Wisconsin Belgian Red - New Glarus Brewing Company

LeRose

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Draft at several bars in Madison, WI. Not a big fruit beer fan, but really loved this stuff. Lots of cherry flavor, a nice tartness to balance the sweet, some malty character in the background. DIdn't get the artificial cherry flavor I've had in some other kriek-type brews. Definitely a good job by New Glarus on that aspect. Way in the background I thought I found some malty (ie real beer) backbone underlying the whole thing vs. the more soda pop varieties. Very nice, balanced taste and certainly drinkable. Sort of explosive flavor - very strong, competent flavor profile overall. The only knock for me is the "fizzy bubbly" - not a huge deterrent as the bar tabs would reveal...

Review from notes

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2012 16:36:51 | More by LeRose

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from straight from the source in New Glarus Wisconsin at the Brewery.

Appearance: Dark and murky; yet still a brilliant red. White colored head that has a really nice lace on the side of the glass.

Smell: heres a surprise... CHERRYS. Big fruity cherries and some added sweetness from the malt profile. Its almost like cherry pie smell.

Taste: Both sweet and tart cherries, with a decent balance of the cherry profile. Its also got a mild oak and earthy note to it. Great fruit beer.

Mouthfeel: drinks like a medium bodied beer even though its only 4%. moderate carbonation levels. The carbonation is almost seltzer like and lively. Just enough carbonation to keep the beer from becoming syrupy. Easy drinker here.

Overall: Drank this beer many time, just finally reviewed it. I really love this fruit beer and the raspberry tart is just as tasty. New Glarus is known for the fruit beers for a reason! They are World Class!

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2012 10:49:06 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

Trifecta1

Illinois

4.6/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the New Glarus Brewery in New Glarus, WI.

A - Rust red, small pearl-red head. Good amounts of carbonation present.

S - Cherry pie like momma used to make, but holding back on the heavily-sweetened scent.

T - Sweet and tart cherries, with a classic malty taste squeaking in near the end. Nectar of the gods, a must try for cherry lovers.

M - Heavily carbonated, kind of champagne-like qualities. Light, lack of that syrupy feeling.

O - Must try for sweet beer lovers, cherry lovers, and highly recommended for anyone wanting to try something a little different. New Glarus works wonders with fruit beer, as displayed by this fantastic beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2012 07:08:10 | More by Trifecta1

Duff27

Illinois

4.88/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A- Pours a clear, ruby red with a small white head. Good lacing and head retention.

S- Cherries, hints of vanilla?

T- More cherries...fresh and above all else, real. Tart. Dare I say orgasmic?

M- Dances on the tongue like its sister Raspberry Tart.

D/O- I've had many a beers in my day but this remains one of the best beers I've ever had. Light and fruity, its an easy drinker although I find myself taking small sips just to savor. The epitome of "world class".

Serving type: on-tap

06-24-2011 19:39:06 | More by Duff27

landhoney

Florida

4.93/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I love this beer, despite it being almost more of a cherry cider than a beer. This beer is all about the cherry, although the base beer must be solid to build the cherry goliath on top of. The cherry aroma, taste, sourness, and sweetness are all there, so intense it borders on medicinal but it is NOT, it's a natural/real cherry taste that is so enjoyable and refreshing. I could guzzle this stuff by the gallon and never tire of it, can't think of a negative except maybe there are more complex beers out there. I wish they made a sour variant of this, but they should never change this beer, it is exceptional on its own and for what it is; a cherry beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-31-2011 21:06:00 | More by landhoney

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Saw this bad-boy on tap and HAD to have it as the bottle I had before was quite excellent. Served from tap into a Trappe Door tulip. poured red with a three finger very light pink head that subsided to one and a half very slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, cherry, and slight sour. The flavor was of sweet malt, cherry, sugar, slight tart, and slight sour. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this brew is nothing short of excellent. Really can't believe I got the opportunity to try this one on tap. It was really just as good as out of the bottle. Everything in this one just WORKS! Nothing at all missing for the style and is likely my favorite brew of the style only compeating with Raspberry Tart. If you haven't had this brew before regardless of the serving type, you need to do so as soon as you possibly can.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2011 13:28:11 | More by thagr81us

BasementBer

Manitoba (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Drank this one while walking the swanky small craft - large scale brewery.

A: Pinkish head with good retention and lacing. Reddish brown hue. Sparkling wine-esque hue but darker in glass.

S: Tart. Maltiness notes but overwhelmingly cherry mash.

T: Pure raw cherries, no extract sweetness. Meaty cherry taste with light malts and little to no hops detectable.

M: Bites a bit on the tongue with the tartness and in the throat. But the lasting coating of the massive 1lb of cherries per bottle makes it linger for days.

D: Really enjoyed this as a special and unique brew. Desert anyone?

