New Glarus Unplugged Enigma

Formerly brewed at New Glarus Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale
New Glarus, Wisconsin USA

Bottle graciously shared by iowaherkeye at the Grand Tasting 2009. Pours a thick deep red which is hazy at first and quickly settles. Nose is tart cherries - like supplication but more straight-at-you. Flavor is that wonderful tart fruit, only slight wood, faint roast, and a distinct Flemish quality only much better - more edgy and unpolished. Very, very good.

(bottle thanks STLWill!) Pours light brown with a small white head. Aroma possesses some nail polish remover qualities similar to Rodenbach, with some sweeter aromas of cherry pie filling, oak, mustard, and funk. The taste is pretty subdued, but this could just be due to the aging. The flavors are light cherry that’s faintly sweet, with the finish switching over to dry oak with some cinnamon and tartness as well. Mouthfeel is medium and carbonation is minimal. While decent, I would hope to try a fresher sample if NG ever decides to brew this again.

[Bottle] shared by STLWill. Pours deep copper with a small beige head. Aroma is quite acetic, a touch funky, balsamic vinegar, woody, earthy, and obvious tartness. Flavor is moderately sweet with a nice crisp tartness, cherry, dry woodiness, and cinnamon with a thinnish mouthfeel.

Bottle shared by STLWill (thanks!) Clear whiskey colored pour, little carbonation. Aroma was very sweet, almost reminded me of a liqueur. Flavor started with sweet and sour cherries, then finished with some spicy cinnamon. Aftertaste was also great, some good funk and very tart. I wish I could get some more of this.

Thanks to someone at IBU. A little disappointed by this one. Not particularly sour and what is there is pretty boring, not very funky. Some gross fruitiness in the aroma. Pretty average sour brown.

[2115-20090421] 12floz bottle. Vanilla whiskey wood cask aroma with heavily toasted yeast and mild ripened melon or cantaloupe. Hazy, dark amber brown with a quick bubbly off-white head. Cherry oak wood malt flavour is tart up front folled with a sweet finish and candied marachino cherry sauce in between. Full body is smooth. Really unique, lovely cherry wood.
(w/ blankboy, garthicus, jerc)

Shared by Jerc and Mabel with Blankboy and I. Appearance: Red with flecks, small white head. Aroma: Coriander, malt, caramel, cherry and candy. Flavour: Wow, wood, cherry, alcohol, warming oak with a nice alcoholic finish.

12 oz. bottle @ DLD ’09; managed to trade for a bottle of this nearly extinct beauty while waiting in line for our Dark Lord. It was warmer than I would have liked and perhaps hadn’t been stored ideally, but made for a fine experience nonetheless; poured a rusty amber w/ a small off-white head; aroma was heavy w/ coconut, woodyness, bourbon and sour goodness; flavor was a lot stronger than I expected w/ a heavy coconut bent again, accented by sweet berries, vanilla and sour acidity; thin bodied finishing sweet and sour simultaneously. Wish I could have this again, but my nascent impressions are: beautiful.