New Glarus Unplugged Belgian Quadruple

Bottle (Thaks Ughsmash). Pours a slightly hazy copper/amber color with a medium sized head. Aromas of yeast, alcohol, some spices, slight sour funkiness and some fruits. Flavor is much the same, with alcohol becoming a little prevalent and the Brett coming into light. A bit on the hot side, but still tasty.

One of the better beers of the series if you understand this is NOT a classic quad. If you’re thinking of this only as a typical quad, I can see how you’d rate this lower. However, if you’re familiar with what Dan’s been doing lately, you’d understand his direction with this beer and what he’s trying to accomplish. Not to be a Dan Carey apologist, as there as some slight flaws which detract from the overall quality, but an incredibly intriguing character helps to offset these. As for the beer itself, the color is quite deceiving and detracts slightly from the overall beer. Crystal clear from filtration that left no sediment behind......unfortunate. Lighter in color than I was expecting. However, this negative is slight in the subsequent tapestry of flavours which nest present themselves. Aroma that reminds me of the old Apple Ale. Nutmeg, cinnamon, apple cider. Light note of brett perfectly accented by hints of bourbon and oak. Creamy mouthfeel, residual sweetness and active carbonation that reminds one of a Belgian ale. Immediately after, a strong presence of cherry, bourbon and a pleasant tobacco/horse character from the brett. A slight warming on the finish that was just a touch hot. Then, the bourbon quickly becomes very assertive, but notes of vanilla remain. A little toasted oak peeps its head as well. I’d love to sit on this awhile and see what happens with the brett and bourbon, but worry about the amount of filtration which may have negatively impacted its ability to age properly. Overall, the slight mis-steps are more than offset by the intriguing complexities of flavour which are interwoven throughout this beer. A must try!

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry & biegaman -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a slightly hazy orange-bronze with a small diminishing creamy off-white head. Aroma’s yeasty, fruity and oaky along with some light spices and sourness. Sweet flavour of yeast, sweet malt, oak, dried fruit and spices -- so well balanced. Nice to have a beer that’s oak aged and done right, the flavour’s not ridiculously over-the-top with bourbon. Alcohol’s well hidden. Medium bodied, syrupy mouthfeel. Unique and interesting -- this is very good stuff!

Bottle from Ryan. Thanks. This is one I have wanted to try for a while, just never got around to trading for any of it. Pours out a light brown to almost red color. Smell is sweet and full of fruits, plums, and some hints of oak. Taste is sweet and somewhat spicy, no alcohol detected in this one. Yet another good one, this one sneaked up on me - I had no idea it was 11% abv. Good stuff, not in the leauge of the real quads, but certainly interesting and worth seeking out and trying. Good stuff

Lightly red and rosey orange with a soft glow and a good amount of carbonation percolating within. Smallish dense capping of off-white foam breathes for a bit before it fades to a soft skim and a few strecthes of inky stringed lacing. Aroma is slightly tinted in a sour cherry realm, light and fruity sweet, a touch of tin within the alcoholic warmth is quite evident. Taste is unique for a quad, a bit more fruity and light, then dark and malty with sweet candy. This has light fruity sweetness tied in with a quick punch of sourness which reaches into cherries, berries, pear, and apple. Rounds off nicely into the finish with a quiet build up of fruit skin dryness of green raisin, cherry, and pear. Uniquely heated with a complexing warmth to its nature. Kinda sherry-ish mixed with a white wine, mixed with a light lambic soured quality thats very easy to handle and not overbearing in any fashion. The malts play out well and keep a nice, sweet balance to measure off the soured tones. More like a fruit beer, but fitting within a Belgian quailty, no doubt. Feel is light to medium in tone to begin, lightly pucking on sour, quick, crisp, but somehow has a malty character that builds from underneath making it a fun voyage on the palate as it flows into the middle and finish. As with the flavors, the balance is quite acceptable with an overall malty solitude that’s noteably bold with a nice twist of sour and snap, crispness, and verve. The warmth is complexing and the dryness very light and pleasing. A nice little drinker for sure;slips down right quick. Perhaps, and yes, quite unusually suited to be catagorized as a Quad. It has a unique character all of owns that somehow speaks to the name New Glarus.

12 oz bottle via Monger (thanks!). Pours a hazy copper with a very alcoholic & fruity nose. Taste reminds me of a cross between a scotch ale and a Belgian Quad. Lots of fruity esters, spicey, medicinal alcohol finish..not hot, but medicinal. Full body, syrupy mouthfeel.

Bottle (12oz). Shared with blankboy and biegaman, my bottle via trade with oakbluff - thanks!!!. Slightly hazy bright light bronze with a small off-white frothy head. Aroma - well it’s nice, but a quad? - tart apple cider, alcohol, oak resin, sweet malt and a sour ale level of sour funkiness hovering around ... brett? Taste - brett!! - funky, balanced, oak/vanilla, sweet fruity malt, smooth spice and tartness - damn that’s nice - not strictly on style I’d say, but who cares? - it’s terrific! Syrupy, slick body, alcoholic and resiny mouthfeel, balanced finish. This really gets bourbon aging right - subtle and yummy.

From a 12oz Bottle. Purchased at Riley’s Wines of the World in Madison, WI. Pours a crystal clear, spruce sap amber color with a foamy head of off-white that dies down to a rocky froth after the forced carbonation stops coming out of solution. The aroma is quite satisfying; at first, a light red cherry fruitiness greets the nostrils with a gleam of the trademark NG cidery yeast character greeting the nostrils. Plunging my nose deeper into my tulip glass brings out several more layers of complex bouquet. Squeezed blood orange juice, fermented pineapples, light vanilla caramels, and underripe strawberries form a delcious smelling fruity bouquet, complimented by a touch of brett character that keeps it fresh and alive. Medium bodied, sparkling carbonation mouthfeel. Filtered, which pretty much says it all. It just has this artificial carbonation feel when it really needs that authentic continuous shimmer of carbonation to lighten up the mouthfeel and keep it tasting alive in the way that only bottle conditioning can do. Flavors are solid, but not quite as enticing as the bouquet. Lightly spicy, with some hints of apricot and peach. A light, reddish cherry flavor mingles as well, but isn’t quite as cidery as the aroma would suggest. Borderline medicinal, but never gets to the point of being distractingly prominent. Some hints of moderately dry single malt scotch linger on the back end. Warming on the finish, but not overly hot. Not bad overall, but could really stand to have a matured carbonation mouthfeel and a yeast character that’s less bright.