12oz red-foiled bottle poured into a New Glarus goblet. $9.99 a 4 pack from Cassanova in Hudson (hard as it was to turn down the $50 for 3 x 24 flats of Coors Light they had on deal)! Yes, all the cars in the parking lot had MN plates - Sunday opening activists....
ABV : 4%
Part of the very limited "Thumbprint" Series, the inspiration behind it described below:
It is always flattering when less imaginative competitors copy our beers, packaging, and/or marketing. I usually accept this as a personal challenge to do something more. When our trademarked Solstice name was infringed on, I regrouped with Dancing Man. When lots of deconstructed 4 and 6 packs showed up I knew I was doing a good job. When another Midwestern brewer released a "Un*******" series. I thought I can do better.
Thumbprint beers are still brewed with the beer enthusiast in mind. Thumbprint beers are brewed in small batches that are intended to be available for one time only. However, popular demand has caused some styles to return. This is my own thumbprint, to let everyone know this is a real New Glarus handcrafted beer! Cheers.
—Deborah Carey (President, New Glarus Brewing Company)
Style : Fruit/Vegetable Beer. Description from Beer Advocate :
A generic form of flavored beer, some breweries actually use real fruit or veggies, though most use an extract, syrup or processed flavor to give the effect of a particular fruit or vegetable. Usually ales, but with not much ale character to them and commonly unbalanced. Malt flavor is typically hidden with a low hop bitterness to allow the fruit or vegetable to dominate.
While PONDER-ing my latest beer pick in the midst of a dismal Vikings loss to the P**kers, it occured to me the perfect penance would be to review a beer from a perennial Wisconsin favourite, New Glarus Brewing. I'm asked on a daily basis at the store if we carry New Glarus and of course the answer is no - it's proudly exclusive to Wisconsin. In 2011 it sold all 108,000 barrels it produces within Wisconsin borders. On a side note, I found it interesting while at the GABF in Denver in October the longest lines were not for Dogfish Head, Three Floyd's or even Surly but for New Glarus.
"Apple Ale sings with the fresh crisp taste of apples. Our brewmaster begins with a brown ale base employing Wisonsin farmed wheat and a blend of fresh picked apples. Our apple growing friends squeeze them especially for this brew. Expect this ale to pour a beautiful copper colour. The fresh bouquet of apple will rise to meet you even before the glass touches your lips. So be sure to sip slowly and enjoy the fruits of a Wisconsin harvest".
My take:
Pours a clear, dark yellow. Aroma of tart apples, taste is sharp and refreshing, Granny Smith. Crisp, quenching, light bodied - nothing artificial tasting about this beer. Apple juice, with a little more carbonization and a pleasant, if ever so slight, vanilla aftertaste.
Rating: A
I'm a fan of Furthermore's "Fallen Apple" New Glarus' Apple Ale is less creamy than that and reminds me more of a British cider than a beer, but perhaps not as dry. Whether it is really a cider or a beer is another matter but who cares, it is delicious!
Rate Beer Score : 98/100 Overall
Beer Advocate : 92 (Exceptional)
More info:
*Brewery founded in 1993 by Deborah and Dan Carey, making Deborah the first woman to operate a brewery in the US.
*Today is the 21st largest craft brewery and 32nd largest overall brewing company in the US.
* New Glarus Brewing is a big supporter of Universal Health Care (are you reading this Papa F***g John)?!
*The town of New Glarus has a population of 2,304 according to 2010 Census. It was named after the Canton of Glarus in Eastern Switzerland and was founded in 1845 by immigrants from Glarus, Switzerland.
*New Glarus is the best known Swiss settlement in the country.
www.swisstown.com
New Glarus Brewing Company Hours : Mon-Sun 10am-4pm
2400 State Highway 69
New Glarus, WI 53574
'PH: 608-527-5850
www.newglarusbrewing.com Twitter: newglarusbeer
Driving time from Minneapolis is approx. 4 Hours 40 Minutes (281 miles). Madison is nearby, (27 miles, about a 45 minute drive).
The point which I like about New Glarus is it uses real fruit or veggies and extract syrup to give effect.
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