New Glarus is rollin'

Every year, New Glarus puts out a group of beers that it labels as part of its "Unplugged" series. They leave the brewmaster to come up with any sort of beer he feels like, and then they send it out as a limited release. One of this year's Unplugged beers, The New Glarus Berliner Weiss, was described as the "Champagne of the North" by Napoleon.


Appearance: Clear, pale, and straw-colored. Poured a fluffy, Styrofoam-like white head that dissipated very quickly. Tons of carbonation was apparent here, as the bubbles could be seen the entire time it was being drank.

Aroma - A very tart, Granny-smith apple smell; hints of lemon, citrus and wheat accentuated a wonderfully well-rounded aroma.

Mouthfeel - As soon as I took the first sip, the carbonation slammed my tongue, giving way to a slight sourness. The beer was very light, and the aftertaste can really only be described as "sticky."

Taste - Very tart with a bit of lemon and apple. This almost reminded me of a Flemish Sour Ale crossed with club soda. There's a very distinct "wine-like" flavor here, and it pans out beautifully.

Overall - An outstanding beer, and one of the best I've ever had. Napoleon was right in comparing it to champagne, but this beer has so much more going on. The extreme carbonation coupled with the wonderful blend of flavors made for an absolutely incredible beer.

Grade: A+

I apologize for the sticker, but I'm sure you'll get the picture

Stone Brewery: Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout.

Appearance - A true stout. It is as dark as night and pours like motor oil. I must admit, I was a bit intimidated by this beer; I was intimidated by its character and the possibility that I'd never find a better chocolate stout. The head can be slightly rocky if you move from the 45 to the 90 at half-glass. I think it was just as tasty without the rockiness.

Aroma - As expected from its relatively high ABV., it has a quite pungent odor. It smells much like a mixture of soy-sauce a la coffee, and a dash of confectionery chocolate. You know you've got a solid product awaiting.

Mouthfeel - Very thick, but smooth and silky like an oatmeal stout should be - and damn good. This stout is creamy like a milkshake when it comes to body and has a "swish-able" quality that follow suit. I've had it both at 55 degrees and at around 30, and I'd recommend a happy median. While you do get the wonderful flavors at 55, the alcohol can be biting at times, insofar as stouts can bite.

Taste - Heavy chocolate taste. Bitter just as labeled with notes of coffee, though I'd select chocolate as the main squeeze. Semi-sweet on the palate with a dry finish. Wonderful with the wings I had.

Overall - Aside from having the longest name possible, this is one of my more favored stouts, a legend among Chocolates. Stone did it right to celebrate its 12th Anniversary, and I am thankful for being a part of its tradition of master brewing. Beyond the intricately painted designs on the front and thoughtful storytelling on the back, this stout was as complex as any of them and left me drooling for more (and cleanly buzzed). For anyone wishing to experience the diversity that Chocolate stouts can bring, you won't want to miss this wonderful beer.

Grade: A

Today? Why, it's another IPA!

I apologize for the picture...it was taken on my cell's camera. I had Lakefront's India Pale Ale at work today...they had sent us an entire case for the National IPA Challenge, so we had a bunch left over. I don't know much about the brewery, but I'll certainly tell you about their beer!

Appearance - pours a cloudy dark, golden color with a nice, creamy head which dissipated very quickly. It left a nice lacing around the glass (see: picture).

Aroma - smells like hops. Very fresh, grassy hops. There was a bit of the traditional citrus aroma, but hops definitely dominates here. I detected a bit of malty caramel as well, but it's barely there.

Mouthfeel - wonderful balance between smoothness and carbonation. Goes down very easily and leaves a bitter, dry aftertaste. In fact, it was a bit too bitter for me.

Taste - I only wish all beers tasted this fresh. This seems close to a wet-hopped beer due to its level of freshness, and it's absolutely delicious. There's a little bit of fruity malt, but the hops overpowers it.

Overall - a great beer for hopheads, which I happen to be! Lakefront really hopped the crap out of this beer, perhaps a bit too much, but it was still wonderful. Kudos to them for keeping such a fresh taste, as well. I have them losing in the first round to Bear Republic's Racer 5, but after this...I might be rethinking my pick.

Grade: A-

A Very Hoppy Anniversary

Sierra Nevada really likes to brew hoppy beers - if you've ever had their Harvest or Celebration Ale I'm sure you have a pretty good idea what I'm talking about. Their 2008 Anniversary is no exception to this trend- it's billed as an American IPA, promises copious amounts of hops, and appears to fit their overall style of hopping the crap out of their beers. The only question is...how does it measure up?

