New Glarus Cran-Bic Review

Name: New Glarus Cran-Bic
Style: Lambic

ABV: 6%

It's been a couple of month since I've reviewed anything from New Glarus Brewing, so I think it's time to break that dry spell. For this review, I will be taking a look at Cran-Bic, their cranberry lambic which is aged in oak barrels. I've never had anything sour from New Glarus before and lambics are not exactly as mainstream as IPAs are.

Cran-Bic pours a clear pink color with a high amount of active carbonation. The head itself too, is a bright pink color but the retention is quite fizzy and disappears almost right after the pour. As expected there is no lacing retention here either. Looking at the beer, it kind of reminds me of a bubbly pink Moscato.

The nose has a strong cranberry scent with some equally strong lacto notes to back it up. I'm also picking on some oak notes, which no doubt comes from the barrels that were used to age this beer.

The flavor is surprisingly sweet upfront with some sweet cranberry notes with moderately tart lacto taste. The oak isn't as prevalent in the flavor but it does provide some dimension to the actual taste.

The palate has a pretty light body along with the carbonation, so this is a pretty easy drinker.

Anyone who is not a lambic fan will not be won over by this, but this is a nicely balanced and flavorful beer. Although I haven't had as many lambics as I've had say.....IPAs, I can safely say that you're getting your money's worth by checking this out.

New Glarus Cran-Bic - 9/10

Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 2014 Reviews - Part 1

Last week, I came into possession of the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp 12-pack, with each beer being a collaboration from different breweries all over the country. This 3-part series will cover each beer included in the said 12-pack with my score underneath each beer.

Now the reason why I'm not giving each beer it's own separate review is because each beer is a one-off collaboration, meaning that it won't be brewed again; With the exception of Hoptimum which was originally a "Beer Camp" beer. Since these are twelve beers that will never be brewed again, I figured it would be more efficient this way.

Electric Ray India Pale Lager (8.5 % ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with Ballast Point Brewing. The flavor is very citrus hop forward but with a solid pale malt sweetness as opposed to a caramel/toffee maltiness. The aftertaste is quite bitter with some grapefruit and citrus hop notes. IPLs tend to be around the 5-6% ABV range so this is definitely strong for it's category. However the alcohol content is masked quite well and the flavor, while not complex, is quite robust and tasty. I could see this being a regular visitor in my fridge if it weren't a one-time only offering.

Verdict - 8.5/10

Alt Route Altbier (6.6% ABV) - Brewed in Collaboration with Victory Brewing Company. Pours a solid ruby red color. This is a very malt forward beer in terms of flavor with caramel malts, roasted barley, a bit of dark fruitiness and a surprisingly bitter hoppy finish. Nothing terribly special in terms of flavor when it comes to the style, but it's quite good nonetheless.

Verdict - 8/10

Tater Ridge Scottish Ale (7.0% ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with the Asheville Brewers Alliance. This ruby red colored beer has a distinct bitter hoppiness on the front of the palate with a roasted barley & chocolate taste. There is also some light grassiness and another type of bitterness that isn't of the hoppy variety which I'm assuming is the potatoes used in the brewing process. My only exposure to potato based beers is from Indeed Brewing with their Sweet Mama Jamma, which I found to be very good. As for this beer, it's balanced in terms of flavor but I'm not really a fan of it at the same time. I'd rather just have a regular Scottish Ale instead.

Verdict - 6/10

There and Back English Style Bitter (5.6 % ABV) - Brewed in collaboration with New Glarus Brewing. Pouring a hazy orange color. The front of the taste has a maramalade-like sweetness to it, some pale malts and a bitter finish. Like the Altbier, it's a pretty standard English Bitter that tastes good and is drinkable. The only thing that makes this beer stand out is the higher-than-normal ABV level (most English Bitters fall into the <5% range.)

Verdict - 8/10


I hope you all enjoyed the first part of this series. Stay tuned for the next part which'll be posted tomorrow night. If you are still able to get "Beer Camp" in your area, I would highly recommend checking this out!

Cheers!

