1554 Brussels Style Black Ale

Phil, New Belgium's quality development whiz, stumbled onto Zwartbier in an 1888 British tome called The Popular Beverages of Various Countries. He and brewmaster Peter made two trips to Belgium to research this obscure style in the archives of Belgium's specialty brewers. The oldest reference to these black beers was the year 1554.
Other than being dark in color, 1554 has little in common with Porter or Stouts. The beer is fermented at relatively high temperatures using a European lager yeast that imparts a refreshing, zesty acidity. With 1554 New Belgium hoped to create an ale that would be easy to imagine as a beer served 446 years ago, but also a beer that doesn't ignore 446 years of brewing advancements.