The New Belgium Lips of Faith series is a perfect example of how a growing regional brewery keeps us beer geeks happy. This series typically features styles that are a bit different from their standard lineup. Following in the steps of great beers like Cocoa Mole, Le Terrior and La Folie, New Belgium has announced that Tart Lychee and a Lost Abbey Collaboration Brett Beer will be next up in the series.

Details from New Belgium:

Ft. Collins, CO, April 23, 2012 – New Belgium Brewing (www.newbelgium.com) today announced the second two beers in its 2012 Lips of Faith series: Tart Lychee and The Lost Abbey Collaboration Brett Beer. Lips of Faith beers offer limited edition selections that showcase New Belgium’s more esoteric and palate-elevating creations.

New Belgium’s sweet and sour Tart Lychee highlights the unique lychee fruit, which is balanced alongside a wood-aged sour beer. It’s brewed with pale malt, caramel-80, carapils, malted wheat and oats, then spiced with lychee fruit and a touch of cinnamon. The hazy orange Tart Lychee begins with bold, tropical aromas and ends with a sharp, dry finish. Tart Lychee is available on draft and in 22-ounce bombers. Alcohol by volume is 7.5 percent.

New Belgium Brewing and The Lost Abbey brewery from San Marcos, California have a shared passion for a variety of things, not the least of which is the wild Belgian yeast brettanomyces. So they decided to join forces and collaborate. Lost Abbey Collaboration is brewed simply with pale malts accompanied by Target, Centennial and Sorachi hops for a hint of citrus. Focusing on their mutual respect for the ingredient, the spotlight shines on the brettanomyces, where a full brett fermentation offers bold pineapple overtones and funky, sour edge. The beer is a shining, golden shade and is warming and dry. Lost Abbey Collaboration is available on draft and in 22-ounce bombers. Alcohol by volume is 7.5 percent.

“This round of Lips of Faith selections are a test of balance,” said New Belgium brewer Grady Hull.  “Tart Lychee shows the interconnectedness of sweet and sour and the Lost Abbey Collaboration balances the nuances of two breweries to create something that together we can call uniquely ours.”
Tart Lychee is available now and The Lost Abbey Collaboration Brett Beer will be available mid-May in select markets while supplies last.  Pricing varies by market.

To find New Belgium beers in your area, you can use the New Belgium Libation Location tool: http://www.newbelgium.com/beer.aspx. You can also follow New Belgium on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/newbelgium.