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2011 15:54:02 | More by BasementBer

oreo

Illinois

4/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Served into my New Glarus tasting glass during the tour.

Pours a light red with minimal head.

Smells like a ton of cherries. Lots and lots of cherries.

Taste is very good. Nothing but cherries in my mind. Hard to believe this is actually beer. Almost like kool-aid.

Thicker beer than I had imagined this would be. Carbonation was perfect.

Wouldn't drink more than a few oz's at a time. Too sweet to be considered a session-able beer to me.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2011 21:36:30 | More by oreo

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.78/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

The ulltimate cherry pie beer. Poured with a huge, foamy, frothy, thick, light tan head and a little lace. Color is red amber. Aroma is malt, sour cherries, and spice. Flavor's exactly like nose. Body is perfect and carbonation is the ultimate and cuts through the flavors exactly right. Finish is fairly long and exquisite. Not a session for me, but a great beer for desert or on a picnic.

Serving type: on-tap

08-21-2010 22:04:04 | More by drpimento

porterwoobie

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

from tap, poured into a tulip glass.

A: red and slightly hazy. one finger red/pink head that dissipated quickly.

S: cherries, but in a way resembled cough syrup (not in a bad way).

T: cherries. kind of tart at first but ended up sweet in the finish.

MF: full bodied, high carbonation.

Drinkability: i think this is a well crafted beer, but not my style. i would like to try it with ice cream or other dessert. i think people who appreciate fruit beers would definitely enjoy this one.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2009 00:09:30 | More by porterwoobie

jdoherty

New York

3.13/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I suppose fruit beers and lambics just aren't my thing, but I could not help but try this belgian red at the New Glarus Brewery.

Appearance: About as close to red as beer can get, you can see the carbonation bubbles flying towards the top

Smell: Cherries, a whole pound of cherries! You can smell it from a mile away

Taste: Incredibly sour, obviously I know this is a matter of palate, but I just could not handle it.

Mouthfeel: Champagne dry, almost needed a glass of water afterward.

Drinkability: You're not exactly going to drink this down fast, to be served in small doses. Definetely a beer for non-beer people, and the big fruit beer fan's holy grail, just not for me

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2006 20:24:04 | More by jdoherty

battlekow

Wisconsin

4.4/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Landmark 1850.

Belgian Red pours a dark, thick reddish color, as befits a cherry beer, with almost no head and no lacing. If only it had a nice, fluffy, pink head, this would be a beautiful beer.

It smells and tastes distinctly of...cherry! Not sickeningly sweet cherry syrup like in a kiddie cocktail, but like real cherries, still sweet, but also tart. As a result, the mouthfeel has a cool puckering effect to it. This beer isn't very "beery," but tastes extremely good--if you like cherries, of course.

Serving type: on-tap

10-05-2005 00:21:32 | More by battlekow

AltBock

Ohio

4.41/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Green 750ml wax sealed bottle. They didn't do a good job on the cap waxing. Half of the cap was missing wax. Simple beige label with 3 bright cheeries and a "World Champion" square right next to it. No back label because everything was found on the large front label including 2 small paragraphs that talk about the beer and t tiny printed signatures of the brewmaster/owners. I wish there was a vintage date on the bottle.

A beer of this caliber deserves a special glass so I poured it into my Maudite Snifter. The beer didn't pour a solid cherry red color. It was a mixture of red colors. There was some cherry red, ruby, crimson, and even some raspberry red in there. This was one murky red beer. It was so murky that I couldn't even see the silhouette of my fingers on the other side of the glass. That's murky! The head of foam was a disappointment. A super tiny beige skim of foam emerged from the pour, but it quickly faded into oblivion. No rings, no lace, nothing. Cool color, but that head of foam took it down a bit.

Wow! What an aroma! This is one potent beer. It wasn't sour, but the beer's tartness made up for the sourness. It smelled like cherry lifesavers mixed in with cherry wine and a large cherry Slurpee. As you can tell, the aroma was all about the tart cherries. If you're looking for more than just one strong aroma in a beer, then you're not going to like this aroma. There was nothing before or after the tart cherries. I really enjoyed it. It was hard for me to stop sticking my nose in this beer to grab the occasional large whiff of tart cherries.

This is of course where you get to taste the tart cherries that were in the aroma. Yes, the one and only aroma. It tasted like it smelled. It tasted like liquefied cherry (red) Life Savers and blended into a cherry Slurpee. If you've never had a cherry Slurpee before, then imagine drinking a cherry slushie. If you never had a slushie before, then you're screwed. The cherries in the taste had a cool tartness. The tartness was subtle in the beginning and then it slowly built up. If you want a little diversity in your beer, then its best you stay clear of this beer. Cherries all the way!

