Wisconsin Belgian Red - New Glarus Brewing Company

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I don't think I got a bad bottle, the the beer store had this one in the fridge, I just think I'm not a fan. It did look gorgeous, I've never seen a pink cascading head before. The aroma, however, just reminded me of Juicy Juice, not a fine beer. The taste was a little more complex with a mild tartness and sweet cherry flavor. I really couldn't find much depth here. I'd go back to the Raspberry Tart before this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2007 03:14:13 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A 750 mL capped and wax-sealed bottle courtesy of CH3CH2OH.

A: The ale pours with a hazy red color with some intermittent orange and brown notes. It looks like an unfiltered apple cider, minus a shade or two of brown. The head is nothing to get excited about.

S: The aroma is all cherry. Specifically, it has the sweetness of a black cherry, as though the ale itself is a black cherry soda.

T: The flavor does not disappoint if you like sweet cherries. The sugary sweetness of cherries is evident from first sip. The cherries straddle a very fine line between overly sweet maraschino and sour Liefmans lambic cherries.

M: This doesn't taste like beer at all, a very interesting change of pace in the intense sweetness. I should note though that the cherry flavor is not as sweet as Lindeman's kriek.

D: I think that one dinner bottle of this is enough. The sweetness is pleasant in small doses but could easily overpower the taste buds.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2007 01:29:02 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a deep murky ruby red pink grapefruit tone with a nice white pink tinted head leaves nice fine evenly dispersed lacing nice and intricate. Aroma: A full on flail of cherries nice tart and sweet with a candy like tone to it, but what makes this is the creamy edge that surrounds the fruit bouqet. Taste: A parfait dessert like tart cherry tone very sweet and creamy, just so good. I am by no means a fan of fruit infused ales but this Wisconsin bred cherry beast is definitely a winner definitely based off of legendary Belgian style ales lacks some of the farmhouse and woody cask aged flow of a Cantillon but delivers something a Lindemann's isn't capable of. Mouthfeel: A fuller bodied creamy textured heavenly dessert beer. Drinkability: I just polished off a bottle and I didn't think I was going to drink it all, but once I started sipping on it the bottle emptied into my snifter faster than anticipated it was excellent, not ready for a second but extremely satisfied.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2004 06:55:12 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours an almost clear brown with red hues. Very thin tan head that doesn't stick around. Nose is cherry juice. Flavor is much of the same. Tastes like cherry cough syrup almost. Almost seems like a touch of apple cider on the back there as well. Eck. Feel is much like the flavor. Syrupy. Carbonation is a bit lower I guess. Good lord. What a disappointment. I think this is going to be a bit of a challenge to drink. I put this on the level of all those overly sugared fruit beers from Belgium. This just makes me miss Liefmans Kriek even more.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2009 06:16:55 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.58/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a nice ruby red color with good carbonation and a nice white head

S: Cherry, some sweet, some tart but mainly tart cherry

T: As we talked about while drinking this cherry Luden cought drops, light tart and sweet cherry exchanging blows

M: Smooth feel, well carbonated and little booze

D: Great beer and representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2010 15:04:48 | More by barleywinefiend

rhoadsrage

Illinois

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

(Served in an American pint glass)

A- This beer has a very hazy muddy read body with a reddish-white (no it wasn't pink) creamy foam that turns to a film pretty quickly. The body was to hazy to see any carbonation.

S- The strong smell of tart fresh cherries has a faint dry cola note to it.

T- The taste starts with a sharp tart bright juicy cherry note that follows with a dark cherry note with a faint hint of wood. There is a taste of cola but note really sweet like cola and a finish that has a cherry fruit punch and soft alcohol note to it.

M- This beer has a medium-full mouthfeel.

D- This beer is big fruit but it has a great amount of depth to the cherry flavor. The fruit is not to tart and not sweet at all. They have a really great balance of sugars and a good depth of complexity. Very nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2006 15:28:25 | More by rhoadsrage

Wasatch

Utah

4.38/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to slcbrewer for this one.

My first New Glarus brew.

