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

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

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Split this one with the wife after dinner. Poured mine into my duvel tulip and my wife used a lindemanns flute.

This thing is bright and clear. Pinkish red with a pink tint to the head. Nice vertical chunks of lace hang on the curves of my glass.

This beer smells like ludens cherry cough drops- you remember the ones that were more like candy than medicine. Cherry is all I really smell or taste... With exception of a slight sourness that hopefully intensifies with age. I'll be saving a bottle for a while and re-review this at that point. I'm hoping the cherry mellows out and other flavors make an appearance.
I mean this really reminds me of cherry pie filling.

The level of carbonation is great, though less than the raspberry tart. The body is still light and drinkable. This does lose some points on taste and drinkability for being a one trick pony...
But it is not a total loser... It is enjoyable for what it is...It is a fruitbeer afterall.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2010 22:59:38 | More by AleWatcher

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.4/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A friend of mine brought this back from Wisconsin to drink while watching the GB game.
Pours a thick ruby color, hazey, some floaters. Off white/red head, minimal strength, some staying power.
Aroma hits at first as a cherry bomb-cough syrup, but it has a nice biscuit hint mixed in there. Semi sweet. Not as strong as the Lindeman's Kriek, a bit more complex.
Taste was cherry filled, sweet, sticky. Phenols make the cherries feel fake and syrupy. A thick feel to it with a small bite in the back to soften the syrup feel. A good brew, but not very drinkable to me.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2008 17:11:17 | More by Mebuzzard

beagle75

Iowa

3.43/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Slightly hazy, medium amber color with less than one finger of diminishing parchment-tinted foam head. Light lacing remains on the glass.

S: Aromatic fruit is rich and purposeful, making for a strong perfume. It shares a similar smell to its raspberry-brewed sister beer; this beer smells as much like raspberry fruit/seeds/tea as it does cherries.

T: Begins sweet, with refined malt that contributes just a touch of bread to what is otherwise pure fruit. There is an acidic thread present, which together with even less assertive earthy hops cultivate the expected tea-like quality. Fruit flavors lose some of their intensity in the clean finish, allowing the cherry component to stand out more there than at any other time.

M: Medium viscosity, acidic at times but otherwise balanced on the palate, with brisk carbonation.

D/O: To many, yeast and its metabolites are what distinguish Belgian-styled beers from those inspired by other brewing traditions. Despite being called Belgian, this fruit beer lacks any detectable Belgian yeast qualities. It, like New Glarus' other famous fruit beer Raspberry Tart, is a delivery vehicle for fruit qualities. This beer gains an advantage over its sister, projecting more honest cherry that the other was able to do for raspberries. Pair with dessert and women.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 20:43:08 | More by beagle75

aaronh

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Murky, opaque red liquid topped by a moderate cream colored head. Aroma is very much like cherry pie filling, with a noticeable sweetness. Taste is also much the same, but with a sharp tartness on the finish. This beer is so acidic on the finish it tasted more like strong cherry lemonade at first. Even after 40 minutes of sipping on this, I still get occasional chills from the sharp bite on the finish. Every once in a while, a slight medicinal bitterness comes through, only to get smacked into submission by the sourness. Mouthfeel is good, with a medium body a supple carbonation. Drinkability is average. It seemed to take me forever to finish this beer. While I'm not trying to question the ingredients in this beer, it just tasted somewhat artificial. I don't know why, but to me it just does. It's interesting, and I'm glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2004 03:16:09 | More by aaronh

BeerBelcher

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer offers lots of big cherry flavor, replete with a puckering mouthfeel of cherry sourness. It is good, but doesn’t really rank among my most enjoyable beer experiences. It offers a cherry tartness so rich, I feel like Pac-Man (level one) when drinking it. I would almost prefer something a bit more understated and nuanced, like the Lindemans kriek. Still, I love sour, so it is difficult for me to badmouth this beer.

Its color was not as pleasant as I expected (more of a red brown than a brilliant ripe-fruit red), and aroma was just so-so, but that flavor was a big punch of flavor that I really enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2007 21:36:58 | More by BeerBelcher

3.45/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

750ml bottle courtesy of a trade with Flyingbison -- Thanks!

Cloudy, dark red/brown. Medium sized, rocky, light pink head. No legs, minimal lacing.

Smells like raspberries/berries/cherries. Sweet overall. Hint of alcohol.

