Archive for the 'New Glarus' category
New Glarus Spotted Cow
This is the last of the New Glarus beer stash that I brought back from Wisconsin. The first time I drank this beer was at a Houlihan’s in Lake Geneva and I didn’t care for it too much. I remember thinking it was terribly bland and just “blah” which is why it has taken me so long to review it. I should have written some notes while I was at the bar so I didn’t have to revisit this beer, but unless the beer I’m drinking is truly remarkable or rare I try to refrain from looking like a total tool/beer snob in public.
This is New Glarus’ version of a farmhouse ale. There is a cloudiness to the appearance but it isn’t as pronounced as advertised on the label. Their description makes it sound like this beer could potentially create a torrential down pour. The aroma is light kind of like smelling the OUTSIDE of an orange. You know what I mean, a bit plastic-y with a subtle citrus undertone. Ok maybe you don’t know what I mean, so suffice to say the smell isn’t tantalizing the nostrils. The taste is light and again seems trapped. I can tell there is a sweet ‘n’ sour flavor combo going on but it is so faint and flighty that my tastebuds don’t have time to enjoy it. If I had to describe the flavor in one word I would say, “diluted.” This is the only beer from New Glarus that I haven’t care for thus my recommedation would be to skip over this beer and enjoy the other offerings.
New Glarus “Uff Da” Bock
This is a mighty tasty Bock. The pour is dark and oily, as you might expect. The aroma is remarkably rich and chocolaty. To be honest, this tastes more like a Porter than a Bock to me, but it’s a tasty treat by any name. The flavor is heavy with dark chocolate, toffee, and hints of coffee. I’d consider this a great Bock, one of the best American Bocks I’ve ever had
New Glarus Totally Naked
This beer is a major divergence from the last three brews. However, I’m trying to go into it with an open mind, and I think it’s pretty good. Basically, this is a beer. Nothing fancy – just a golden ale. It is a light golden color. It smells like ‘beer’. In the mouth, it tastes like a plain old beer. I think the flavor is a bit smoother and a bit more flavorful than a traditional rice-based domestic beer. But, again, this is a beer that may not belong in a line-up like this one
New Glarus Copper Kettle Weiss
The brewers at New Glarus claim that this is a dunkle weiss. I’m not sure I agree with them but they made it so I guess they know better than me. In my amateur opinion this tastes more like a hefeweizen. This beer is very critrusy and crisp. The corriander is very apparent and its golden unfiltered hue is very beautiful. It is also strongly efferevescent, almost like a cheap champagne, but without undesirable burn. As far as hefe’s go it is quite good. What it lacks, which most dunkles have, is a sweet backbone that appears at the end of the taste and coats the tongue. The thing that is appealing about this beer is the absence of a bitter, metallic aftertaste. This review is short and concise because this beer, desipte its classification, is what it is. No bells and whistles, but as far as I’m concerned it doesn’t need any. Grab a few if your are ever hanging out in Wisconsin.
New Glarus “Hop Hearty” IPA
This, the first of our IPA tasting, is actually not one that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can find at their local grocer. Rather, you’d better live in Wisconsin if you want to get your grubby paws on this one. My first impression of this is that it is a rather tasty brew. The color is a bit darker of an amber than I might typically expect from an IPA. The aroma is actually a very subdued & sweet floral hop. Quite pleasant, although I wouldn’t be offended if it were just a touch more pungent. In the mouth, there is a slight hop-burn that follows through the mouth with a strong bitterness and no considerable malt backbone. This one seems to focus more on the bitter than the sweet, which should appeal to the real hop-heads out there. -Ben
I agree that the aroma is not as hoppy as I would like, in fact I noticed a rich malty smell. In my opinion the name describes this ale fairly well. Although there is not a noticable hop burn, the hop flavors engulf the mouth. One thing I find to be very appealing is that that this beer doesn’t create that lingering metallic aftertaste characteristic of some IPAs. This seems to be a standard IPA, and one that you could enjoy at length. If only those cheese-heads would share the wealth… -Matt
New Glarus Fat Squirrel
I am a huge fan of witty beer names as I feel they add character to the beer, and I’m always up for a good chuckle. Once you taste this beer you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. It is a nut brown ale and all I can say about that is, yes it is. It smells nutty and chocolatey, although not to heavy. There is also a hint of maple to enhance the sweetness. The taste is of dark chocolate, more bitter than its milk chocolate counterpart. The peanut flavor is very apparent on the back of the tongue and the back of the throat. It does leave a bitter aftertaste but it neither overpowering nor brash. It reminds me of the taste you experience while drinking coffee. And so we come full circle back to the name, just as squirrels gorge themselves on nuts a true beer lover could easily be inclined to enjoy this brown ale in excess. In the end both increase in size but with little to no regret. If you’re ever in Wisconsin grab a sixer of this brew if you’re feelin’ “squirrely.”
New Glarus Yokel
New Glarus is a family run brewing company located in, you guessed it, New Glarus, Wisconsin. It is my understanding that these brews are only distributed in the great state in which it is found. Your next question is, “Well, how could you possibly be drinking the Yokel while sitting on your couch in NC?” Glad you asked…While visiting my dad in Lake Gineva I came across 6 different varities and had them shipped back home. I mean, who could pass up a chance to review something few if any in this neck of the woods would ever try.
The Yokel is an unfiltered “lager”. That seems a very vague and unlikely discription given its characteristics. It pours a golden yellow with a cloudy hue. At this point I was expecting hefeweizen but what I got was a summer ale with some bite. The smell and taste are both crisp and rich with lemony flavor. There is a bit of corriander giving a semblance of a white ale but it doesn’t entirely capture the essence of a white. The Yokel is very refreshing and pleasing to the palate. The brewers of this fine beer claim it is perfect for washing down a delicious burger and I couldn’t agree with them more. The slogan is “buy local, drink Yokel.” It is my opinion that beer lovers outside Wisconsin would also show great patronage to the New Glarus Brewey if given the opportunity. My only quams with this beer is I don’t have more of it and I can’t run to the local “good beer” store and buy more.
