New Belgium’s Fat Tire Get’s Downsized

This fall your going to notice something different about New Belgium’s flagship brand, Fat Tire. For the first time NB will be releasing a lower-alcohol version of its amber ale. The beer will be 4% ABV (3.2% ABW), meaning it can be sold in supermarkets and convenience stores in Colorado, Kansas and Utah, and eventually in Oklahoma.

Primarily the real reason for this move was to get it on draft in bars in Utah, which as we all know has strict limits on beer above 4% on draft. New Belgium spokesman Bryan Simpson says “We wanted to provide better access to our beer both on and off-premise in Utah,” he explained in an e-mail to Westword.com. Simpson also added that NB has concerns about how the Utah DABC stores their beer warm as well as the “considerable markup” associated with Utah’s high alcohol beers. “We’ve actually made 3.2 percent versions of Fat Tire for festivals where that was required, so we know we can get a good flavor match,” Simpson says. “This helps open up some opp …