750ml/Waxed

Pours a cloudy reddish/brown color, some carbonation, nice litty fizzy head, basically no lacing at all. The nose is of malts, cherries, tangyness, and slight spices, maybe some caramel. The taste is much better than I was expecting it to be, nice tangy/sweet bite, with lots of cherries thrown in, slight cinimmon, very tasty thirst quenching brew. Medium body, a nice complex brew. Very drinkable, I really like this one, highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2007 23:27:52 | More by Wasatch

jlindros

Massachusetts

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

I'm really excited for this one. Probably should have drunken it earlier, but was saving it. Had a terrible day today, so figured it was a good time to crack it. THanks a bunch to kkipple for this beauty.

The bottle pops off with a loud ppppfffftttt... but no head rush. It pours with a reddish light fizzy head that barely covers the spread of the beer, with many big bubbles that pop their way down to almost nothing. THe beer itself consists of a rosy almost neon bright red, a whitened cranberry color, with a decent clarity.

The nose smells just like a candi cherry lollipop! Wow! It has some light tart sour cherry aroma, a bit of Bolotin cherry, and very slight Maraschino cherry, a light sour dry tart funk way in the background. I'm starting to feel dizzy and sugar high just from the aroma, but a bit of cherry cough syrup aroma also wafting out helps cure my sickness. A slight anise and peppermint are barley detectable, but there. A slight bit of vanilla and oak balance it a bit, but I can't really get any malts out of it.

Taste starts pretty much as I was expecting, bringing a sweet slap in the face, or kick to the glands at least. Tons more cherry of course, bringing more Bolotin cherry, but less Maraschino this time. Again more candy cherry lollipop, but a tart flavored one. A slight spicy acidic bite gives it some edge, a little lactic acid taste, followed by a creamy smooth malt, with a hint of vanilla and oak. A bit of a cherry cough syrup warms the mouth, and leaves it almost anesthetized, but also tingles and soothes the throat. A bit of a sticky sweet taste turns to a slightly dry and tingly acidic finish, with more lactic acid, and a really long cherry candy taste, and surprisingly not really flemmy. A slight bit more creamy oak feel very late on the finish, like a couple minutes later as the tartness and sweet candy cherry die down.

The mouth is medium bodied, good carbonation, with a bit of a tingly acidic bite. The carbonation helps air out the mouth between the tart, sweet, and acidic hits.

Drink is surprisingly well for all the craziness of this beer. Lots of bite from the tingly feel and acidic bits, but the carbonation and sweetness balance that, and the tart plus sweet candy flavors really give your mouth a rollercoaster ride it keeps wanting to board. It's like that kid who gets beat up on teh rollercoaster, but as soon as the ride ends he wants back on. I can barely put the glass down to type a sentence before I need to take the next sip. Sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 03:27:27 | More by jlindros

mdfb79

New York

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

From 5/29/10 notes.

a - Pours a ruby red color, with a little bit of reddish, off white head.

s - Smell is wonderful. Lots of cherries, both sweet and sour. Also some other citrus and dark fruits.

t - Taste is great as well. Tastes of sour cherries, sweet cherry, raspberries, and citrus.

m - Light to medium body and moderate carbonation.

d - I thought this was an amazing beer; one of the best fruit beers I've ever had. Very easy to drink, and would love to have again.
___
EDIT on 11/09/12: Have had this many times over the years, most recently last weekend on 11/02/12. Possibly my favorite fruit beer ever; this beer is amazing.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2010 02:14:29 | More by mdfb79

ppoitras

Massachusetts

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

750ml bottle obtained via trade with somebody, or maybe a BIF. Thanks for the opportunity... Capped and sealed in red wax.

Poured into a Rapscallion glass, formed 1/4" pinky white head over the almost opaque cloudy red brew. Head is swiftly down to a film with bubbles around the rim, with average lasting lace. Aroma is sweet candied cherries. Taste is sweet, sour, and tart, cherries. All about the cherries here. Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth, and drinkability is pretty good, although sweetness slows the drinking pace.

(4/4.5/4.5/4.5/4 reviewed 12/17/07)
750ml bottle obtained via trade with BeerTruth. Thanks for the opportunity... Capped and sealed in red wax.

