Did you know it’s not uncommon to have salt in your beer? It’s not. There are different kinds of salts after all besides the standard sodium chloride we’re all used to (and couldn’t live without). Brewer’s salts are often used to modify the body of brewing water and to add more perceived body to the beer. We’ll let New Belgium tell you a little bit about that shortly.

Some beers, though, do have real salt added as an ingredient. This is common with Gose, a rare and idiosyncratic style originating in Germany. In contrast to brewing salts, you can actually taste table salt in your beer, and that is the whole point of adding it. Witness the difference it makes in New Belgium Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout, part of their Lips of Faith Series and a collaboration brew with Perennial Artisan Ales of Missouri.

New Belgium says this about the beer on their website:

The salt, calcium chloride is used in the brewhouse to lower the pH (increase the H+ activity). Water adjustment is normal practice. The extra addition of CaCl will actually increase perceived body and fullness to a finished beer. The cocoa powder was added on the cold side after fermentation pre-chiller to retain all the delicate volatile aromas and flavors. The salt addition of sodium chloride, or table salt, is added after fermentation not to adjust water chemistry but for extra flavor addition. When we add table salt to our finished product, it acts as a flavor enhancer, it will increase the sweetness perception and maybe a tiny hint of that salted chocolate we all crave.

Ingredients:

Yeast: Belgian yeast

Hops: Nugget

Malts: Pale, Munich, Special W/ Caramel 220, Carafa II/Roasted Chocolate Malt

Fruits/Spices: Chocolate, Salts

New Belgium Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout is sold in 22-ounce bomber bottles and on draft. It was on tap that I enjoyed the beer at my local Taco Mac. I have yet to see it in the bottle. Alcohol is 9% by volume with 35 IBUs, and my 11-ounce draft set me back $7.

That draft glass of New Belgium Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout arrived a jet black color with a thick fluffy tan head head formation and a rich nose of dark chocolate and a mild saltiness. Taking a sip, I got huge dark roasty chocolate cocoa notes in the palate with some light coffee undertones and a hint of licorice. It’s not until the finish that the saltiness shows up, and it is unmistakable there. A big drying roastiness at the last helps to balance the beer, and the alcohol does its job towards that end as well.

What I didn’t really get was much Belgian yeasty funk. To my taste this was more of a good old imperial stout with some chocolate and salt thrown in for good measure. To be sure, that’s not a bad thing, as this was very tasty and as it always does in food the salt enhanced the flavor of the chocolate. If I see it in the bottle, you know I’ll buy it again.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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