New Glarus Unplugged Enigma

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

I REALLY liked this beer. Huge mix of flavors and aroma, and simply giving a laundry list of them won’t do it justice, but suffice to say that cherry and oak are big players, and red wine, too. It’s very spritzy, and that’s what kkeps it interesting. Never heavy or cloying, its a fruit beer that doesn’t wear out its welcome. Awesome stuff. Thanks to Buckybeer for the trade!

Bottle. Thanks to Stine for sending me this. Pours a muddy brown body with thin head. Aroma is of wood, vanilla, heavy malt with dried fruit. Flavor is slightly sour, sugary, sweet malt, cherries, vanilla. The mouthfeel is slightly dry with a thick syrupy texture. A very good sour ale.

Tart cider aroma with some funk and mild cinnamon. Couldy brownish amber in color. Sweet cherry flavor dances with caramel apples and some cinnamon. Very tingly. Overall a damn tasty brew.

Bottle. Head is initially small, frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing. Body is hazy/murky light to medium brown. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (caramel, cookie, chocolate), with notes of cardboard/sherry, cherry, wood, vanilla, cinnamon, cigar box. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, watery/velvety/syrupy texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. More blatant oxidation than most beers of this type, which is kind of odd, but the other aspects of the aroma are quite nice. Tasty, rich flavor balance. Very good stuff.

Bottled. Beer is cloudy, warm, light caramel brown with a tiny, fizzy, white, mostly and rapidly diminishing head.<P>The aroma is sweet-tart. Malty with light notes of biscuit, caramel; Hoppy with light lemon zest; Yeasty with light notes of basement; Miscellany include moderate fresh, tart cherry, candy sugar, light notes of young wood, trace of pumpkin pie spices.<P>The flavor is moderately/heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter with a long, moderately sweet, light/moderately bitter, lightly acidic/juicy finish.<P>The body is medium, the texture is watery and the carbonation is lively.<P>Really lovely.

The beer is tasting good right now. 12 oz bottle thanks to Holdenn. Brown with orange, off white head that to me does not match aroma and taste, not a bad thing. Aroma of sour apple, cherries and a little funk. Tastes of sour oak and over ripe fruit. Med to full body and fizzy carb. Overall a very good beer, I could drink lots of these.

Bottle poured a hazy copper brown with a small lasting amber head. Aromas of oak, vanilla, fruitiness, toffee and hints of bourbon and spice. Palate was light bodied smooth and slightly tart. Flavors of dark fruit, oak, toffee, light spice and hints of bourbon and coconut with a crisp slightly tart finish.

12 oz bottle from Stine, thanks alot. Pours a hazy brown in color with a medium off white head. Aroma is sour cherry, oak, with light notes of caramel malt. Taste is a bit sour, with sour cherries, funk, alot of oak, and some vanilla. This could actually be more sour. Finishes tart with notes of cherry and rasberry.