Poured into a heavy glass chalice, formed 1/4" pinkish head over the cloudy bright red brew. Head is quickly down to a swirly film, with fleeting sheeting lace. Aroma is sweet cherries. Taste is creamy sweet, yet tart, cherries. Mouthfeel is very smooth, and drinkability is good, although possibly cloying when drinking a bottle alone.

(4.5/5/5/5/5 reviewed 1/19/05)
750ml bottle obtained via trade with Skidz. Thanks for the opportunity... Capped and sealed in red wax.

Poured into Rapscallion glass, formed 1" of creamy light pink head over the murky deeply red brew. Head lasts, a novelty for many fruit beers I've seen, and lacing was good. Aroma is deeply of cherries, but the real thing, not those sickly sweet maraschinos or anything, with corners rounded with some malt presence. Taste is starts off with somewhat sweet cherries, smooths with some light malt input, and then the curtain rises on the sour, with none of the preceding overdone. Mouthfeel and drinkability are excellent, just as I had hoped for. Look forward to revisiting this one again sometime, for sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2008 00:44:00 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Much thanks to GV for getting this to me! Shared w/ sckressler.

Wow! This beer is a winner on all counts. Even the bottle is cool. It poured a nice bold red into the glass with some carbonation popping up to the top. Not much head, or lacing but everything else seems to be in place here.
Smells absolutely terrific. Cherry explosion. Smells like I fell into a vat of red cherries with some malt backbone.
Tastes amazing. Super smooth with a slight maltiness to balance it out. Tiny bit of tartness does not linger and is pleasant to the finish. I would come back again and again.

Finger licking good!

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2005 15:31:57 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

2.75/5  rDev -37.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Sampled through the efforts of 120/190 BIF and lostbearbrew.

Pours a completely opaque reddish brown beer with not a great deal of head. In the looks department this one looks like real crap.


Smell is sweet and sour fruit aroma of raspberries. Not much more in the smell here except the fruit and a lemon edge. Scent is very much like Raspberry Lemonade.

Taste is extremely sweet with the favor of raspberry and tobacco in the first sip. Shockingly sweet with a sour after taste to match it. The after taste of this is all pipe tobacco. Quite powerful and not all that complex.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Well this is official not a favorite beer of mine. Far too sweet and sour this is something like over sweetened Kool aid with tobacco thrown in it. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2006 04:18:53 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

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

750ml wax topped bottle into a 1/2 pint glass. Special thanks to Deuane for sharing.

Pours a crystal clear blood red with a finger width of off-white (but with a pinkish tint) head that retained rather nicely into a thing creamy layer that left some good lacing. The aroma is OMG cherries right up the ole' nostrils with a little residual sweetness behind it.

The taste is just OK. A pound of cherries per bottle? Really? Just kidding! This is absolutely insane with a fresh, thick slap of cherry awesomeness right up side the ole' tastebuds that is perfectly balanced by just the right amount of tartness. What can I say? It isn't very complex but still hugely effective. The mouthfeel is a nice full medium with some lovely prickly carbonation.

Much like the Raspberry Tart, this is just a magnificantly made Fruit Beer and hugely drinkable despite a big does of sweetness that would indicate it shouldn't be. You Wisconsinite Bastards are very lucky. Very lucky...

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2008 17:43:52 | More by Kegatron

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

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

Thanks to oakbluff in Winterpeg for hooking me up with this. Sampled with some fellow BA's, DrJay, biegaman, and grub.

Pours a very murky red/brown, thick off white head forms, settles down to a think layer and ring, nice lacing on the glass. Smell is amazing, rich real cherries, very earthy, toffee, brown sugar, nice sourness from the cherries, quite amazing. Taste is cherry cake, toffee, nice sour cherries through the middle, spices, some ginger, more cherries and brown sugar. Mouthfeel is full bodied, very thick, silky smooth low carbonation. Fucking amazing beer, just insane, I can't wait to try again! Thanks Scott, I owe you for this one!