Sweet more than bitter, but not by much. Tart is a better adjective than bitter, actually. Cherries -- big surprise! Other berry flavors as well. Chocolate as it warms.

Medium body. Medium + carbonation. Refreshing.

Stylistically, very well done compared to other fruit beers I've tried. Unfortunately, not to my taste. Glad to have had the opportunity, though.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2007 13:05:23 | More by

devilben02

North Carolina

3.45/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This was a much appreciated gift from my in-laws after they visited the brewery. Shared with a number of friends, this one pours a rich red-amber color with an only slightly tinted white foamy head. The presence of the fresh fruit that goes into this beer is immediately apparent, with an aroma of freshly-pressed cherry juice just exploding from the beer's surface.

As enticing as that fresh fruitiness is in the aroma, however, the fact that the flavor is much the same is a bit of a let down. This beer just doesn't have the depth that I would have wanted. I wanted to sense some complexity from the interplay of the fruit with the grains, some degree of balance from the hops, and especially some earthy/woodsy character from the oak aging. Instead, all I got was an all-natural version of Cherry 7-Up.

Make no mistake, this is an easy-to-drink, lightly sweet, pleasant drink. The light, soft carbonation keeps the sweetness from overwhelming, and this beer can almost be considered refreshing. In the end, though, I was expecting a world class beer and instead got what tasted more like a world class soda.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 13:52:47 | More by devilben02

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

marc77

California

3.48/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Hazy ruby in hue, covered by a lightly pinkish, thin white head. Cherries expectedly dominate the aroma and are very fresh in nature. As the brew warms, a caramel malt aroma and nuttiness surface slowly, lending a subtle marzipan note when combined with the fruitiness. Assertively sweet in flavor, with sugary fresh cherry sweetness dominating the flavor profile. A mild tartness partially offsets the sweetness, but fruity sweetness remains dominant. Strong cherry persists from start to finish and perhaps overshadows malt character, leaving this brew a bit one dimensional. Well carbonated with a spritzy mouthfeel. Appropriately light body. Finishes with a combination of sugary sweetness and subdued tartness lingering on the palate. Although the fruitness was very fresh and clean overall, Wisconsin Belgian Red seemed to lack the malt character that their Raspberry tart had. It's a unique and enjoyable brew nonetheless!

Big, huge thanks to Bighuge for the bottle!

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2002 19:13:20 | More by marc77

Brunite

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Shared this bottle with family at Mom's b-day.

Appearance: Deep violet-red. Not much head.

Smell: 100% tart cherries.

Taste: Cherry is all. Tart & sweet. Just a tad on the sweeter side....perhaps too much for me. Just shy of being cloying.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied and tart.

Drinkability: I enjoyed this beer but preferred the Raspberry Tart. This one was just a bit too sweet for me. I'd never be able to finish a bottle by myself. I could with the Raspberry.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 17:58:16 | More by Brunite

willyc

South Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer is a great example of a brewery reflecting their local suroundings in the beer that they brew. The appearance is ruby red, with a one finger head and good lacing. The nose is CHERRY with a little oak and almond. The flavor is great at first.... but am I alone by saying that this is Slushy sweet? I mean It's well done and maybe I should have shared the 750 ML with 8 people instead of one. It would be good in a 6 oz glass and I respect the craftsmanship but too much for me. Good Day.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 00:52:59 | More by willyc

zhanson88

Montana

3.48/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a ruby red color with a fair amount of carbonation. A couple inches of light tan head with a tinge of pink forms, which has very nice retention and lacing. Pretty nice looking beer.

Smell: A ton of sweet, maraschino cherries form on the nose. Maybe a touch of spices. As it warms I get a lot of cherry cough syrup as well, which is not nearly as enjoyable. That dimension gets stronger as this beer goes along.

Taste: A lot of sweet, syrupy cherry character comes out immediately, along with some spices. Again, a lot of cough syrup comes out as well, which retracts somewhat for me. Not enough to make it unpleasant, just not quite as enjoyable.

Mouthfeel/Overall: Light bodied with a very nice amount of carbonation. It goes down quite easily. Overall I enjoyed this beer quite a bit, though less than Raspberry Tart. Still, definitely one of the best fruit beers you can get in the States. A should try, for sure.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 05:15:49 | More by zhanson88

Holland

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: reddish brown to orange in color with a pinkish brown head that dissipates but leaves some lacing and a good rink around the edges.