- Nick

New Glarus Scream IIPA Review

Name: New Glarus Scream IIPA
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: N/A

Since starting this blog, I reviewed a wide range of beers from New Glarus Brewing (23 including this one and not counting the other ones I've had before I started writing) but not once have I had a traditional IPA from New Glarus and IPAs aren't typically what they are known for. Today that is all going to change because I have their Scream IIPA which was recently released as part of their Thumbprint Series.

The first thing you'll notice right away about the label is that the State of Wisconsin that usually acts as a centerpiece on most Thumbprint beers is replaced by an eagle who has the look of wanting to peck your eyes out while clutching some hops in it's talons. According to the New Glarus website, the name derives from the eagle which circles the brewery on a regular basis. You do have to give credit to New Glarus for switching it up for a change though.

Scream pours a pretty orange color with just a tinge of darkness. It looks fairly clear in appearance with only some minor haze and only a couple bubbles of carbonation rising up from the bottom of the glass.

The aroma is very grapefruit forward with some citrus hop notes and a bit of caramel maltiness in there as well. There is also a bit of fruitness in here too, consisting mainly of mangoes and apricots.

Much like the nose, the flavor is very grapefruit heavy followed up by some tropical/citrus hops with some noticeable hop bitterness at the very end. The caramel malt base is substantial but not as much as the apricot/mango fruitness.

The palate is moderately weighted and there is a bit of thickness. The carbonation is fairly low and it actually has a very creamy texture. For an Imperial IPA, this is very easy to drink!

Scream is another solid offering from New Glarus. It doesn't do anything that I haven't already seen in an Imperial IPA before but it packs a robust taste and I got this at a very reasonable price. Any hop head looking for a fix will definitely not be disappointed by this beer!

New Glarus Scream IIPA - 9/10

New Glarus Coffee Stout Review

Name: New Glarus Coffee Stout
Style: Stout
ABV: 5.75%

It's time to look at New Glarus Coffee Stout, another beer from the brewery which was recently added to their seasonal line-up. Like many other beers I've looked at from the brewery, it's occasionally brought out of retirement; Much akin to a cheesy 80's action movie where a former green beret soldier is approached by his former commanding officer and is told he is only one who can get the job done.

The beer pours a pitch black with a khaki-colored head. There isn't any visible carbonation to be seen here but the lacing is quite good.

The aroma is quite roasted and consists mainly of roasted barley, coffee ground and chocolate malts. There is a hint of hops in the nose, but it isn't immediately apparent.

Like the nose, it's got a very roasty flavor with coffee notes, some floral & bitter hops which make themselves known on the back of the palate, and a solid chocolate malt base. The coffee flavor becomes more prominent as it warms up. The aftertaste is also fairly roasty with a slight hop bitterness.

The palate as a whole is quite heavy in terms of body weight but it's got some very low carbonation and a semi-smooth texture. It's not quite drinking an iced coffee but you get the idea.

I'm not really too much into drinking coffee as a means to wake up in the morning mainly because I can't stand the taste but I found this to be pretty good. It's nice and roasty and there are other flavors (particularly the chocolate malts) that help balance out the coffee flavors quite well. I'd say give this one a try, you might be surprised!

New Glarus Coffee Stout - 8.25/10

New Glarus Back 40 Bock Review

Name: New Glarus Back 40 Bock
Style: Bock
ABV: 5.5%

It's time to look at one of latest releases from New Glarus Brewing. For this review, I have their Back 40 Bock, which is another one of their Bock-style ales. If my memory serves me correctly, it was listed on brewery's website as an archived beer at one point but it's since been moved to their "Seasonal" listings.

Back 40 Bock pours a clear dark red color with a foamy khaki colored head. The visible carbonation is fairly moderate in appearance and the lacing left behind is pretty good.

The aroma starts off with some caramel and chocolate notes, followed by some roasted barley and mild floral hoppiness.

The flavor consists of caramel malts, mild roasted barley, chocolate notes and a mild hoppiness. The aftertaste is fairly dry with a mild caramel sweetness and floral hoppiness. The palate has a surprisingly heavy body and the carbonation as a whole is also very strong, which is unusual for this style.

