New Glarus - Unplugged Imperial Weizen

This beer already has a lot going for it and I have not even opened the bottle yet.  First, it is made by New Glarus Brewing company, a brewer that not only makes phenomenal beer, but is also enjoying an extremely high level of success.  Every time I hear about them in the news it seems that there are enjoying some new (deserved) accolade.  Second, it is a hefe.  Hefes are one of my favorite types of beer because they are one of two styles that started me drinking beer AT ALL, not just craft beer.  Needless to say, we go back a little ways and I always enjoy a pilgrimage to see this old friend.  Third, it is an Imperial.  Imperials are becoming a bit of a personal favorite as of late.  Their abundance of bold flavors combined with a high alcohol content make this style right up my alley.  Enough blabbering.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

 Aroma 12/12
A knockout punch!  It is debatable if one could add anything to improve the aroma of this beer.  An onslaught of banana esters, alcohol, biscuity malt, and appropriate spices.  In fact, a drinker could swear they had just put their nose into a bananas foster.  The banana appears to be paired with a spiced rum.  However, when broken down into the components of a strong warmth and spices (brown sugar, clove) it is easy to see how one could get that impression.  Do I detect some apricot as well?

Appearance 3/3
This brew pours a sediment laden yellowish-ochre with bright golden hues at the glass' edges.  Even a gentle pour produces an enormous ivory head which ascends as a meringue pillar in the glass.  Eventually the head turns to a soap sud texture and leaves copious lacing.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 19/20
Unreal.  It is everything a hefe should be.  The initial flavors are malty, banana, vanilla, and light touches of citrus.  This beer wastes no time and dives into a backbone full of more banana and brown sugary sweetness(!).  If held in the mouth the sweetness becomes dominant bit eventually a citrus hoppy flavor (grapefruit) to show itself.  The beer finishes in a slick banana warmth that finally begins to reveal the true hop bitter in this beer.  Hop bitter in a hefe?  You better believe it.  It only gets stronger in the aftertaste and encourages you to take that next sweet sip.  Amazing flavor!

Mouthfeel 5/5
Medium body with a high level of creaminess; both of which are excellent compliments to the flavor.  High level of warmth detectable especially during the finish, but less noticeable in the backbone.  Everything is to style and nothing is distracting.

Overall Impression 10/10
As just said in the last sentence, "everthing is to style."  Though I have never had an Imperial Weizen before it takes the absolute best from each and offers it in 12oz bottles.  Strong flavors from all the best parts of the hefe, yet the strong alcohol and bitter of an imperial make this brew unforgivable to miss if given the opportunity.

Total  49/50 (Outstanding)
This is currently my highest rated beer to date.  The only thing keeping it from being perfect was the detectable warmth levels.  The best imperials will hide it perfectly.  Granted, this beer did not have the dark roasted malt to work with that an imperial stout would, so it still retains high marks.  Some of you may be saying I went into this review a bit biased what with my intro paragraph and all which could easily be entitled, "Three Reasons to Love This Beer Before Even Trying It."  However, there have already been several blogs of various brewers which have left me disappointed despite my high hopes and I have not be afraid to "call it as I see it."  It is the double-edges sword of high expectations.  They can reconfirm your experience or leave you dissatisfied.

This beer somehow manages to showcase its strong, amazing flavors without trying to knock you down with them or becoming a one-trick pony.  It excellently exhibits everything that the style demands and adds nuances that improve it further still!  This not only goes down as the best hefe I've ever tasted, but also as one of my new top beers of all time.  Dan Carey can hang his hat high on this one.  Kudos again to New Glarus!  I only hope I can travel up to Wisconsin again before these bottles are off the shelves.

P.S.  Psst!  Dan & Deb... May I strongly suggest putting this out year round, even if at a premium?  Heck, if you decide to grow the brewery larger than just WI (yes, I know you're already bigger than you want to be), may I suggest that THIS be the flagship that you send to new shores.  The nation will not be disappointed.

