When I did my review of the previous New Belgium barbecue sauce, I was intrigued by the concept of using the IPA as a basis for some good barbecue. Yes, people might complain that I was testing it on wings, but the flavor of the sauce shouldn't change, and a good sauce can be put on almost any good meat. This one is not a Voodoo Ranger; it is instead based on the Fat Tire brand. The issue I may run into here is that I wasn't a massive fan of Fat Tire in the first place.
One of the changes that I made this time around was that I didn't go very heavy on the sauce. I found the previous sauce to be too overpowering and cloying after eating a few of the wings, and the taste never seem to really leave my mouth. This time, I coated the wings before putting cooking them. Hopefully this will make a more enjoyable experience. As for color and texture, it's a barbecue sauce. This particular one is mild, so it has a very sweet aroma.Going easier on the sauce seems to be the right move. The sauce is giving enough tanginess to the wings to assert a certain amount of beer in the taste without overwhelming and concealing the meat that I'm trying to consume in the first place. I put a little extra dab of sauce on the side of the plate, but for all except the most bare of the portions of chicken, this seems like it's too much. The label says that it is mild spiciness, and I completely agree with that. I could definitely do with a little more spice in this particular flavor. I think I may like the Fat Tire better as a wing sauce than I do as a beer.
Much like the previous attempt, it seems like this is okay, but it doesn't really assert itself is a viable alternative to anything else out there. In the places where it's bland, it's just bland. In the places where it asserts, it might be a little too much. Once again, I think I'm gonna wind up going back to my old Nashville hot chicken sauce.
Bottom Line: No, I didn't like this more than the beer it was based on.
1.75/5