2° Below Ale is a winter seasonal beer from New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, CO. It's an Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB) style beer, which is a bit of an odd choice for a winter seasonal beer. While it's not brewed in a more traditional winter beer style, such as a winter warmer, 2° Below is an easy drinking, well balanced brew.

2° Below pours a nice copper color with a hearty off-white head. The head is a finger and a half to two fingers and leaves nice lacing as you drink.

The beer has an intriguing aroma dominated by caramel malts with hints of citrus and tropical fruits. It's brewed with Sterling and Liberty hops and is dry hopped during fermentation, giving the beer a floral nose with a bit of pepper and spicy undertones.

The beer is a fairly big-bodied brew, with moderate carbonation. The hops are prevalent in the first taste, but as the beer warms up you notice more of the malt flavors. The hops taste fresh, and the beer strikes a nice balance between the malts and hops. The alcohol content is 6.6% by volume, which is a bit high for an ESB, but it hides well. I think the malt character and spiciness make it a great winter brew. We've given it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, and recommend trying a New Belgium 2° Below Ale this winter.

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