New Glarus R & D Golden Ale

Brewed by New Glarus Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
New Glarus, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

Big thanks to Terminus for picking this one up for me some time back. Pours clear golden with a generous sudsy white head. The aroma has a bunch of funk and bugs along with stone fruit, toasty malt, brett and huskiness. Medium body that is on the crisp side with some frothy carbonation that really works to distribute the flavors. It starts out with the notes of the aroma, but it is drier and has a lot of spiciness and pepper. There is also a bit of basement funk and wild characters that have probably developed over the last couple years. The finish has some sulfur and mineral aspects that really seems to work for this pretty well. Quite complex and very great beer. Hopefully I’m able to pick more of this up at some time. Another big winner from New Glarus.

Bottle as shown. Pours a cloudy golden with a small off white head leaving spotty lacing. The aroma is a fruity hop and citrus. Thin mouthfeel with a wheat and dry hop. A very good wild ale from New Glarus

Pours a very hazy gold with a nice white head, good retention. Aroma is yeasty banana bread. Medium bodied with very active carbonation. very complex cant put my finger on a lot of the flavors im getting out of it. some spiceyness, funky yeasty flavor sums it up. Very good stuff, different.

Bottle purchased at the brewery 01-05-12, botled on 6-18-09. Pours a bright, slightly hazy gold with thick white head. Aromas of yeast and citrus. The first few sips reminded me of a very dry cider...very crisp. Brett flavors definately up front with some musty hops and grain. This is good, but not as good as I was expecting.

2009 from madvike. Light hazy golden pour with a white fizzy head. Aroma was a bit funky, nice brett presence with some earthy hints of pale malt and grassy hops. Not much sourness going on, bubbly body with good carbonation. Danced on the tongue. Notes of lemon and some funky brett. Finished dry as a bone with a light bitter finish. Very drinkable and refreshing. Good stuff.

Clear blond body. Nice aroma of american hops and caramalts: well balanced. Moderately bitter, lightly sweet flavour. Well balanced, but not very complex. Very drinkable and quite nice though.

2009 bottle thanks to Jeff. Carefully opened, not a gusher at all. Pour is a very slightly hazy light gold copper, with a billowing white head that fades to a nice skim with decent lacing. Aroma is fairly strong brett funk, a bit of straw, some grainyness. A fair bit of phenols. Only slightly tart. Taste is much the same, with lots of brett attic and barnyard character. Quite a bit of Belgian yeast still present. Slight plastic character on the finish. Overall, a decent beer, but not mind blowing.

2009 bottle. Murky golden color with a big, rocky white head. Belgian yeast, aged hop and a little mouldy hay funk in the nose. Some candi sugar sweetness with a little of that mouldy hay funk, oxidation and some warm orange juice. I’m not sure that this beer ages that well.