As a whole, this is actually a good beer. It has considerably more flavor than New Glarus' last Bock offering, Uff-da, and has an overall more robust profile. My only major complaint about this beer is that the carbonation and overall palate are way too heavy for my liking. Still I say it's worth checking out if you get the chance.

New Glarus Back 40 Bock - 8/10

New Glarus Spiced Ale Review

Name: New Glarus Spiced Ale
Style: Herb/Spiced Beer
ABV: N/A

My regular readers know that I am a pretty big fan of New Glarus Brewing and also know of my desire to see them expand their operations to other states. For the time being, I'll just have to settle for driving over the bridge to Superior to acquire their offerings.

Today I have a new addition to their Thumbprint Series and it's a style which I have never seen before from New Glarus and that is their Spiced Ale. A style which I could readily use thanks to Duluth having the second coldest winter on record since they began recording temperatures. On that note, Canada can stop taking dumps of cold air on us anytime now.

New Glarus Spiced Ale pours a mildly hazy orange color with moderate visible carbonation. The head is rather soapy and the lacing is fairly abundant.

Contrary to what I was expecting, the nose has some nice notes of cinnamon, pumpkin pie, ginger, cloves, toffee malts and yeasts. It almost smells like my favorite fall seasonal beer: Tyranena's Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale. If I didn't know better, I would say that this screams "Fall Seasonal!"

The flavor pretty similar to the aroma but with less of a focus on the malts & yeasts and a greater emphasis on the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. I will say this, it does warm you up fairly quickly, almost like a shot of whiskey while ice fishing on the lake.

The palate is quite heavy in terms of weight and it has some moderate carbonation. With that said, the overall spiciness combined with the carbonation does give the overall mouthfeel a strong stingy quality and makes it harder to savor and enjoy the flavors. I think this is a beer that is meant to be enjoyed in sips.

Not everyone is going to go crazy over this simply because spiced ales are somewhat of a niche beer. With that said, I found this to be quite enjoyable and despite some issues with the palate, I would say that this is worth checking out if you're in the mood for something a little different.

New Glarus Spiced Ale - 8/10

New Glarus Raspberry Tart Review

Name: New Glarus Raspberry Tart
Style: Fruit Beer
ABV: 4%

I've been going through an awful lot of New Glarus' fruit beers as of late and for good reason: They are all highly regarded and quite tasty. Tonight I'm looking at one of their other highly regarded fruit beers: Raspberry Tart. As the name suggests, it's brewed with raspberries; Much akin to Belgian Red which is brewed with cherries.

Raspberry Tart pours a fairly clear ruby red color with a fizzy red head and some mild carbonation. As expected, the lacing is pretty much non-existent. It looks like poured a bottle of Belgian Red into my glass.

The aroma is a mix of sweet raspberries, cranberries and some light maltiness. At least I can make out more of a "beery" scent here as opposed to Belgian Red which was pretty much all cherries (Which is by no means a bad thing.)

As for the taste, it's pretty much a sweet raspberry taste with some cranberries and light malty notes. Overall the flavor is pretty identical to the nose. The aftertaste does have a nice fruity

The palate feels pretty light but comes with some moderate carbonation. It's almost like drinking a bottle of sparkling red Moscato.

Much like Belgian Red, it isn't a complex-tasting beer by any stretch of the imagination. It is, however, a robust tasting beer which more than makes up the sum of it's parts. Some won't like the overall fruit-sweetness that Raspberry Tart has to offer but it is a must have for any dedicated fruit beer fanatic.

New Glarus Raspberry Tart - 9/10

New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red Review

Name: New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red
Style: Fruit Beer
ABV: 4%

Earlier this year when this blog was in it's infancy, I reviewed a bottle of New Glarus Serendipity and found it to be absolutely fantastic. It's now 8 months later and New Glarus has brought back the beer that was originally in Serendipity's place, Wisconsin Belgian Red.

