New Belgium & Hello Brew Co Team Up For Pils Pals

Today I have an exciting first look at a new lager collaboration coming from New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado, with the brewery also operating its Asheville, North Carolina, location. This new project is called Pils Pals, and it brings New Belgium together with Hello Brew Co. for a Japanese-style lager brewed with jasmine rice. The collaboration is aptly named New Belgium Pils Pals.

Exploring New Belgium Pils Pals

The new Pils Pals Japanese-style lager is designed to be crisp, approachable, and highly drinkable, arriving at a sessionable 4.5% ABV. The beer will be packaged in 12-ounce cans, with the colorful new artwork immediately setting it apart from the more traditional packaging found throughout New Belgium’s lineup.

This combination of flavors highlights the essence of New Belgium Pils Pals, making it a standout offering.

According to the label, Pils Pals is specifically described as a Japanese-style lager brewed with jasmine rice. That rice addition points toward the clean, light-bodied character often associated with contemporary Japanese-inspired lagers, while the moderate 4.5% ABV should make this collaboration especially appealing to drinkers looking for a refreshing beer with plenty of drinkability. The package also prominently identifies the collaboration between New Belgium and Hello Brew Co.

The Pils Pals artwork takes a decidedly modern approach, using a soft cream background with colorful, blurred bursts of green, yellow, orange, pink and purple. A playful illustrated pair of figures sits beneath the Pils Pals name, while the Hello Brew Co. branding shares the front panel with the familiar New Belgium emblem.

For New Belgium, Pils Pals represents another example of the brewery exploring beer styles outside its best-known IPA and Belgian-inspired releases. The brewery has continued introducing new lagers, Belgian-style beers, seasonal offerings and specialty releases while maintaining familiar favorites such as Fat Tire and Voodoo Ranger. Recent New Belgium releases covered by MyBeerBuzz have included Belgian-inspired beers, pilsners and seasonal lagers.

The Pils Pals name also fits the collaborative spirit of the beer. Rather than simply introducing another standard pilsner, New Belgium and Hello Brew Co. appear to be using the collaboration to explore a Japanese-style lager format while bringing jasmine rice into the recipe.

At 4.5% ABV, Pils Pals should land squarely in the sessionable lager category, making the beer potentially well suited for warm-weather drinking, outdoor gatherings, cookouts and casual beer sessions. The 12-ounce can format further reinforces that approachable positioning.

For now, this is your first look at New Belgium Pils Pals, and the label provides an early glimpse at both the beer and its colorful packaging. Stay tuned to MyBeerBuzz for additional information, including release timing, distribution details, and tasting notes as Pils Pals Japanese-style lager gets closer to hitting shelves.

Label Text:

NEW BELGIUM & HELLO BREW CO

Pils Pals

JAPANESE-STYLE LAGER
BREWED W/JASMINE RICE

4.5% ALC/VOL
(355ML)
12 FL. OZ.

MADE WITH LOVE ON LINDEN STREET

Related New Belgium Brewing News:
MyBeerBuzz has been following New Belgium’s expanding portfolio closely, from the brewery’s Pilsner New Zealand Style and Festbier releases to its Belgian-inspired beers and newer innovations such as New Belgium Beertje.

Those stories provide a look at how New Belgium continues exploring lager, Belgian-style and specialty beer categories while maintaining its iconic brewing identity. New Belgium Pilsner New Zealand Style New Belgium Festbier Lager Cans New Belgium Cherry Dubbel & Abbey New Belgium Beertje Belgian-Style Spiced Ale

About New Belgium Brewing Company

New Belgium Brewing Company is one of America’s most recognizable craft breweries, with its roots firmly established in Fort Collins, Colorado. Founded in 1991, New Belgium has built an extensive reputation around innovative brewing, distinctive beer styles, sustainability and a strong company culture. The brewery later expanded its brewing footprint to Asheville, North Carolina, giving New Belgium a significant presence on both sides of the country.

New Belgium first became nationally recognized through Fat Tire, a beer that helped define the American craft brewing movement. Over the years, the brewery expanded dramatically, developing an enormous portfolio that includes American IPAs, hazy IPAs, Belgian-style ales, sour beers, barrel-aged releases, seasonal beers and lagers. The Voodoo Ranger family has become particularly important to New Belgium’s modern identity, with beers ranging from approachable IPAs to extremely hop-forward specialty releases.

While New Belgium is widely associated with IPA innovation, its brewing history has always included an appreciation for traditional European beer styles. Belgian brewing played an especially important role in the brewery’s early development, and that influence continues through releases such as Belgian-style ales, barrel-aged beers and the Belgian Collection. Recent New Belgium releases have demonstrated that continued interest in traditional brewing while incorporating modern American craft beer techniques.

Lagers have also become an increasingly interesting part of the New Belgium Brewing portfolio. Previous releases such as Pilsner New Zealand Style and Festbier demonstrate the brewery’s willingness to explore different lager traditions, ingredients and brewing approaches. Pils Pals takes that experimentation in another direction by introducing a Japanese-style lager brewed with jasmine rice.

The brewery’s commitment to experimentation is one of the reasons New Belgium remains an important name in American craft beer. Instead of limiting itself to one signature style, New Belgium continues moving between hop-forward IPAs, Belgian-inspired ales, traditional lagers, sour beers, barrel-aged specialties and innovative collaborations.

New Belgium is also known for emphasizing sustainability and a people-focused business culture. Its history includes significant attention to environmental responsibility, renewable energy, water conservation and community involvement. The company’s employee-centered approach has been an important part of its identity since its earliest days.

Today, New Belgium Brewing continues to combine its historic brewing influences with modern craft beer trends. From Fat Tire and Voodoo Ranger to seasonal lagers, Belgian-inspired releases and collaborative projects like Pils Pals, the brewery continues to demonstrate why it remains such an influential force in American craft brewing.

The arrival of New Belgium Pils Pals adds another intriguing chapter to that story. With Hello Brew Co., jasmine rice, a Japanese-style lager foundation, a crisp 4.5% ABV and colorful 12-ounce cans, this collaboration gives beer fans another reason to watch the New Belgium lineup as the brewery continues exploring new styles and brewing partnerships.

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