Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week": New Belgium "Skinny Dip" Ale

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Jul 25, 2007 4:00PM

Saturday night found us in the company of old friends enjoying Lebanese food at Semiramis in Albany Park. Semiramis is a BYOB restaurant, which can lead to some unfortunate food-and-drink pairings if one isn't careful, or worse, if someone in the group decides to play sommelier for everyone (for the record, we know better). So everyone made their own decisions about what they wanted to drink, and we picked up a six-pack of New Belgium "Skinny Dip" across the street at the liquor store. It wouldn't have been our first choice from New Belgium during summer; that would have been Blue Paddle. And someday New Belgium should have their full complement of selections available to Chicagoans. It just wasn't to be on this day.

How would we describe "Skinny Dip" to you? Well, it's an American blonde ale brewed using Cascade hops, a good amount of malt, and kaffir lime leaf. The cirtus added from the kaffir lime is the main draw here. It's prominent, but doesn't overpower the sweetness of the malt or the bite of the Cascade hops. Indeed, Skinny Dip is one of New Belgium's hoppier selections, as the flavor of the hops settles in the mid-palate and gives this beer a great mouthfeel. It pours a light amber, with a thick head that dissipates very fast. Lacing is non-existent, and the beer's flavors open up dramatically once the chill wears off. A beer like this would pair great with standard grilled foods, like the ribeye, corn on the cob, and tomatoes we just finished before filing this. It also works well with some spiced ground meats, like the lamb in the kibbe trio we had Saturday at Semiramis.

New Belgium is on our short list of breweries we'd quit everything to go work for in a heartbeat, with their commitment to sustainability, use of alternative energy sources at the brewery, open-book management, and the fact that it's an employee-owned company that gives its workers a bicycle after one year of employment. Blue Paddle is hands-down our favorite New Belgium selection. But on a cool, picture-perfect summer night like the string we're currently running through, "Skinny Dip" makes a more than adequate replacement. It's enough to keep us sated until we see Blue Paddle on shelves. New Belgium "Skinny Dip" is Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week."