While Serendipity is/was brewed with cherries, apples, and cranberries; Wisconsin Belgian Red is brewed with just cherries. You see last year (2012), the cherry harvst in Wisconsin was severely affected by one of the worst droughts the Midwest had experienced since the 1930's. This drought caused New Glarus to use apples and cranberries in the recipe, in addition to whatever cherries from Door County they could get. The end result was an award winning fruit beer that became highly sought after across the country, and all of it happened pretty much by accident.

Now after being in cryogenic suspension for over a year, Wisconsin Belgian Red has made its triumphant return, hopefully to co-exist with Serendipity side-by-side. It calls itself the marriage between wine and beer, and uses a pound of Door County cherries used per bottle. Let's see if any of that holds up.

Belgian Red pours a clear ruby red with a red fizzy head and no lacing left behind. The carbonation appears quite high at first before going to a more subdued level. It looks like someone poured a bottle of Big Red soda into my glass.

The aroma gives off a sweet fruity cherry notes with an almost Pink Moscato-like scent and some light malts. That's all I'm getting because the cherries and moscato are quite strong.

Just like the nose, the flavor consists mainly of sweet cherries, light moscato grape along with some mild malt, oak and barley notes. Here is where you can tell that this is still very much a beer. With that said, it's still sweet tasting thanks to the cherries.

The body is pretty lightweight with a bit of a syrupy texture to it but it doesn’t hurt the quality. As for the carbonation, it's fairly tame so it doesn't get in the way of enjoying the flavor.

I'll get this out of the way now, this is an excellent fruit beer that is definitely worth your time, money and attention. With that said, I still think that Serendipity is a superior fruit beer because of it's more balanced and possesses a more complex flavor. Belgian Red didn't ”Wow” me as much as Serendipity did, but it still makes for a very robust & delicious fruit beer!

New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red - 9/10

New Glarus Apple Ale Review

Name: New Glarus Apple Ale
Style: Fruit Beer
ABV: 3.8%

You may have noticed that I am posting an astonishly high number of reviews today, but that's because I had to call in sick today on account of a cold. Since I can't have beer due to my lack of smell and have a few reviews in the pipeline, I figured I would divvy up my time between playing Diablo 3 and finishing those said reviews.

Earlier this year in May & June, New Glarus Brewing released their Apple Ale as part of their Thumbprint Series. Sadly, while I was over in Wisconsin earlier this year procuring some Three Floyds, Apple Ale was nowhere to be seen and I had to settle for another bomber of Dreadnaught (Talk about first world problems, am I right?)

Then a couple of weeks ago, New Glarus announced via Facebook that it was bringing back Apple Ale. My excitement grew even more when the owner of Keyport Liquors over in Superior, WI was on the radio talking about Apple Ale and how they had just gotten it in. Needless to say, I knew where I need to go to get my own!

Apple Ale pours a clear dark golden color with a rather filmy head, high carbonation and no lacing along the sides.

The nose has a sweet aroma of apples, cider, spices and some pale malts. It's almost like someone poured a bottle of Angry Orchard into my glass.

The flavor is pretty similar to the aroma with sweet apple tartness, cinnamon, barley and pale malts. It's much more obvious that this is a beer than an actual cider due to the barley and pale malt presence. The body is pretty light and the carbonation is quite mild as well. It's a pretty easy to drink beer overall.

All and all, it's a great yet mellow tasting fruit beer and I feel that even those who aren't generally fans of craft beer will find something to like in this. It isn't quite as complex or robust as New Glarus' other fruit beers but this is still very easy to recommend.

New Glarus Apple Ale - 8.5/10

New Glarus Fat Squirrel Review

Name: New Glarus Fat Squirrel Nut Brown
Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 5.5%

I mentioned in a previous review that New Glarus brought back a couple of their beers which were previously regulars. The first being their Uff-Da Bock and the other, which I have here tonight, Fat Squirrel which is their Brown Ale. I recall having this a couple years back while vacationing in Wisconsin Dells but at the time reviewing it wasn't exactly high on my priorities list. However since it is now (at the time of writing) 28 Degrees and snowy instead of 82 Degrees and sunny, now's a good time to take a look at it.

