with a light amount of caramel. Smelled fantastic.

Taste was caramel and breadyness upfront with a citrusy and tangerine/orange flavor. Some moderate sweetness and mild maltyness balanced out the hop flavors and bitterness leaving a clean bitterness that wasn't overpowering. Finished very floral, citrusy/orangey with some definite piney flavors. Moderate bitterness. Slight hints of ABV.

Medium body, medium carbonation with a crisp finish that ending being slightly chewy with the sweetness.

Overall this was highly enjoyable. Loads of hop flavor with a big malt profile.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 02:51:14 | More by riored4v

kojevergas

California

3.3/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Served on-draught into a Leffe Goblet at the Daily Pint in Santa Monica, CA. Reviewed from notes. Expectations were high.

A: Pours a two finger beige colour head of fair cream, nice thickness, and good retention for the high ABV. Colour is a vibrant copper. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Nontransparent; non-opaque.

Sm: Hops, with floral character dominating. Palpable hop bitterness. I'm a bit worried about the balance, but not horribly so. Some light pine. Oily hop character. Clean malts. A bit of cream. A somewhat subtle, average strength aroma.

T: Hops are present, varied, and nicely balanced. Floral character certainly, but also pine and oily qualities. No alcohol or yeast comes through. Has enough body without coming off overbearing. I like it. It has a fresh flavour. Bitterness does hit a bit on the climax, but it doesn't destroy the balance. I wouldn't call it aggressively hopped. Complex and layered enough, but far from significantly impressive. It's a tasty IPA, though.

Mf: Too thin and weak, especially given the demanding flavours. Smooth, crisp, and wet. Not tailored to the flavours. Needs work.

Dr: Drinkable and enjoyable but I hoped for better. I'd try it again, but it's pricey at $8.00 a pour. You can safely pass on this one, but with work it could be quite lovely. It hides its alcohol well. I expected better given Alpine's involvement.

Low B-

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2012 21:03:09 | More by kojevergas

bum732

Maryland

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

S: Bright, citrusy hops, grapefruit with some orange, some mango and peach

L: Crystal clear, golden yellow. Creamy white head that dissipates slightly. Great lacing.

T: Bold citrus hops, fresh and raw. Fairly clean malt throughout. Medium high grapefruit bitterness with great hoppy flavor. A pleasant resiny, fresh hoppiness throughout. Finishes semi-dry with some residual hoppiness

M: Medium carbonation, medium mouthfeel. Alcohol barely detectable, more as it warms.

Solid, might have been a little old, hence the score. But a really great DIPA overall.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 03:12:37 | More by bum732

SkeeterBoganski

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I poured this guy out in to my 'snifter-pint' glass and took my notes. There are some nice, golden hues here, a soft head with some great lacing overall. It smells dry-hopped to me, and of course it is. According to the bottle, it's a "triple dry hopped Imperial IPA bursting with Columbus, Amarillo, Centennial and Simcoe hops."

I enjoyed the taste of this beer...slightly licorice-y, hop flavor with the right amount of malt. It's definitely got that traditional citrus/piney flavor of bigger IPAs. It's pretty hop-forward, but ultimately well-balanced. I don't notice the high ABV too exceptionally, usually a good thing. This is a solid collaboration beer, although when all is said and done, not overly remarkable. Good work in general and at $6.99, certainly worth the experimentation.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 01:21:05 | More by SkeeterBoganski

Mdog

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Hazy yellow, good head.

Smell: Started weird and oxidized, after a few minutes those aromas disappeared. Citrus, oranges, hint of caramel were left.

Taste: Really tasty! Fruity sweets--mandarin oranges, pineapple. Finishes with a citrus rind bitterness.

Overall: I was worried this was old at first with the smell, but it cleared up after a few minutes. The taste was great, I've tasted oranges plenty of times in beers but not mandarin oranges--it kicked up the sweetness where I really enjoyed it. Plenty of bitterness in the finish too, for an all-around hop experience.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 22:24:55 | More by Mdog

Phelps

Arizona

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Alpine makes my favorite DIPA in all the land, Exponential Hoppiness, so this should be good. Poured into a tulip.

Light pink-orange. Almost perfectly clear. One finger of thick, white froth and thick, horizontal webs of lace.

Triple-hopped? Try triple dry-hopped. Columbus, Amarillo, Centennial and Simcoe all found their way into this brew. The result is a super-fragrant, resinous, flora nosel. A little dank weed, roses, wet grass and sticky alcohol. Sugared orange slices and caramel as well. Glorious.

Citrus and flowers are more pronounced in the flavor. It's like rose petals steeped in orange juice, with a clean, Skittle finish. Big bitterness on the sides of the tongue. Mild caramel and bread notes. Good flavor, but the finish is just a little weak.

Medium, fluffy body, mild massaging carbonation. Alcohol is well-hidden overall.