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2007 03:03:16 | More by Viggo

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a Tired Hands stem/wine glass, a mostly clear, cherry red color tinted brown, with a 1-2 finger puff of pinkish-white head that receded to a wispy layer and left decorative lacing throughout the session. Aroma of cherries--naturally--and distant biscuity malts. Tasted pretty much spot on like cherry pie, black cherries, and doughy malts, good balance of tart and sweet, with the sweetness taking a slight edge and the breadiness of the malt keeping everything under control. Medium body, slightly chewy, moderate carbonation, very good overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 12:37:21 | More by Rifugium

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.95/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Luscious cranberry-like red hue. Unbelievable aroma. Great cranberry/vanilla sweet smell with quite a bit of cherry too. It's a sweet aroma, but not a malty sweet aroma. Fruity sweet. The taste is exceptional. Woody, vinous, dry and of course, loads of cherry. This is one of my all-time favorites and it never fails. Every time I have had this, it has been exceptional. A true classic.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2002 19:57:22 | More by Bighuge

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

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

Cool dark red, cherry appearance to it, thin head. Aroma is massively cherry, like you just opened a can of cherry pie filling. Bottle says a fuggin pound of cherries in every bottle! Every bottle! Damn!

Taste is exquisite, cherry, slight oak finish to it, sweetness takes the high road, counterbalanced by the wood and a slight tartness that is miniscule in comparison to the hearty cherry mouthfeel. Malt base keeps it from becoming overly sweet, good carbonation keeps it from feeling syrupy.

This is pretty much the holy grail of fruit beers in America, maybe the world. Blows away any other beer w/ cherry in it, here, the cherry is so dominate, don't even think of trying this beer unless you really like cherry. Not for hophead only guy. You can't understand the cherry dominance in this (but again, the nuances of everything else make it work even better) until you try it. Next time I'm in Wisconsin, I'm getting like 10 of these. Hopefully the fruit don't fade. Fresh is definitely very good here.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2011 17:37:05 | More by Beerandraiderfan

corby112

Pennsylvania

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

From notes:

Pours a very dark ruby red color with a thin fizzy pink head that quickly fades into a lasting ring. Minimal spots of lacing left.

Slightly tart and earthy aroma with a huge blast of cherry. It smells slghtly syrupy but the nose is dominated by the fresh cherries without much else to talk about.

Soft carbonation up rent with a huge sweet cherry flavor that dominates and lingers throughout into a slightly tart sweet finish. There is a subtle oak presence and some earthy wooden notes possibly from the cherry pits. This beer is very sweet but somehow manages not to be over the top with just a touch of balance that smooths things out. Very faint syrupy texture but not cloying.

I'm usually not the biggest fan of dessert beers but this is delicious and extremely quaffable. Much better than he Raspberry Tart.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 02:56:35 | More by corby112

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.3/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Many thanks to BeerFMAndy for this one.

Pour into my corsendonk glass, this beer pours a bright ruby red color with an amber overtone. Head retention is fair, with no more then minimal lacing. As for the nose on this beer, my initial reaction was not very positive. This beer has very sweet, distinctly hawaiin punch aroma, along with considerable sweet cheery. However, as the beer warmed, I started to get some vanilla, cinnamon, and even light funk. Flavors on the palate replicate the nose, except there was something of a sour cherry flavor in the finish that helped to cut some of the sweetneess in this beer. The sour component also tended to enhance this beer's drinkability, and I enjoyed it more and more as I went along. Mouthfeel is medium bodied in this beer, with some pleasant prickliness from the good carbonation.

This is a very interesting beer, and it reminds me very much of some fruit infused lambics I've tried (would be interested in trying this beer side by side with Lindeman's cherry lambic). However, the intensity of flavor in this beer really impressed me, and sets it apart from most Belgian fruit lambics I've tried. Good stuff!

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 16:34:00 | More by johnmichaelsen

DoubleJ

California

4.9/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Halcyondays raved about it. kbm told me it's crazy to not like it. That's a good enough record to justify a taste. On to the beer:

Spotty lacing is left around the glass from this orangish red colored beer. It kind of looks like punch. The aroma is beauty. Sometimes cherries in beer can be over the top and very acidic, but the cherries in this one are mellow yet very aromic. Sweet cherries and cherry skins, yeah.

Its taste is a beautiful and simple. Sweet succulent cherries crash into the palate wave after wave. It's never really tart, and never really acidic. In fact, it's almost like a cherry punch. With a flavor so rich and full of the fruit, the body seems medium full, which is amazing at 4% ABV. As a bonus, unlike the Raspberry Tart, the WBR is much too easy to drink.