Fat Squirrel pours a hazy orange color with a slight crimson tint. The head is off-white that starts out foamy but settles to a thin yet semi-foamy look which leaves behind some good lacing. The visible carbonation is also pretty mild in appearance.

The nose starts out with a strong roasted barley scent with chocolate, nuts, and some mild floral hoppiness.

The flavor is also quite roasty with chocolate, hazelnuts, roasted barley, roasted malts and floral hops. Not too different from the nose but still pretty good.

The body is also fairly light in weight with some pretty strong carbonation.

Fat Squirrel doesn't do anything too special to set itself apart from other brown ales out there but it's still a good, enjoyable beer. Anyone who's a fan of brown ales and happen to find themselves in Wisconsin should definitely check it out.

New Glarus Fat Squirrel - 8/10

New Glarus Uff-Da Review

Name: New Glarus Uff-Da
Style: Bock
ABV: 7.3%

New Glarus Brewing recently brought Uff-Da & Fat Squirrel out of cryogenic suspension much to the delight of New Glarus fans everywhere. As you can probably already guess, we're taking a look at Uff-Da!

Every once in a while, I'll see a beer label and think to myself "Why on Earth would they call it that?" and this is no exception to that rule. Uff-Da is a term used by some residents of the upper Midwest and primarily those of Scandinavian/Norwegian descent. It's a slang term used when you hear something that's rather unpleasant or discomforting. To better illustrate my point, I've created this dialogue for your reading pleasure:

Sven: Hey did you hear about what happened to Ollie down at his farm?
Olaf: No, what happened?
Sven: He was tending to his cows when one of the horses got startled and kicked him right in the...well, you know....
Olaf: Uff-Da, that must've hurt!

Well, hopefully this beer won't put me in the Emergency Room, so let's take a look!

Uff-Da pours a clear crimson red color with a filmy-looking head with some decent lacing and some mild visible carbonation.

Caramel Malts are the first thing noticeable in the aroma along with yeasts, some floral hop notes and some roasted barley. Pretty basic smelling, even for a bock beer.

Likewise, the flavor isn't too different. You have caramel & pale malts, yeasts, floral hops and roasted barley. The roasted aspect is a alot stronger here along with some mild pale malts and hoppiness in the aftertaste.

It's pretty heavy in terms of weight on the palate and the carbonation is fairly moderate and not too overwhelming. It's enough to help one enjoy what this beer has to offer.

As much as I like New Glarus, I wasn't too impressed with this. Keep in mind that while it's certainly not a bad beer, it's a bit too roasty and not malty enough to even things out. I say if you're gonna buy this, buy it as part of a mix-a-six and decide for yourself


New Glarus Uff-Da - 7/10

New Glarus Stone Soup Review

Name: New Glarus Stone Soup
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
ABV: 5.3%

With the expansion of New Glarus Brewing currently underway, I've been seeing more and more seasonal beers become "rotating beers", case in point with Stone Soup, which is usually released in the Spring but it was released just last month in September so maybe we'll see more old favorites returning (hint hint!)

Stone Soup is a Belgian Pale Ale which is named after the children's story called......Stone Soup. For those of you who don't feel like googling it, Stone Soup is about some hungry travellers who have no food except for a kettle pot. They fill the pot with water, toss a stone in there, and tell those who ask that they're making an awesome soup but they need a few more ingredients. At the end of the story, they get tons of people to add ingredients to their pot and the result is an awesome soup enjoyed by all.

Is this beer as awesome as the soup it's based on? Well let's find out!

Stone Soup pours a very hazy orange color with a fizzy head that retains it's filmy appearance. There isn't any lacing left behind so it finishes clean.

The aroma starts things off with a clove and bubblegum scent with some spices, pale malts, barley and some mild grassiness. There's also a mild floral hoppiness sitting in the back.

The flavor reveals a more pronounced banana flavor along with some bubblegum, cloves, spicy notes, pale malts and barley. The grassiness which was present in the nose is nowhere to be seen here.

The body is rather light in weight but the carbonation is fairly strong for what it is. All things considered, it does bring about a rather crisp feel.

