NEW BELGIUM’S EXCELLENT “LE FLEUR MISSEUR”

I’m one of those dwindling NEW BELGIUM BREWING partisans, dwindling at least in the sphere of craft-beer dorks, who see the wide availability and continued high drinkability of FAT TIRE as some kind of sacrilege. Having recently completed a round of trying out all of the key “macro micros” again, I believe that Fat Tire is the best of the bunch, beating my old favorite Anderson Valley Boont Amber and other 1990s studs like Pyramid Hefeweizen for sheer, good-time beer enjoyment. But no, we’re not here to talk about that today – we’re hear to rain praise upon the finest beer I’ve ever tried from this Fort Collins, Colorado brewer. It’s called “LE FLEUR MISSEUR”, and it’s only available on tap around the USA. It’s a beer that the brewery put together for its employees back in 2003 to celebrate their 15th anniversary, and I guess it was so well-received that they’re resurrecting it as part of a special-run, limited-edition, tap-only series of specials in 2008.

LE FLEUR MISSEUR is just a marvelous creation. A spicy, light pale ale that resembles a wit in both color and in some style elements, yet has a distinct fresh, floral taste to it, with a special emphasis on pineapple. Yeah, pineapple. And it totally works. I tried this thing in a pizza pub in Little Rock, Arkansas a couple weeks ago (VINO’S), and I was seriously tempted to just drink this one the whole night and ignore the bountiful house brews. It’s incredibly good, and I hope it lasts on tap through the entire summer. 9.5/10.