New Belgium Brewing Company (Fort Collins, Colorado) recently announced that they have teamed up with Brasserie d’Orval (Florenville, Belgium) to brew Anne-Françoise Spiced Dark Strong Ale.

Hitting shelves and taps now, Anne-Françoise Spiced Dark Strong Ale arrives as the final beer in the New Belgium Lips of Faith Belgian-collaboration series, a liquid celebration of the brewery’s 25th Anniversary that has them partnering with some of the most respected brewers in Belgium. For this release, brewers at New Belgium partnered with Orval Abbey’s first female brewmaster Anne-Françoise Pypaert to create the perfect counterpart to the Authentic Trappist Product respected as “one of the finest golden beers in the world, Orval.” They ultimately crafted a Belgian Strong Dark Ale “brewed with specialty malts, dry-hopped with herbal French Strisselspalt, and then spiced with citrusy grains of paradise and spruce tips.” To provide a little American edge to the beer, this offering then sat on toasted American oak spirals for two weeks to impart a “subtle spicy, vanilla flavor to tie the chocolaty malts and citrus spices together.” At 9.5% ABV, this brew comes together as medium bodied with a warm, coating finish.

Anne-Françoise Spiced Dark Strong Ale is available now and will hang around as long as supplies last. You can pick up this offering in 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles or enjoy it on draft at craft beer retailers in Alabama, Florida and throughout New Belgium’s distribution area. When you hit up your favorite local spot for bottles of Anne-Françoise Spiced Dark Strong Ale, be sure to pick up a bottle of Orval as well to see how these two compare and contrast. After all, Orval is a dynamic classic that should be experienced and revisited as often as possible. Prost!

Vital Information for Anne-Françoise Spiced Dark Strong Ale from New Belgium Brewing Company and Brasserie d’Orval

Release – Limited/Lips of Faith Belgian-Collaboration Series, November 2016

Style – Belgian Strong Dark Ale

ABV – 9.5%

IBUs – 30

Malts – Pale, C-80, Munich, Black Prinz & Chocolate

Hops – Nugget, Liberty, Willamette & Strisselspalt

Fruits/Spices – Grains of paradise & spruce

Special Processing – Aged on American white oak spirals. Dry hopped with Strisselspalt hops

Availability – 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles & draft

Beer Finder – https://www.newbelgium.com/Beer/finder