Stone Soup is a fairly well rounded beer. It's got a good amount of flavor, some pretty easy drinkability and it's just a good beer. It doesn't do anything spectacular but it's an approachable Belgian Ale that's well priced and therefore easy to recommend.

New Glarus Stone Soup - 8.25/10

New Glarus Imperial Weizen Review

My apologies for the half empty beer stein, I realized I forgot the photo about halfway through the glass.

Name: New Glarus Thumbprint Imperial Weizen 
Style: Weizen Bock
ABV: 9.25%

A couple weeks ago, I made the trip across the bridge to Superior to get my New Glarus fix. While I was deciding what to get, I noticed a new addition to the Thumbprint Series lineup called Imperial Weizen so I decided to grab it my own. Plus I always enjoy wrapping the red-foil off the top of any Thumbprint Series beer, it's like opening a Christmas gift!

This is a Weizen Bock style beer, which simply means that it's a strong wheat beer beer but not quite like wheat-wine.This will also be my second Weizenbock from New Glarus, the first being Dancing Man Wheat (which I mistakenly referred to as a Hefeweizen in my review.

It pours a dark hazy golden color with a very high voluminous head, perhaps one of the highest I have ever seen which brings up a really good point: When you pour this, DO NOT POUR AGGRESSIVELY!!!! The first time I had this, I found out the hard way and had a foamy mess on my kitchen table. Be smart and slooooooooooooooooowly pour it in, you may have to stop a couple of times but it'll save you the hassle of cleaning.

In the nose, I'm getting some cloves, wheat, yeasts, spices, citrus hops, malts and bananas. It does have a similar smell to Dancing Man but with more spice and maltiness.

The flavor has some strong wheat and citra hop notes which are followed by cloves, pale malts and cinnamon. It's like Dancing Man but quite strong flavor at that and does come off as a little boozy.

The body is surprisingly light and the carbonation is pretty much not there but that allows you to savor the flavors that this beer has to offer.

The flavor is a little boozy but everything else works out remarkably well. It's got a good look, an even better smell, and an excellent flavor to boot despite the slight booziness. Those who are looking for a strong and flavorful beer will find something to love here as well as those who are looking for something a bit different.

New Glarus Thumbprint Imperial Weizen - 9/10

New Glarus Staghorn Octoberfest Review

Sorry for the poor & rushed picture quality

Name: New Glarus Staghorn Octoberfest
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
ABV: 6.25%

Continuing on with fall tradition, I travelled over the bridge to Wisconsin and acquired New Glarus' very own Staghorn Octoberfest beer (and another seasonal, look for a review in the near future!) I have heard some good things about it, and plus the label is a departure from most New Glarus labels in that it features black backdrop as opposed to white.

Staghorn pours a dark and mildly hazy orange color with a foamy white head. Not really much visual activity in terms of carbonation.

The nose starts out with some mild caramel and Munich malt notes. This is followed by some roasted barley, nuts, and yeasts.

The flavor is pretty consistent with the smell with it's Munich Malt, caramel, nutty and roasted barley profile. There's also a slight hoppiness to the flavor as well and some yeast and buttered biscuit notes.

The body is moderately weighted and the carbonation is on the mild side, making this a reasonably easy beer to drink.

Staghorn is a solid Octoberfest beer and the slight hoppiness helps add to it's uniqueness because you don't see a hoppy profile in an Oktoberfest too often. Mind you, it didn't blow my socks off but I found it to be enjoyable nonetheless.

New Glarus Staghorn Octoberfest - 8/10

New Glarus Two Women Lager Review

Name: New Glarus Two Women Lager

Style: Pilsener

ABV: 5%

Two Women is New Glarus' Pilsener offering which, to my understanding, was released in 2010 with a recipe change in 2001. The beer is a collaboration (sort of) between New Glarus Brewing and Sabine Weyermann Malting, the latter of which supplies malts to various brewers and homebrewers alike, at least that's what I found out. The name "Two Women" derives from the fact that both New Glarus Brewing and Weyermann Malting are both owned by women, Deb Carey and Sabine Weyermann respectively. 