S: sweet and sour with cherry

T: cherry, sweetness, some tartness, very juice-like

M: pretty thick and syrupy for such a light beer, medium light carbonation

O: not really impressed with this, but I thought it was better than the raspberry tart even though I don't like cherry flavor too much.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 02:12:34 | More by Holland

ncvbc

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a murky reddish brown, thin fizzy head and big carbonation. Well, it looks like cider and smells the same way. Cherry and a spicy cider character. Very sweet and fruity, plain and simple. Taste has a lot of cider-like flavor to it...right as it hits my tongue that's what I think of. It's quite sweet and sugary with a little hint of yeast. Somewhat tart cherry finish. Mouthfeel is alive with carbonation and tart. Hmm, I don't think this is my style. There's not much wrong with this beer, it just doesn't sit well. I really don't feel like I'm drinking beer right now. I can see why some people would love the hell out of this one, I guess it's not my style. Funny thing is...the drinkability score is lower for me simply because I'm not digging it completely. If you enjoy this type of beer, I bet you could drink the hell out of it aside from how much it would cost. No alcohol at all and doesn't seem like beer. Close your eyes and imagine.

Cheers to jw347 and scoobydank for sending bottles my way

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2008 01:15:01 | More by ncvbc

Reagan1984

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I poured this into a Champagne Flute and a tulip glass as the label says enjoy in either a brandy snifter or champagne glass. Poured one for my wife and one for myself.

Neither pour produced any sort of head. In the snifter I tried to aggressively pour and still nothing built up. The color is a cloudy reddish/purple color. Speckled lacing dots the glass as the beer is consumed.

The aroma is certainly of cherries and also has an earthy quality to it. You can detect a sharpness or tart nature to the aroma. This is certainly consistent with cherries.

The taste is certainly very interesting and obviously different. Is it a cider? A sparkling wine? Beer? Starts a bit sweet, then heads to a tartness that lets you know we are dealing with real cherries. It then finishes with a slight bread like quality that lingers in the background of the tartness. Yes, it has a fruity cherry nature to it from front to back.

The mouth feel is certainly sparkling and vibrant. The drinkability is the real question for me. It's a slow drinker in a different way than an Imperial Russian Stout. The tart nature is almost shocking with every sip.

I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to try this, but I'm not sure it's my cup of tea.

You can tell it's a well built beer though.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2008 21:11:11 | More by Reagan1984

Azurescens

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750mL bottle with no bottled on or freshness date, poured into Hair of the Dog tulip, reviewed on 9/2/11.

A: Pours deep red with light pinkish head that leaves a bit of lacing around glass.

S: Lots of cherries in the aroma, not wild cherries but more of a maraschino - candy - cough syrup cherry aroma, some malt and no alcohol or hops.

T: Like the aroma, lots of maraschino cherries, sweet and slightly tart as well. no alcohol or hops and a long lingering taste of cherries.

M: Light, crisp and slightly tart light-medium body and semi-dry finish.

O: Lots of cherry flavor from start to finish, but I am not a fan of the artificial tasting cherries in this opposed to the natural cherry flavor of a kriek.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 02:59:37 | More by Azurescens

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750 waxed top bottle into a tulip glass. Shared with my wife on Christmas evening.

A: A deep reddish mahogany color with a one finger reddish fizzy head. No glass lacing and the head does disappear.

S: Cherries galore! Wow, smells just like a cherry soda with some tartness. I'm not getting much else on the smell.

T: Cherries, cherries, cherries. A huge cherry flavor that starts, stays and finishes. Some slight oak and yeast that keep the beer somewhat tart and doesn't allow the sweetness to totally take over, but the sweetness still wins in the end. After a few sips, this starts to get very "cherry cough syrupy" with the flavor.

M: Fizzy, tart, sweet with no alcohol.

O: Ok, I struggle to see how people are rating this beer so high. Where is the complexity? There is none in my eyes, it's all cherry all the time with flavors that start to wear on you after awhile. Am I missing something here?

I normally like fruit beers, but this one to me is just one dimensional and starts to taste like cough syrup to me. Not totally digging that. I enjoyed the experience, but I won't seek it out again.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 16:05:12 | More by Kadonny

Gfunk720

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Special thanks to Casey for this extra. My first bottle of Belgian Red.

A- A very interesting combination of ruby reddish brown. There are bubbles everywhere, and a fizzy white head.

