Tap Handle #319: New Belgium - Dig

This is another tap that was a gift from Patty, my grandmother. It's kind of figural, but more like abstract art...it's shaped like a surfboard but has holes in the side like a steel girder. It probably has something to do with a bicycle based on the brewery's history. All varieties use this same basic shape, with the only difference being the label (of which Fat Tire is the most well-known). The red button at the top is reflective, so when a photo is taken with the flash on, the button glows like it is lit. These are really common.

New Belgium Brewing was founded in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1991 by Jeff Lebesch. After touring Europe on a bicycle in 1989, Lebesch, an electrical engineer, returned with recipes and ideas for his home brewing hobby. He first created Fat Tire and Abbey, and his Belgian-inspired brews garnered enough praise from friends and neighbors that Jeff and his wife, Kim Jordan, took their basement brewery commercial. Jordan, social worker by day and mother of two children, was the bottler, sales rep, distributor, marketer and financial planner, and recruited a neighbor for artwork. Next they brought on Peter Bouckaert, a Belgian Brewmaster previously working at Rodenbach. Bouckaert assumed brewing duties and Jordan became CEO, as Lebesch began pursuing other interests.

The brewery is housed in a large glass and weathered-wood building, with vintage bicycles parked outside, and is located adjacent to the public bike path along the Cache La Poudre River. In 2009, Lebesch left the company completely, and by 2010, New Belgium was the third-largest craft brewery and seventh-largest overall brewery in the United States. In 2012 they decided expansion was necessary, and began construction on a second brewery in Asheville, North Carolina, to expand into east coast markets by 2015. Currently New Belgium has over 480 employees and over $180 million in sales, with distribution to 32 states. They brew 9 year-round varieties and 17 seasonal/special/small-batch varieties, and their beers have won over 90 awards at festivals and competitions. The company is now 100% employee-owned and has been frequently selected as one of the best places to work in the U.S.

New Belgium Dig is an American Pale Ale with Sorachi Ace hops providing a fresh Spring zing with incredible lemon aroma, and Nelson Sauvin hops with bursts of passion fruit, mango and peach. Cascade and Centennial hops round out this crisp, clean Pale Ale. This beer is not currently in production, according to their website. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 3.33 out of 5.

New Belgium Official Website