The Beer
One of the powerhouses on the microbrew scene is the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. They hit a home run with their first release, Fat Tire Ale. It is based on a home brewing recipe the brewer, Jeff Lebesch, hatched while riding his mountain bike (with fat tires) from brewery to brewery in Europe. When he returned, he went down into his basement and created two recipes reflecting his experiences in Belgium; a dark brown Dubbel he named Abbey and an  Amber he called Fat Tire. They went commercial in 1991, featuring creative watercolors on their labels by Lebesch’s artist neighbor, Anne Fitch.

New Belgium was the first to commercially produce Belgian style beers in the US, a niche that (thankfully) continues to expand. Fat Tire is about as easy-drinking a beer as you would want. Rich yeasty aromas with biscuity flavors in the mouth are balanced to a hair’s breadth by the perfectly restrained hop background. Dark honey in color, this beer throws a very fine head and leaves the traditional “Belgian lace” around the rim of the glass (use a goblet-shaped vessel, not an English pint glass). Another unique trait of this brewery is the fact they are completely wind-powered. Very green!

The Extras
I kept it fairly simple here. I like these two with salted pistachios, and if yours are dyed bilious red, give them to the birds (I hope that isn’t red die #5) and go get some real pistachios. Also pick up a dried fruit from China called goji berries. The ones I usually get are from Costco under the “Pacific Tropical” label, and are sweetened with pomegranate juice.  A traditional French baguette completes the scene.

Why it Works
This cheese is so buttery, you could pair almost any beer or sweeter wine product with it and be fairly safe. But the Fat Tire amber ale is as good a match as you are likely to find. The rich mouthfeel and nutty flavors in the jack are embraced by the malty middle of this beer, and the crisp finish leaves the palate wanting more. The pistachios and goji berries combine to give this combo an almost barbeque-sauced meat flavor. This one must be experienced to be fully appreciated.

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