This was a light bodied beer with a low level of carbonation. It may have been light bodied, but the aftertaste was full flavored. Like the aroma and taste, the aftertaste was strong with tart cherries. This strong tart cherry based aftertaste lingered on for a long time. It took a few glasses of water to cleanse my palate.

Cherry this and cherry that. This review sounded like a broken record. I'm sorry, but this beer was just tart cherries and nothing more. No malt, no raspberry, no hops. Just tart cherries. This was an extremely easy drinking beer. The ABV% won't sneak up on you. It was hard for me to put this beer down. I wish I could find a steady supply of this beer. Big thanks to my good BA friend Meatyard for hooking me up with this delicious beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 04:49:36 | More by AltBock

fmbrewing

Wisconsin

4.73/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A perfectly sweet beer to have for desert. Best during the holiday times or when you happen to enjoy other's company. This brew is perfect for sharing with those who love wine to test their beer-boundaries and bring them over from the dark side with beer force. Besides the quality and enjoyment of this high gravity fruity wonder is the overall look of elegance and class with this beer's offering of a champagne style container with dripping red wax covering the neck of the bottle and capped top. And, only available in Wisconsin! My home State now!

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 18:38:26 | More by fmbrewing

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

4.63/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

A- Pours a semi-dark, ruby red color. Mostly hazy in body, with a medium, 1.5 finger head when poured into a New Glarus flute glass. Retention is decent, sticking around a little before fading into a thin film on the top of the beer. Lacing is pretty good throughout.

S- Big, sweet cheery notes hit the nose right off the bat and persist throughout. The scent is mostly sweet, but the cherries do carry some sour bite to them as well in the scent.

T- Similar to the scent, starting with big cherries flavors up front. Cherries start sweet and inviting, then move a little toward the sour end before making a small retreat towards sweetness. In the middle of all of the cherries, there is definitely wheat and grain flavors, as well as a mustiness, I think from the Belgian style malts. No hops bitterness detectable as mentioned in the description on the label.

M- Light to medium body as far as flavor goes. The cherry is strong, making it feel slightly heavier than it really is. This is highly carbonated, making it feel a little like a champagne.

Overall, a terrific American take on the Belgian Kriek style. Not quite a sour as a Belgian Kriek might be, but attribute that to the lack of a lambic base. Glad I got around to this before they ran dry in Wisconsin, but sad to here that we'll be without it this year.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 23:00:41 | More by boilermakerbrew

phishsihq

Colorado

4.58/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

The brew pours a rusty, red color with a thin beige head. Cherry aromas engulf the nose - sweet, tart, and fresh. The amazing nose follows on the palate with a dose of cherry pie sweetness blending into a welcome tartness. Lively carbonation and a medium body round out this perfect example of what a fruit beer should be. We still have one bottle left....

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 01:49:51 | More by phishsihq

popery

California

3.45/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I kinda enjoyed this, but I have no idea how to rate it or what I would do with a bottle if I had one. That said, I would like another small taste to give it a fairer shake. Pours a brownish red color. Fairly cloudy. Small beige-pink head. This beer was quite sweet and tasted like concentrated cherry pie filling. Good cherry pie filling, though, and no artificial fruit flavor. That said, there’s a strong cough syrup flavor in there, too. The feel is less sticky than the taste would suggest, but it was still a bit much, at least coming to the beer without any foreknowledge. Little to no oak was evident. This is a beer that I might enjoy a lot more in specific circumstances, like as a compliment to a fancy dessert, but I can’t say that I loved it on its own. It definitely gets an entry in my list of beers to revisit.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 05:34:39 | More by popery

BeerGut4Life

Indiana

4.16/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a Lawson's Pilsner glass. Looks pretty much how you'd expect a cherry beer to look. Bright ruby coloration and lots of bubbles under a thin pinkish-white cap of foam.

Smells fantastic...BIG on cherry aroma. Notes of cherry jolly ranchers, maraschinos, that tasty goop on the inside of a hostess cherry pie, some cinnamon and maybe a touch of honey.

Tastes good too...sweet with a little bit of sour bite. Packed full of cherry pie flavor. The sugary sweetness become a little too much after a while. No way I could finish this by myself. Lingering finish a bit like cherry cough syrup (but in a good way, if you're weird like me).

Medium body and carbonation. Sticky and slick feel.

A really nice fruit beer...New Glarus really can do no wrong in this category. Unique and worth seeking out if you love cherries.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 19:39:12 | More by BeerGut4Life

DubbelTrubbel

Iowa

4/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle dated 2/15/03. From the collection of my late aunt, it was stored on its side in the refrigerator for the last nine years. This is my first time having this beer.

Served in a flute.

A- Hazy red, hints of brown. Off-white head, moderate carbonation.

S- Delicious, complex cherries. Like cherry Kool Aid, but real.