Two Women pours a bright orange color with a mild haze and a soapy slight off-white head which has fairly good retention. The carbonation visible in the glass retains a reasonably high level throughout.

The nose consists with an aroma of yeasts, barley, grassiness and pale malts. Fairly typical Pilsener smell and about what I would expect from the style.

The flavor is mainly yeasts, lemon zest, barley, floral hops and pale malts. While the parts may not seem impressive, the flavors themselves are surprisingly robust and well rounded.

The body is fairly light and the carbonation has a surprisingly mild feel to it and the end result is a crisp body and palate.

Two Women Lager is a robust yet well rounded and refreshing Pilsener. Even if you aren't a fan of the Pilsener Style, having a bottle of this will probably change your mind.

New Glarus Two Women Lager - 9/10

New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat Review

Name: New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat
Style: Hefeweizen
ABV: 7.2%

The hefeweizen-style beer was one of the first styles I tried out when I first got into craft beer. Since the beer which got me into the style, Summit Hefeweizen, has (sadly) been out of production for almost 2 years, I decided to opt for the next best "local" option: New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat, the brewery's very own Hefeweizen style ale with an ABV of 7.2%.

Back in 1995, while I was in my 2nd Grade class watching The Lion King and learning about Kenya, New Glarus Brewing released their first wheat beer. Then starting in 2007, they unleashed Dancing Man Wheat, which has been a staple of New Glarus' Summer Seasonals for the past few years.

Dancing Man pours a fairly hazy yellow with a fairly high amount of carbonation and a filmy head with bits of lacing along the sides of the glass.

The aroma starts out with strong wheat, banana and clove notes, with a pale malt backbone to round it out. The flavor is a bit sweeter with wheat, pale-pilsner malts, bubblegum, bananas and cloves. The body is fairly lightweight and some crisp, moderate carbonation.

Dancing Man reminded me alot of Summit Hefeweizen, which I still consider to be the best example of the hefeweizen style overall....that's a good thing! Now is it as good as Summit's? No, but it comes pretty damn close! The flavor is pretty robust, well balanced and not to mention tasty! Summer is about to enter the home stretch so pick this up while you still can!

New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat - 9/10

New Glarus Anniversary Strong Ale Review

New Glarus Brewing just recently celebrated their 20th year in business and are in the midst of an expansion that will bring their capacity up to around 250,000 barrels, moving them up the ladder as one of the largest craft brewers in America. They're already 17th largest in the nation, so naturally the only direction to go is up.

In celebration of their 20th year in business, they have released their Anniversary Strong Ale, which has been classified as either a Belgian Dark Strong Ale or an Abbey Dubbel depending on who you ask. It's ABV is also unknown, so you have you have to give them points for being mysterious. While we're on the topic, while seeking this out I was under the impression that this would be a similar size to that of New Glarus' Serendipity. Nope this comes in a 16 oz. bottle, I'll admit you really don't see those too much anymore. It's also a limited release beer, so I'm really glad that I'm getting the opportunity to try this out; The joys of being close to Wisconsin!

It pours a dark red color with an off-white foamy head, abundant lacing and a mild amount of carbonation along the sides of the glass.

The aroma has some definitive Abbey qualities to it, consisting mainly of dark fruity notes, caramel, spices, figs, licorice, cloves and malts. The flavor is also pretty heavily Abbey influenced with caramel and plums upfront, followed by cloves, licorice, spices, figs, cloves and malts. The body is moderate in terms of weight and it's pretty light in carbonation.

I would classify this as a Abbey Dubbel just based on the flavor alone, but whatever it New Glarus calls it, one thing is certain: This is a great beer! It's got a smooth yet robust flavor, it smells wonderful and it's something you can sit down and cherish. If you so happen to stumble across this, you might want to grab it for yourself before someone else does.


New Glarus Anniversary Strong Ale - 9.5/10

New Glarus Totally Naked Review

The ingredients for most beers are: barley, hops, malts, yeast, and water. It's a very simple formula that is often tweaked to cater to different styles. If there is one word I could use to describe New Glarus' Totally Naked, it would be "basic." As a matter of fact, it doesn't even try to hide it but rather embrace it as evident by the description on the label. This is a barebones lager coming in at just 4.25% ABV.