New Glarus - Unplugged ABT

They say that good things come to those who wait and I have been waiting a long time to review this Abbey Ale from New Glarus.  OK, so it has not been that long, but my impatience sure makes it seem that way.  I love Abbey ales.  I love the robust fruit flavors, the warmth of high ABV levels, and their dark malty goodness.  Too much writing, must drink now.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

Aroma 7/12

Initially, this beer yielded only the strong smell of a bready, lightly caramel, but barely roasted malt.  It was not a good start.  Once the head began to die a bit all the wonderful aromas began to arise.  There is a dark fruit medley, almost the smell of wine, crumbles of brown sugar, and the warmth of alcohol.  It is everything one loves about an abbey ale, though the aroma is a bit muted.

Appearance 2/3

This brew pours with the consistency of a cola, but the colors are much more flattering.  A soft, dark copper with ruby glints and topped with a foamy, beige head.  Low head retention and almost no lacing.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 15/20

Initially sips are crisp, sweet, and show the sugar involved in brewing this beer, but the sensation is not long before giving way to this beer's backbone.  The main structure seems to be more of a dunkelweiss or weizenbock than a true abbey ale, as initial flavors are the caramelly malt found in the aroma.  There are also the banana/vanilla flavors present accompanied by a high (and VERY tasty) level of creaminess.  This is not to say that this beer is not true to style.  The flavors that we love about ABT are all present and can really be brought to the forefront with a quick slurp in much the same way utilized by wine tasters.  A quick slurp shows flavors of tart cherries, plums, figs, clove, and even apples!  This flavor remains through the finish, though in addition to the dark fruit it also reveals the uncamouflaged warmth of alcohol and a faint bitter tinge.  The warmth and spicy bitter tinge are continued in the aftertaste with only faint remnants of the delicious dark fruits.

Mouthfeel 4/5

"Brownie points" for a high and very nice level of creaminess.  The color is nice and the carbonation is moderate.  Warmth is not high for the style, but is not hidden very well amongst the normally strong flavors in an ABT.  Body was extremely pleasant.  Not too thick or syrupy as too many often put out in an effort to have intense flavors and high ABVs.  Its body was heavy enough to meet the style's demands, but still allowed the brew to go down nice and easy.

Overall Impression 7/10

Overall, the fruit flavors of this beer are always competing with some other sensation.  Be it the hearty malts, the warmth, or even sugar, the fruits are fighting to be seen.  Hops are all but absent except for a distant spicy bitterness in the finish and aftertaste.  The alcohol takes advantage of the muted fruit tones and makes its presence a bit too noticeable in the flavor.

Total 35/50

The thing I appreciate most about this beer is that it is not fake.  In the same way that I cannot stand an IPA that beats you over the head with hoppiness, an ABT that assaults you with fruit and alcohol simply because it is (somewhat) acceptable for the style is inappropriate and overall unpleasant.  This beer does not placate drinkers with false levels of artificial flavor, but I'm not quite sure it delivers on the expected boldness of an ABT.  Perhaps those that find ABTs to be too sweet (or have had the "fake/placating" versions) will appreciate this more authentic offering.  However, there are plenty of good, authentic ABTs out there that also provide a superior, bold drinking experience.

I love New Glarus and I do hold them to a higher standard.  If this were just any bottle of beer, I would definitely rate it as a superior bottle.  It offers flavor, creaminess, and warmth while not suffering drinkability.  But because it is New Glarus I know they can nail down this style.  This is anything but a bad variant from the style, just not the expected level of perfection.  Cheers, New Glarus!  You have set your bar high and that is never a bad thing.

New Glarus Brewing Co. - Unplugged/Smoked Rye Ale

Well, gang as that not two weeks ago I made a beer run to New Glarus, WI with some dear friends of mine, there are going to be a few (ok, more than a few) New Glarus brew reviews coming in the near future.  However, I will try to spread them out.  This will keep you from getting bored, me from drinking all my New Glarus at once, and will keep me trying different beers.  Win-win-win.

