New Belgium Anne-Françoise Spiced Dark Strong Ale

Over the river and through the woods, deep into Belgium’s Forêt d'Orval you go. Quietly tip-toeing past towering tree trunks, a step ahead of the stalking shadows, you seek a place where light glows brightest against the dark wooded floor. Two brave brewmasters—Orval’s first female brewmaster Anne-Françoise Pypaert and New Belgium’s Peter Bouckaert—sought a similar place, where light penetrates creeping darkness; when they emerged, they crafted Lips of Faith Spiced Dark Strong Ale. Pulled from shadowy visions of the forest, they brought spruce tips and medium-toasted American oak to this brooding chocolaty beer, and then wove deeply herbal French Sprisselspalt and spicy Liberty and Willamette hops into the mix. Finally, a dash of grains of paradise for a beam of citrusy light—deliverance from the darkness. Journey into the dark to find your light.