It pours a very fizzy clear yellow color with an equally fizzy head that disappears rather quickly and looks like any other yellow fizzy American Lager.

The nose is mainly barley, pale malts, yeast and some very mild hoppiness. The same can be said about the flavor, which consists mainly of barley, pale malts, yeasts, and mild hops. The body is also fairly light and the carbonation is in between mild and moderate.

This is a beer that is out to prove that it has nothing to prove. It's basic, it's minimalist.....and it works just the way it is; I'm serious. The flavor may be stripped down (hence the name) but it's possess a good flavor for what it is and you know it's being made with quality ingredients and not some adjunct products.

Award Winning? No. Drinkable? Yes.

New Glarus Totally Naked - 7.5/10

New Glarus Black Top Review

New Glarus Black Top is probably the first Black IPA that I have ever had. At the time of trying it, I was not quite into craft beer and still getting used to the styles that I still considered "off-beat" at the time and this was no exception. I remember having this at a bar while visiting a couple of friends who were going to Marquette University in Milwaukee.

What was my initial impression of Black Top at the time, you ask? Let me put it to you this way: You remember that tire swing on the playground that you used to swing on when you were a kid; And when it got very warm and sunny, it had a that burnt rubber smell? Well, that's what I said it tasted like when I took my first sip of it. It wasn't my proudest moment because I ordered a Miller Lite after that and drank it like the curmudgeon-y college kid that I was.

Well after 4 years, I'm ready to give this another go thanks to my refined palate. Black Top is a Black IPA with an ABV of 6.9%. From my experience, Black IPAs are usually as a seasonal or limited release, according to the New Glarus Website it's a year-round offering.

Black Top pours a pitch black color with a soapy khaki-colored head. There is some lacing left on the side of the glass.

The nose has a pretty strong piney hop scent along with chocolate, licorice, roasted barley and malts. This is definitely one of the hoppier smelling Black IPAs out there.

As for the flavor, the piney hops are fairly prevalent upfront along with the licorice and chocolate notes. After that you have some roasted malt & barley flavors which rest on the back of the palate. The aftertaste is a bittersweet chocolate and hoppy finish.

The body is fairly moderate in weight and the carbonation is fairly moderate as well but allows you to experience the flavors without getting in the way too much.

Well, it certainly tastes alot better than I remember it! Looking back, I probably mistook the licorice flavor for "burnt rubber." To sum it up, it's a nicely balanced Black IPA with just the right amount of hoppiness and roastiness for anyone who's a fan of the style to enjoy and possibly fans of both IPAs and stouts.

New Glarus Black Top - 8.5/10

New Glarus Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale Review

I have not only been blown away with the selections that I've seen in Duluth, but I've also been impressed with what I have found in neighboring Superior, WI; which is right over the bridge from Duluth. You usually don't find too many Duluth residents over in Superior unless it's for work or it's a Sunday in which case you see Minnesotans flocking over to buy beer because liquor stores in Minnesota are closed on Sundays.

As for me, I see it as a way to get my New Glarus & Oskar Blues fix as well as trying out new beers in the process. I have found some pretty good beers so far and will be reviewing them when the time comes. For now, I'll be focusing on my next New Glarus offering: Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale....or Moon Man for short. It's classified as an American Pale Ale with an ABV of 5%

Moon Man pours a fairly clear gold color with a soapy white head. There's a bit of carbonation going on inside the glass and the lacing retention is somewhat spotty.

The nose has a distinct grapefruit and citrus hop scent upfront, along with pale malts, floral hops and yeasts. The flavor is pretty much the same as the nose with grapefruits, citra hops, pale malts, caramel and yeasts. The body is fairly light weight and the carbonation is rather moderate for what it is.

This was quite good. The flavor isn't quite as unique as the name and description say it is, but it has a great flavor and that's all this beer is trying to do. Give it a shot if you're ever in Wisconsin.

New Glarus Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale - 8.5/10