This week's selection is from their "Unplugged" series.  To paraphrase from their bottle, this is where they let their brewmaster do whatever the heck he wants and see what happens.  This particular bottle is from his "Smoked Rye Ale" doings.  I like smoked beers and I love rye (the hard alcohol AND the bread) so I am pretty stoked to sample this.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

Aroma 10/12

Smoke greets the nose first.  It is not the sweet smoke of mesquite, nor the dark smoke or a darkly roasted malt, but the smoke of campfire.  Just regular woodfire smoke, I do not say "regular" to put it down, only to give an accurate description of the beer.  There is also a sour smell that comes from the rye and some spices.  In fact, if you "smell the forest for the trees," these scents all combine to make the smell of, well, chaw.  If you've even opened a fresh tin of non-flavored chewing tobacco, this beer smells remarkably like that.  I personally do not care for chewing tobacco so I am a bit wary of the rest of this beer.

Appearance 2/3

A dark copper color with shades of red pours easily from the bottle.  It produces somewhere between a small and medium amount of beige-colored head.  It dissipates quickly but does leave a small amount of lacing on the glass.  Even toward the end of the pint a collar remains.  The effervescence of the head was interesting to watch: loose bubbles hung low underneath the head, but eventually rose and became part of the tighter-knit whole.  I know most beers function this way, but this beer's did not all happen at once.  The effect was almost like a lava lamp or those old water toys people used to keep on their desks where the drops of color would fall down ramps or spirals or turn wheels.

Picture is my own.

Flavor 17/20

I could see this category varying for different people.  Not everyone likes smoked beer and not everyone likes rye.  I happen to love both.  The first taste is the tartness of the rye, it fades very nicely (and quickly) into the sweet roasted malt flavor.  The sweetness of the malt is the primary flavor, and if held in the mouth long enough will even turn sugary sweet for the finish.  The sweetness is not overpowering thanks to the unfamiliar flavors of the rye.  My first sip finished buttery which then revisted the sweetness before settling into a bit of a dry aftertaste.  The buttery flavor was hard to  discern the rest of the pint, but did result in an "Oh my gosh!" during that first sip.  Thankfully, the chaw flavor was absent, but occasionally makes itself present during an exhale.  Fascinating drink!

Mouthfeel 3/5

Nothing jaw-dropping here, but nothing distracting either.  A medium-light body is accompanied by a higher level of carbonation than the style demands.  Keeping in mind that this beer is a sipper, the high carbonation may be necessary to have an adequate level by the end.  Smooth.

Overall Impression 8/10

A tasty brew!  This addition of unique ingredients makes for a very interesting experience.  The mature flavors sacrifice drinkability, but not for a hefty price.  The taste of actual sugar was an especially interesting moment.  It is a bit malty in the balance, but overall a flavorful, rich, smooth, unique, and worthwhile beer.  

Total 40/50 (Excellent)

It is a cruel irony that it is hard to review a beer that does not have a particular style, but I love drinking beers that experiment and vary from styles.  This beer certainly provided that challenge.  Talk about a chord of unusual flavors, especially in a beer!  Having just written that sentence, I cannot imagine the challenge that it must have been to not only incorporate these strong, different flavors into a beer, but to do so accurately and without overwhelming the drinker is quite a feat.  Long story short?  I love smoke beers, I love rye, I love Reuben sandwiches, and the sugar was pretty cool too.  Big kudos to New Glarus on this one for the technical creation, the imagination to create it, and for having it all come together nicely.  Cheers!

New Glarus - Unplugged/Apple Ale

After a road trip to New Glarus Brewery and picking up some unusual bottles I headed home excited about the reviews that were to come.  This is one of those reviews.  It is from something that New Glarus is now apparently calling "Unplugged," though I have seen this Apple Ale in its own packaging before.  There are now several brews in this "Unplugged" label, usually accompanied with a red foil top.  Initially, I thought it was to save costs for limited releases (each unique beer would not require its own label), but on the side each one still has a description of the beer.  So that theory is down the tubes.  It does have the following paragraph on each Unplugged bottle before that unique beer's description.

