New Glarus Unplugged Enigma

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

(Bottle) Pours a reddish-brown body with a small off-white head. Aroma of wood, bourbon, vanilla, smoke, some sour, and beef jerky. Flavor of oak, bourbon, and cherries. An incredible beer!

Pours to an opaque reddish brown. Aroma shifts from an initial character of sour cherry and vanilla to an outrageously funky leathery, mossy, wet woody thing. The sour cherry is foremost in the flavor but it’s infused with a thick smokey mist and a faint chocolate sweetness. A little hint of tomato? Deeply complex and interesting, more palateable than it is bracingly sour.

Bottle courtesy of Monger: Poured a dirty brown/reddish color ale with a medium light foamy head with average retention and good lacing. Aroma consists of oak with some tart notes and some red wine characteristics. Taste is a very well balance mix of oak with some tartness and some acidic notes well balance by light cherries and some dry red wine. Body is above average with some low filtration and medium carbonation. Very well done and definitely something that I would like to try again. Re-rate (2008): A lot more sweetness then first rating with some disctintive smoke and less vinous and red wine notes then previously. Extremely complex but I still think that I prefer the non-aged version.

Poured a cloudy medium reddish brown color with a fizzy white head and a lot of small bubbles clinging to the side of the glass. The aroma was cherries and vanilla. The flavors were somewhat tart cherries, almond, molasses, vanilla, and a little barnyard.

From bottle courtesy of Immy. Pours an orange/brown with thin white head. Nose is of sour and tart plums. Flavor is darker fruits, sweet, slightly sour. Palate is smooth and slightly syrupy. Amazingly palatable Flemish Sour.

12 oz bottle from my Secret Santa - thanks, whoever you are! Murky amber/orange with a small tan head. Lightly funky, tart nose, cherries, a mild woodiness. Tart flavor, sour cherry, a wisp of smoke. This is easily the most insanely drinkable Flemish sour style beer I have ever encountered - I was left yearning for more! Excellent!

12oz bottle. Aroma: Light sourness, cherries, oak, vanilla, light smoke, and a faint ’wet dog’ funkiness. Appearance: Medium brown in color with orange highlights. Off-white head was small and creamy, but didn’t last long. Nice lacing. Flavor: Nice sourness up front with a strong cherry flavor. Oak is assertive, but not overpowering. Vanilla, smoke, coconut, and a light citrus note. Palate: Medium bodied. Moderate carbonation. Light alcohol warming in back of mouth. Overall: Good beer. Oak really stands out here. Just a hair from being to woody. Wish I had a lot more of this.

Bottle from 1FastSTi. Now I don’t know too much about Flemish Sours except that I don’t really care for them, but this was pretty good. Murky amber color with no head. The aroma was of fruit, vanilla, wood, and funk. The taste was the same with tart notes and sour/ tart finish. Got better as it warmed. I can respect this for what it is.