Like the Raspberry Tart which I'm in love with, the Wisconsin Belgian Red is tops in its class. Any doubter of fruit beers should take a look at the offerings that New Glarus is producing, which are beautiful beverages to drink. The next mission will be securing a full bottle to myself.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 23:09:10 | More by DoubleJ

Gusler

Arizona

4.63/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

The color on the pour is a deep black cherry red with a Brobdingnagian sized head that is semi-creamy in texture, the color a light tan tinged with red and as it evanesces the lace forms a thick and clinging curtain to obscure the glass. Nose is that of ripe cherries, and sweet malt grains, tart and crisp, fresh an appealing like homemade bread fresh from the oven. The front is ambrosial, loaded with malt, the top rich and full, what a treat. Finish has a meaningful acidity with the hops present and delicate in their spiciness, cherry sweetness and flavor carries to the somewhat vinous and dry aftertaste, what a “Hoot”, and once as with Lambic’s I shunned this style of beers. Thankfully I’ve had a reclamation and now see the errors of my ways, and thanks to tavernjef, another opportunity to sample a great beer from a great brewery.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2003 16:02:21 | More by Gusler

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Transcribed from undated notes, likely early-2010.

This bottle dated back to Summer 2004, I believe. The pour was lacking any sort of discernible head. Color was a deep red with a slight cloudiness. Nose was like standing in a cherry orchard in the summer and taking a deep breath. I was transported back to the days of my late grandmother's lattice-top cherry pies or making preserves in the early fall. I had some cherry preserves from Traverse City, MI while I was stationed on Diego Garcia that were intense, but this beer ... Holy Cherry, Batman! This left no room for survivors. To say dry would be an understatement. Arid! And cherry! Breathtaking! Mind blowing! Forget other mind-altering substances and put some of this in your peace pipe and smoke it.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 21:17:58 | More by woodychandler

DrJay

Massachusetts

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

This beer poured a cloudy, dull pinkish red colour. The head was composed of fine bubbles and showed excellent retention, with plenty of foam remaining at the bottom of the glass. Streaky, spotty lacing throughout. The aroma was amazing! Very fresh sour cherries, earthy cherry pits and skins, with mild toffee/caramel in the background - kind of reminded me of a fresh baked cherry pie. The flavour was intense with sour cherries, an excellent combination of sweet and tart. There was also some cakey spiciness and brown sugar. Full bodied and palate coating with low carbonation. Refined texture. This beer is incredible. I was sure it was over-rated, but I was very happy to find out it wasn't at all. Easily the best fruit beer I've had. I'd love to get my hands on another bottle (or twelve).

Thanks for sharing this Viggo!

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2007 02:16:42 | More by DrJay

HopHead84

California

2.68/5  rDev -38.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

4/7/2012

Thanks!

A: Light red with some transparency and a long lasting beige head.

S: Strong cherry presence but the fruit comes across as artificial and medicinal, like cherry cough syrup. Malt is sweet and crackery.

T: Again, cough syrup. Candied cherry cough medicine. Very sweet.

M: Lower medium body with upper medium carbonation.

Overall: I recall liking this quite a bit when I've had it before, but this was too similar to cherry cough syrup. The Raspberry Tart blew it away.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 19:06:45 | More by HopHead84

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

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

A huge, massive thanks to Viggo for sharing this one!
750ml, waxed, claiming a pound of cherries in each bottle!
Pours with big patches of bubbles. A murky ruby colour. Dots of lacing stick thickly to the glass. Deep, deep cherry filled aroma, unmistakebly. Pure sour cherry. Flavour carries more complexity than the aroma. A thick mouthfeel. Chunky, "ale" like, not fruit beer. Dominated by this thick, choke cherry taste and with complimenting spices definitely. Bits of "outdoor" funk-esque character. Mild texture, carbonation good.
Another insanely tasty and well crafted fruit beer from New Glarus. I have no hesitations calling this and their Raspberry Tart two of the best beers (overall, not just fruit beers) I've had the pleasure of trying. They are remarkably well made and so damn pleasing!

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2007 14:03:37 | More by biegaman