"Some people pain, some sing, others write... I brew." -Daniel Carey

A few times a year we will cut Dan loose to brew whatever he chooses, uncensored, uncut, unplugged. Always handcrafted, the bottle you hold is brewed for the adventurous soul.  This is a very limited edition and we make no promises to ever brew this style again.

This is right up my alley and I'm sure most other craft beer drinkers as well.  Limited supply, encouraged brewer creativity, "adventurous soul," maybe never brewed again... what more do you want?!?  This description plus the distinction of New Glarus Brewery has me very excited to crack this brew open.  Let's pour!

Picture is my own.  Bottle art image used without permission for educational uses only.

Aroma 8/12

There are some very good things happening in the aroma.  Initial inhales instantly imply apple.  Much like their other fruit-based brews, it is an authentic fruit smell, and not artificially sweet.  After the initial effervescence slows down, an extremely faint, biscuity malt shows through, and is then overcome again by the smell of apples.  The reprise of the apples is more cidery than the initial aroma, bearing both the sour and the spice characteristics of true apple cider.  One could definitely compare it to sparkling cider, but with more authenticity.  No are hops detectable.

Appearance 2/3

The pour creates a medium-sized, white head that collapses quickly.  The appearance of this ale seems to mix the clarity of apple juice (completely translucent) and the color of apple cider (dark rust).  A nice nod to its namesake and combines nice elements of both.  There was no lacing left on the glass.

Flavor 14/20

A tasty beer, but it is difficult to discern the 'ale' in this 'Apple Ale.'  The apples are certainly present.  Their sweetness is the first sensation and very pleasant.  It transitions quickly to the slightly spiced/bitter cidery flavor and stays there until the finish, which is fantastic.  It finishes with a buttery(!) note, but without completely losing the sweetness of the apple.  Very neat and very complimentary sensation!  However, any malt presence is beyond my palate to detect unless it is blended with the sweetness of the apple.  This beer states it has a brown ale base, but it is completely lost in the cidery/goodness.  As it stands, this beer is extremely flavorful, but not true to style.

Mouthfeel 3/5

Extremely light in body and "Woodchuck-esque" in its drinkability.  It is a very satiating brew.  Moderate carbonation throughout the pint allows the aromas to reappear again and again.  That is not always an easy ask after already having tasted the beer.

Overall Impression 6/10

This is tasty, but for the price (Unplugged series are typically sold in 4-packs around $8, at least at the brewery) I would rather try one of their other specialty beers.  This beer lacks the complexity of other fruit-based New Glarus offerings and is more of a cider than an ale.  Its clarity, good carbonation, fruit-dominated flavor, and nearly imperceptible malt all point to cider (yes, I am aware ciders do not employ malts in their brewing process).

Total  33/50

I am a little disappointed with this New Glarus offering, but perhaps only because they have set the bar so high for themselves with prior offerings.  This beer still tastes great, but it reminds me a little too much of Woodchuck's Fall Cider without all the punch-you-in-the-face amount of spices.  In fact, because I do not expect a lot from a Woodchuck I was extremely pleased with their Fall Cider and looked for it several times during the season.  This New Glarus bottle had all my expectations upon it and I was left wanting.

          The true apple taste allow this brew to be marketed as a fall (yum, apples!) or sumer seasonal (very satisfying on a hot day).  Overall, it lacks the complexity and nuance that I have come to associate with New Glarus.  To me, this tasted like a cider and I would challenge most others to try and discern the difference in appearance or taste.  Due to its diverging from the style, this beer has suffered some points.  In summary, I liked Woodchuck's seasonal and I like this.  I simply have come to expect more from the excellent brewers at New Glarus than this simple, not-to-style offering.

UPDATE:  Be sure to check out the "redemption bottle" that helped this brew, but not perfect it.