I first tried this beer in the fall of 2014, after much hype and anticipation. Its brewer, the Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing, has no distribution in New Jersey as of yet, so you can’t really get it here. A friend of a friend brought a case from Somewhere, USA, and I was graced with a bottle. It certainly lived up to all the talk I had heard about it from a few of my beer-loving friends. Fat Tire is an amber ale, which is more than pleasant enough to be a great go-to. There is some hoppiness to it, as well as some lighter fruit flavors to balance out the bitterness. The best way I can describe it is that it’s essentially a better Yuengling (which I’ve always liked for the most part). I went down to Florida with Jenn and her parents last November, and found a case of it in a Whole Foods Market, and made a beeline right for it. Last December, I was in North Carolina for my brother’s college graduation, and found a decent selection of the brewery’s beers at a local Harris Teeter supermarket. I picked up a case of their brew called Snapshot, which was also pretty good. Word on the street is, New Belgium is working on getting distribution further up the East Coast, so we may be able to get it in Jersey in the reasonably near future. Fat Tire is light enough, but tasty, and completely satisfying. If you’re out west, or anywhere on the southern part of the Eastern seaboard, give this beer a shot.

New Belgium Brewing is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. Check out their official website here for more info on their history and beers! Come back to The No Seatbelt blog next Sunday for another beer review!