Wisconsin Belgian Red - New Glarus Brewing Company

thedeezy

Michigan

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

I received this as a gift from a Wisconsin friend. The pour was beautiful, a slight head that dissipated into a thin foam of carbonation. The color was a beautiful auburn red. Gorgeous for a beer. With a fresh, not too harsh, smell of tart cherries, the beer had an inviting aroma. With the first sip it was absolutely, completely, CHERRY! There is very little hint of malt, or even hints of beer characteristics. The smooth taste of the beer itself is full of fruit. With heavy notes of cherry, dashed with punches of tart this beer is refreshing, to say the least. The hint of tart and sour lingers in the back of your mouth. Within a few sips you can almost wish there was a crust to finish your cherry pie. Great use of fruit in a beer. Definitely a beer for those that appreciate a sour beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 03:41:01 | More by thedeezy

thoover

California

4.2/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: A dark red, very cloudy. Not much head at all, and what head there is dissipates very quickly.

Smell: Smells like fresh sour cherries, the sort that you'd use for a cherry pie.

Taste: Full burst of cherries at the start, tastes like a tart cherry pie. The bitterness comes out in the end, for a clean, sour finish.

Mouthfeel: Not a light beer, lots of fruit in it, but it is very smooth.

Drinkability: I finished all 750 ml of the bottle, and it was great...

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2004 02:33:11 | More by thoover

beefnbarley

Kentucky

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

Poured with a reddish hue which was expected given the amount of cherries added.

Poured with a white, fine head that tended to settle quickly.

Strong cherry aroma immediately and dominated the odor. Slight hint of tartness or sour behind the cherries was evident and pleasant.

Sweet, cherry, effervescent beer that was quite refreshing. Beer is light on sour/tartness and tends to lean more towards a sweet, dry finish.

Medium body, high level of carbonation.

Great beer that I look forward to enjoying again.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2009 02:41:58 | More by beefnbarley

BadgerBrewer16

Wisconsin

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

Awesome in your face cherry smell right up front, poured into a champagne flute a reddish amber color, head dissipated almost immediately to just a ring of foam, taste is tart cherries up front with a sweet finish, this is one great beer that left me wanting more

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 02:37:11 | More by BadgerBrewer16

zackinthebox

California

2.95/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

The bottle looks great with its red wax seal over the cap. The beer pours nice with a decent head. The color is a burnt orange red. I would opt to drink this over many desert wines. It is not the type of beer that I would want to drink in larger quantities. I was surprised how strong the cherry flavor was until I read they put a pound of cherries in every bottle. Honestly I would have liked it better if it tasted more like beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 02:55:23 | More by zackinthebox

locthebloke

Wisconsin

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

A.) - Shines a rusty, ruby hue in the glass. .5'' to 1'' frothy head that dissipates quickly. Fleeting lace as the glass is tipped.

S.) - Cherries, cherries, cherries. Fresh ones, at that. What would you expect?

T.) - A blast of sweet, tart cherries and not much else. Some pleasant malt sneaks in the back door. This hardly tastes like beer at all, and that is not a bad thing. Unforgettable taste. At only 4% ABV, hardly a tinge of alcohol, as one would expect.

M.) Smooth and sprightly. Utterly drinkable. Probably the least beer-like beer I have ever had, and I mean that in a good way.

O.) - Won't find a fruit beer much better than this. Picked up a bottle of this stuff at a liquor store 5 minutes from my house. Fortunate to be in Wisconsin where it is available. A good brew for the summer months. I see myself sitting on a lawn chair in the sun and going through 2 of the wine-style bottles myself. Mild, unique and utterly delicious.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 04:29:02 | More by locthebloke

Socalbeerlover

California

4.85/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I thought my first review should be the best fruit beer I have had to date.
A. Ruby red with tiny bubbles well carbonated.
S. Like McDonalds Cherry pie. I want to smell this beer as much as drink it.
T.Like Sara Lee Cherry Pie in a Glass def taste the "over a pound of Door Cherries per bottle".
M.Carbonated ,like champagne, sweet.
O.Fantastic,light ,fruity, cherries really come thru,crisp a great early morning riser due to the low alc% gladly pay 20$ to get a bottle shipped now and then.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 14:46:47 | More by Socalbeerlover

cakennedy

California

3.83/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I adore fruit beers, so my opinion may be biased. However, i liked this very cherry beer because it was not too sweet, as other fruit beers can be. However, it almost had that cough syrup thing going on, but it is not quite at that cherry level, it was just delicious. Very smelly of cherries, not too dark in color, just very red. Not too fizzy when poured either.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2011 19:31:45 | More by cakennedy

nsp73

Pennsylvania

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

One of my favorite beers.
Every bottle is made with over a pound of cherries and you can tell the moment you open the bottle.
It's a reddish color with a huge foamy head. As you drink you can smell and taste the cherries. Pretty much tastes like your drinking cherry pie.
It leaves a nice lacing as you go down but I feel the head can be a bit obnoxious at times. Especially towards the end because you really do savor and enjoy every sip of this beer. Fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 23:04:30 | More by nsp73

agroeber

Ohio

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

Perhaps the best dessert beer I've come across. Massive amounts of sweet cherry up front turn to slightly sour notes on the back end. A sublimely pleasant experience - enough to please even the most hardened IPA drinker. It can be tough to work through a full bottle on your own, but don't share with more than 2-3 people, or you'll feel shorted on your share.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 18:56:14 | More by agroeber

psychorydas

Pennsylvania

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

I have been an avid cfraft beer drinker for years...this is my first review on a beer...Im a chef and think my info can help others...please give me feedback, positive and negative. I hope to get beer lovers like me to join me n the tastings!!

Ok so here we go...Recently my best friend went to Wisconson for a wedding and on the way there i gave him about $120.00 to spend on whatever beer he could get me that doesnt ship to the hershey, pa area. New Glarus happened to be the main brewery he got me. I tried a bunch of their others beers, unplugged series, regular brews, etc. So I happened to try this beer yesterday and wow!!!

I have had many fruit beers from top brewers and this one did NOT disappoint..The pour was ambered with that red the already had cherry flavoring in it, not to mention when you pop the cap you get a robust sour, tangy cherry smell.
The taste of the belgian ale is a tart cherry burst waiting for you to sip and then sip again!!

Mouthfeel smashes your mouth with cherry flavor, but not to filling at only 4.0% what really do you expect.

Overall by far the best cherry beer i have had..Easily top 5-10 fruit beers I've had. If you can get your hands on it please give it a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2011 06:24:44 | More by psychorydas

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

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