S-Cherry jolly ranchers. It smells sweet. Those are pretty much the only things I can pick out.

T- Pretty much like the nose. The sweetness hits my tongue instantly, and then notes of Cherry Jolly Ranchers are pretty much what I get. The cherries actually do taste pretty real, which is a nice touch.

M- Pretty fizzy which is fitting, but a little thick any cloying. The sweetness is just a bit too much. Good flavor though for such a low ABV beer.

O- This is a very tasty beer, but not something I could drink regularly. It is very sweet, almost overly sweet. Very remenicent of Raspberry Tart, but with cherries. Am vacationing with my Dad, he said it tasted like cough syrup =)

-GFunk

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 01:52:38 | More by Gfunk720

Ryan011235

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Stone 15th Anniversary snifter on 5/3/12

Thanks to smurfbeer for the chance to try this long time want.

Though a dirty rose color while being poured, the beer takes a darker turn toward rust and light plum. Held to the light, however, it has a nearly crimson sheen; it's quite bright. The head didn't pass more than half an inch an wisps out in no time. Some collar retention.

The aroma is a deep and sugary cherry: cherry pie, cherry concentrate, cherry preserves. Overtones of vanilla as it begins to warm. Faint cracker grains. I like the smell enough, but I'm afraid this is going to be a sugar bomb.

Huh. Not quite as sugary as I was expecting, but pretty close. The cherries are undeniable; sugary and heavily outfitted. Though it adds some to the sweetness, I'm glad there is a somewhat decently proportioned cracker and pie crust malt offset to flesh out the overall flavor. A bit tart, but it could stand for more stimulation in that respect.

The feel is a bizarre cross between a medium-light body and a sticky sugar bent. The beer feels far heavier than it actually is. Carbonation is moderate.

Overall impression - It's like hearty cherry soda. It's like a good, shitty port... without all that pesky alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 04:03:26 | More by Ryan011235

MSchae1017

Georgia

3.55/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer was tasted in a wine glass from the 750mL bottle. The beer pours a hazy pinkish red with a white head sporting a hint of pink as well. The head dissipates without leaving much lace. The smell is straight cherry juice. The taste bursts forth with more cherries and a bit of tartness to keep the sweetness in check, but the cherries really dominate. Mouthfeel is medium-full bodied with lively carbonation. A nice fruit beer displaying the cherries very well. Just a bit too sweet and overwhelming for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2008 01:00:54 | More by MSchae1017

n2185

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a slightly hazy reddish-brown with two fingers of red-tinged head that recedes into a thin layer with decent lacing.

S: Some tart cherry aromas at first followed by lots of sweet cherry notes. There are some slight bubblegum and yeast aromas towards the finish.

T: Sweet cherries up front followed by some strong tart and sour cherry notes. Very slight yeast character on the aftertaste.

M: Medium-light body with medium carbonation that accents the tart and sour notes well.

O: A decent beer, but like their Raspberry Tart, it's so simple that I can't call it a great beer. I just want more depth and complexity than pure cherries.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2011 01:39:19 | More by n2185

Pencible

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: This poured a hazy ruby with a little off-white head.
S: It smelled like sugary sweet cherry. Surprising lack of complexity here.
T: It tasted like super sweet cherry, with a tart finish. Nice clean aftertaste. That's about all.
M: It was watery with lots of natural carbonation. Nice light body.
D: This was basically one-dimensional, which was somewhat disappointing to me. It had a terrific natural cherry taste, but nothing else. It must be sipped, since it's so sweet. This could go well with vanilla ice cream, but it's challenging to drink a full glass by itself. Nice to try once, but I probably won't have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 16:37:01 | More by Pencible

beveritt

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: Poured from a wine bottle into a champagne flute. The label is a typical New Glarus, unbelached paper with a short description about the beer. This bottle has over a pound of cherries used.

Appearance: Pours with 2 fingers of slightly pink faom. This settles into a luscious, creamy head, with a fair amount of lacing left behind. The beer itself is a deep reddish brown.

Smell: Tart cherry aroma. What can I say, not much else.

Taste: Tart sour cherries again. Very slight bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Lots of tiny bubbles, like they used a partial methode champenoise. Body is okay.

Drinkability: A great beer, definitely off the beaten path. Like a liquid version of sour cherry jam. Very refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2008 00:04:05 | More by beveritt