Appearance - A thick, fluffy two-finger head that dissipates slowly leaving lacing around the glass. Pours a beautiful cloudy copper/amber color with visible sediment, reinforcing the fact that it's an unfiltered beer.

Aroma - overwhelmingly hoppy with citrus undertones; the hops seem to carry a very fresh, floral smell with a hint of malts.

Mouthfeel - very well-carbonated and balanced perfectly with the beer itself. Medium-bodied and quite smooth, as well as easy to drink. A pleasant, bitter aftertaste lingers afterward.

Taste - Hops, hops and more hops. The hint of citrus is there, but the hops practically drown it out. Dry and bitter from start to finish, making for a great IPA. A slight, bready flavor is there as well.

Overall - Sierra Nevada has done it again! Their 2008 Anniversary Ale is excellent, and a great example of what an American IPA should taste like. The only complaint I have with it is that it was too hoppy-- the other flavors that are in this beer are masked because of its hoppiness. Otherwise, a terrific job by Sierra Nevada!

Grade: A-

This beer is Stout-errific!

To continue on my path of doing a different beer style for every write-up, I chose New Glarus' Coffee Stout, from the great state of Wisconsin (Go Packers!). Stouts are usually perceived as being heavy, filling beers that shouldn't be drank when it's hot out. According to my thermometer, it's a cool 24 degrees outside, so this is definitely the perfect time for a good ol' stout.


Appearance - Pours an opaque, dark brown with a very thick, tan 3-finger head which is slow to dissipate.

Aroma - Smells of coffee, malt and a hint chocolate, with a big roasted backbone.

Mouthfeel - Not as thick as I was expecting... drinks more like a porter than a stout. Quite a bit of carbonation that really hits the tongue when it's first sipped. The aftertaste is there, but is pretty weak.

Taste - A nice, roasted malt flavor with chocolate undertones that finishes with a heavy coffee taste. Everything is balanced out very, very well. A slight hint of bitterness from the hops lingers after the first sip is swallowed.

Overall - New Glarus has really impressed me here, brewing a great stout and the best coffee beer I've had. This isn't as thick as a typical stout, and there's a bit more carbonation than usual, but that doesn't deter from the beer itself. I found this one much too drinkable, although that's not exactly a bad thing!

Grade: A-

Another Day, another beer...

On tap today we have Long Trail's Hefeweizen, which actually made it all the way to the finals, before losing, in The Brewing News' Global Warming Open. Let's get to it!

Appearance - Poured a cloudy, dark golden color with a small, fluffy head that dissipated quickly. Looked pretty unfiltered to me-- quite a bit of yeast in the beer.

Aroma - Two smells really stood out-- bananas and a heavy, lemony aroma. There was a hint of wheat (it is a wheat beer!) and a grass-like fragrance as well.

Mouthfeel - Really nice carbonation that hits the tongue immediately, a very light beer with a somewhat sticky aftertaste. The body itself was a bit too watery for my tastes, but it went down easily enough.

Taste - Typical banana flavor, but what really hit me was the strong, prevalent lemon taste. The two formed a nice balance, but I felt the aftertaste was a really sweet, tangy lemon flavor...perhaps a bit too much of one.

Overall - It's easy to see how this made it all the way to the finals-- it's really refreshing and would definitely be great on a warm summer's day. Of course, with it being winter and all...well, you get my point.

Grade: B

Meet my hippie friend, Red. He's a real Hophead!

I went into my fridge tonight, and pulled out this beauty of an amber ale-- Green Flash's Hop Head Red.

Appearance - It poured a thick, cloudy brown with the yeast sediment very visible and had a fluffy, off-white head.

Aroma - very malty and a hefty dose of caramel...has a nice, sweet citrus undertone with a strong dose of hops...Green Flash definitely did not hold back!

Mouthfeel - a good amount of carbonation is present, and this beer is very, very smooth. The aftertaste isn't really there, and this beer is way too easy to drink.

Taste - The hops flavor hits first, and it hits hard! It's really well-balanced with the citrus (I'm thinking grapefruit) flavor. The hops/citrus gives way to the malt/caramel backbone, and then finishes with more of that bitter hoppiness-- it's like a roller coaster... of beer.

Overall - This is more like an IPA, but I'm certainly not complaining. An outstanding beer that I could definitely drink a couple more of. Just like their West Coast IPA, Green Flash has brewed another winner!!

Grade: A