Brewview#56: Folly America IPA Collab by Big Ditch and New Belgium Brewing Company

It’s been some time since my last Brewview and I am estatic to be back in front of my computer writing. Brewview#56 is another new release from this past Friday- Folly an American IPA brewed in collaboration between Big Ditch and New Belgium Brewing Companies. I am very excited to be writing this because both Big Ditch and New Belgium are amazing breweries that produce some outstanding beers. Before we go on I would like to thank my brother in law Josh and our good friend Fatta for making this possible. It’s because of these two fine gentlemen that I was able to get my hands on some pints of Folly. Without them this wouldn’t be happening. So thanks guys this one’s for you!

The Beer: Folly American IPA by Big Ditch and New Belgium

ABV: 7.2% IBU: 41

Malts: Appalachian Wheat

Hops: Galaxy

Amarillo

Experimental HBC-522

Brewer’s Thoughts

Before writing this while my daughter was falling asleep in our little camp out, I did some reading on this highly anticipated beer. To write out everything I read would take a lot of time and make this piece damn near endless. In an attempt to figure out how to put together a synopsis I came upon Untappd and the information posted for Folly. Truly, it’s exactly what I read put perfectly into a simple few phrases.

Coming straight from the App:

‘A collaborative IPA made alongside New Belgium that celebrate the folly-“foolishness”- of having great vision. The IPA starts with Appalachian Wheat from Riverbend Malt House in Asheville, NC, New Belgium’s second home, and adds in Galaxy, Amarillo, and experimental HCB-522 hops, to yield a creamy yet drinkable IPA that is equal parts tropical, stone fruit, and citrus.’

When I enjoyed my first Folly it was after a long exhausting day at work and I wasn’t paying too much attention to it’s details. While doing my research and watching Trolls with my little princess I enjoyed one and took my time, and found it was well worth it. Without giving too much away Folly is not a beer that you want to rush through. So let’s take our time and enjoy what Big Ditch and New Belgium created for us!

First Impressions

Out of all the IPA’s in Big Ditch’s Lock IPA series, Folly has the most interesting can, I’m sure some of it comes from New Belgium. But if you place it in a line-up Folly will not be difficult to single out. Not that can art should be a deciding factor upon a beer’s enjoyability but at the same time it’s something cool to put some thought into.

Appearance wise, Folly is a very attractive beer. Pouring a mouth watering hazy golden straw color that is packed with energy. Though I wasn’t able to see much through Folly’s haziness I found it very easy to see the carbonation that was packed into this beer. This beer was made ready to fly out of the gates.

The aromas of Folly are equally impressive. I’m able to pick up on all three hops, though mostly the Galaxy and Amarillo hops. There is a nice tropical aroma, including citrus and pineapple, that jumps out and grabs you the second the beer hits your glass. It’s not at all difficult to pinpoint the Galaxy and Amarillo hops in this instance. If you sit with the aromas for a bit you might be able to pick up on the dank side of the Galaxy hops and the HBC-522 hops. Not a terribly strong aroma but it floats around waiting for a new victim.

Emptying My Glass

There is a lot going on with Folly flavor wise but by no means is it too much to handle. Like I said earlier when I first had a can of Folly it was real quick and I couldn’t appreciate everything there was to offer. Now that I’m taking my time to fully enjoy it, wow, I must say I’m blown away.

One of the best parts of Folly is the transforming nature of flavor. Though it can appear complex, if you sit back and a take a few lengthy sips you shouldn’t have too much trouble figuring this beer out.

At first I’m getting a citrus forefront that gives Folly a little bite, not too much but enough to make your pants jump. Though don’t get too comfortable because it quickly changes and allows a nice tropical pineapple flavor to jump in. This comes in around mid-sip. Though this tropical pineapple characteristic sticks around more towards the back end I’m noticing a little bit of the Galaxy and HBC-522 dank again. And it seems to hold on through to the aftertaste. Coming together you get a flavorful danky pineapple aftertaste. Delicious!

So we have the citrus coming from both the Galaxy and Amarillo, a very nice way to lead the charge if you ask me. The tropical pineapple I’m guessing is coming primarily from the Amarillo. And my favorite part, the dankiness, is from the Galaxy and HBC-522.

Folly is by no means a very bitter beer, though there is a strong tropical and pine after taste to it. Be cautious despite a the lighter bitterness the aftertaste does have some strength to it. The mouthfeel is light to medium body, a smooth creamy flow thanks to the Appalachian Wheat.

Perfect!

Concluding Thoughts

This Folly will not have been in vain. If you ask me Big Ditch and New Belgium were very successful on making their vision a reality. I’ve had a few collaborations but this one will be one for the books. Folly has everything I like in an IPA, delicious aromas, a complex yet easy to navigate flavor, and strong but smooth after taste. If you’re looking for a beer with strong hop characteristics without the crazy bitterness you should probably look into picking up a four pack or stopping at Big Ditch for some Folly.

Thanks for your support as always, I’m hoping to bang out some more Brewviews very soon. I’ve already got the next few picked out just need to find the time, so keep an eye out for more.

Cheers to Big Ditch and New Belgium on a successful mission!