A hop monster, but the bitterness is held in check. Delish.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 05:37:29 | More by Phelps

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes. Shared this with JLindros and Ben Roesch from Wormtown. Poured into a standard snifter.

A - Poured a clear, light copper hue with a half finger off white head that faded semi quickly to leave a thin cloud but nice legs upon swirling.

S - Alright, uhhh, kind of a battle going on here. East vs West on the aroma with malty, sweet wet hops mingling with a fair amount of simcoe.

T - A mishmash of hop flavours and malty sweetness. Musty hops and older citrus peel. Its unique and interesting, but definitely a fight over flavor.

M - Mouthfeel is very nice for the ABV, lighter carbonation hides the alcohol well.

O - Overall this isnt bad, just different. Definitely a war between styles and what comes through its a bit of a confusing mash.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 19:31:28 | More by rudzud

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

This poured out as a nice bright yellowish orange color with a very nice looking white head on top. The retention and lacing were both very nice on this one. The smell of the beer is loaded with hops, lots of strong resin-like pine aromas on the nose with not much of the malt coming through. The taste of the beer is also very high with hop flavors, it's floral and piney with some citrus in there too. The mouthfeel is very smooth, it's very drinkable. It's lighter bodied with a subtle carbonation making this beer soft and just very pleasurable. Overall I really enjoyed this beer a lot. Really good aromas, very interesting taste and mouthfeel all in one. Very pleased with this beer. I would like to have it again someday.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 15:30:43 | More by Knapp85

THANAT0PSIS

Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Alpine Beer Company & New Belgium Super India Pale Ale

Appearance: This collaboration between rock solid craft giant New Belgium and the highly lauded, but sadly tiny Alpine Beer Company pours a golden, hay yellow with about a finger of bone white head. This beer looks a bit light for being an IPA, much less a super one; it honestly looks more like one expects most lagers and pilsners to look. The head does not stick around long, but it leaves a nice crust of bubbles atop the golden liquid. There is not much carbonation visible through the glass, another strange characteristic not typical of IPAs, but there is a distinctive hop haze, a sure sign of hoppy deliciousness. It is tough to predict what this beer is going to be like because of how drastically it seems to have broken from IPA tradition.

Aroma: As expected, this beer is a delicious bouquet of hoppiness. There is plenty of citrus in the form or grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, and apricots, plenty of tropical fruits that come through mainly as pineapple (and maybe kiwi? Weird), floral scents, and pine rounds out the nose. Beneath all of this there is a small, yet solid malt backbone. This smells a lot like Lagunitas Hop Stoopid offering; hopefully the taste is equal to that fantastic brew.

Taste: While it does not taste much like the aforementioned Hop Stoopid, this is a great deviation from those expectations. This beer follows the nose pretty closely with one major difference: mangoes. Mangoes are huge in this one, and they are a wonderful addition to the already delicious citrus fruits, big pineapple notes, hoppy bitterness (though not overpoweringly so), and a nice, sweet and light malt. This beer is out of this world as far as taste goes.

Mouthfeel: This category is not as much of a homerun as taste, but it is still very palatable. The mango taste comes hand-in-hand with a certain creaminess (perhaps a trick of the mind). The carbonation is medium, but it works for the beer and makes it just refreshing enough to keep the drinker imbibing. The bitterness does not give an astringent aftertaste, which is a bit disappointing for this reviewer, but it is definitely there regardless. The beer is also a bit on the thin side for an imperial IPA. Still, these few gripes aside, this beer remains quality through and through.

Overall: If this is any indication of the awesomeness that is Alpine, I may have to move to San Diego. Hopefully this one is still tossing around store shelves, because it is definitely worth a double dip. New Belgium should definitely revisit this collaboration again in the future, regardless. This one is going to go down way too fast for its 9% ABV. Believe the hype; this is one of the best Lips of Faith offerings out there. 16.5/20

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 01:34:18 | More by THANAT0PSIS

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: 1/2" cream coloured head over cloudy amber liquid.

S: Honey, flowers, grass, earth.

T: Grass, honey, flowers, aspirin, earth with grapefruit in the finish.

M: Medium to thick resinous viscosity and a medium level of carbonation.

O: Extremely resinous, the strong hop flavours are quite bitter and reminiscent of aspirin.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 22:43:50 | More by DaftCaskBC

Holsie

South Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber split on a crisp Sat afternoon

A- beautiful orange amber enjoyed in tulip with light lacing that hung out for the entire glass

S- crisp, piney--great nose

T- BLOWN away. Really wasn't expecting how solid this one turned out to be. Pine, citrus and biting hop up front. Very West Coast. Smooth finish.

M- full body. Not syrupy

O- best thing New Belgium has done. I think it took their partners to get them in the right direction as nothing of theirs that I have had comes close. Only able to get my hands on three-too bad. I hope they do this one again.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 01:20:54 | More by Holsie