T- Heavy on the cherries here, not a lot on carbonation or much of anything else. Perhaps it has lost something here.

M- Moderately thick, but not syrupy.

O- Definitely nothing bad to say about it. Even with its age, this was my favorite beer I had on Christmas! Especially as it warmed up, I was left wanting more.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 16:03:25 | More by DubbelTrubbel

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.78/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Finally got my hands on one of these.

A: Beautiful deep red in color with shades of brown and some haze. Looks like unfiltered cranberry juice. Creamy, bubbly, frothy, slightly off-white head that leaves good lacing and retention.

S: Mix of tart/sour cherries, cream, sugar. Superb.

T: Well, as expected, it's all tart/sour cherry. A fizzy, well-carbonated, cherry beverage.

M: Incredibly refreshing, massive flavor, perfect fizzy finish. Never cloying or too sweet.

O: This is the definition of a fruit beer. Utterly incredible. Could drink at least one a week. Divine stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 21:22:04 | More by Gatch

scottk1969

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - An impressive red color with a finger of white foam after being poured into a tulip.

S - Heavy cherry aroma.

T - As much cherry there was in the smell, there is tenfold that amount in the flavor. A bit on the sweet side here, but flavorful and very drinkable.

M - Not heavy on the mouth, good carbonation.

O - I was quite impressed with this. It seems more like a dessert than a beer, though.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 16:09:39 | More by scottk1969

BeerMeFitz

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving type : Bottle poured into a snifter

A- Pours a dartk red with a finger of head

S- sweet cherry pie filling, nice and tart .

T- Follows the aroma with plenty of cherry pie taste, peppery spice

M- Medium carb and nice body with a tart finish.

O- So happy I live so close to WI so I can enjoy this time and again! Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 00:36:12 | More by BeerMeFitz

jaasen64

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

750ml bottle thanks to thebigredone. Poured into HF glass.

A- Pours a fairly opaque dark brownish cherry grape color with about a finger's worth of off-white head that has a retention, a slight brownish hue, and leaves sticky layered lacing. Considerable amount of carbonation- lots of consistently rising small carbonation bubbles.

S- Very fruity aroma of cherries, plums, raspberries, and grapes jumps out at you balanced with a light malty backbone. Very pleasant fragrant aroma that at first was a little bit overly sweet and fruity.

T- Cherries, plums, raspberries, grapes, and other dark fruits. Fairly sweet and very fruity, almost overly so. Very strong aftertaste of cherries and plums that lingers on the lips and palate.

M- Syrupy, decent carbonation, very easy to drink (not surprising considering the 4% abv). This is my least favorite part of the beer, in my opinion it's a little bit too syrupy and almost makes it feel like you are just drinking fruit syrup.

O- This was definitely an interesting beer that I enjoyed trying. Probably the fruitiest beer that I've had and extremely sweet. I enjoyed drinking it, but it was definitely a little bit too syrupy and fruity for my taste. If you like really fruity beers then I definitely recommend checking this out.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 23:10:45 | More by jaasen64

starrdogg

District of Columbia

4.43/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Huge thanks to Bertram for sending this one out my way. Served alongside Thanksgiving dessert.

Pours a hazy dark reddish-brown with a thin pinkish head. Smell is awesomely cherry, like a cherry pie with a great mix of both sweet and tart notes. Taste follows the nose and is really quite excellent. The cherry pie flavor is incredibly well done, and it's got a bit of tartness happening here too. The beer manages to be sweet without being overly so, and actually is rather well-balanced and drinkable, which is what separates this from most other fruit beers. Mouthfeel is light-medium bodied with nice carbonation. Overall, this is probably the best fruit beer out there, at least that I've ever had. It's incredibly well made and is much more complex than you'd expect from a cherry beer. The only thing that keeps this beer from getting a higher score is that it's not something I'd want to drink with any sort of regularity. This makes for an excellent dessert pairing beer, but I have a hard time seeing myself just sitting around and drinking a glass while watching a football game.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 05:34:15 | More by starrdogg

tarheels86

California

4.28/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750mL red wax on numerous occassions. Pours a bright, translucent deep pink to red with a small, pink, creme head. Aroma is cherry Sucrets, cough medicine, thankfully moving to maraschino cherries and clafoutis/cherry pie. Taste is sweet, black cherries, cherry pie, rich and viscous with a major spiced note of cinnamon and nutmeg. Palate is rich, creamy, dessert like, not oily or watery. It’s not the show stopper that NG Raspberry Tart and NG Apple Ale are, but it is evident that if you like true cherry beer and aren’t in the mood for kriek, this is the ultimate non-sour cherry fruit beer. Just impossible for anyone to compete with New Glarus in the fruit beer category.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 21:50:13 | More by tarheels86