New Belgium Brewing and Allagash Brewing released a collaborative ale, Vrienden, which is Flemish for friends. Vrienden is brewed with caramelized endive and hibiscus and inoculated with lacto bacillus and brettanomyces to create a slightly sour beer with a floral nose and dry finish, the company says. The beer was born from a gathering of Allagash founder Rob Tod and its brewmaster Jason Perkins, along with New Belgium brewmaster Peter Bouckaert and assistant brewmaster Grady Hall at New Belgium’s Mothership facility in Fort Collins, Colo. The beer is the second collaboration beer from New Belgium and Allagash and is the first beer commercially available through New Belgium’s Lips of Faith Series. Vrienden is available on draft and in 22-ounce bottles through February wherever the brewery’s Lips of Faith beers are usually available, the company says.

New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, Colo.
Telephone: 888/622-4044
Internet: www.newbelgium.com
Distribution: Select markets