Raspberry Tart - New Glarus Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.88/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I appreciate raspberries. This was very natural in every way, colour, odour, freshness, and a meal in itself. Mondial 2005. Sweet to start, with tartness in middle, and finishes with refreshing slightly sweet aftertaste.
A bottle two years later courtesy of Derek. Just as good. What taste for low ABV.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2005 04:56:19 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.88/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Lucent magenta with brilliant raspberry red highlights when backlit. The rosy pink head is more dense than expected and looks for all the world like a piece of shortcake saturated with berry juice. I doubt that much lace with be forthcoming, but that doesn't bother me in the least. This is a great looking fruit beer.

I have to hand it to the good folks at New Glarus. With Wisconsin Belgian Red and now Raspberry Tart, they've created the two finest fruit beer noses in all the world. I don't know how long it took to come up with the final recipe, but they've achieved raspberry beer perfection with regards to the aroma. It's both sweet and tart with nothing on display except the essence of the berries themselves. Wow! seems inadequate.

Raspberry Tart is as amazing as I thought it would be once I tasted Belgian Red. Check that, actually it's better. As in... better than I thought it would be and better than Belgian Red. It's probably too close to call, they're both the finest examples of their style in existence, but I can't imagine a better, more dizzyingly delicious concoction than that which sits before me at this moment. The fact that I like raspberries more than cherries is probably a factor.

As in the nose, there's very little present other than the berries themselves. What puts this beer into orbit is the complex combination of sweet and tart. I'm not enough of a zymurgist to know what aging in oak vats contributes or why the Hallertau hops need to be a year old. My guess is that at least the first of those is absolutely critical to the tangy fermented flavor that gives Razz Tart its soul and elevates it above mere fruit juice.

Even though I'm not big on pairing beer with sweets, I can't imagine a better accompaniment to a gooey fudge brownie or a dish of vanilla bean ice cream. I don't believe that it's at all unwarranted to call this the best fruit beer in the world. The sweetness limits drinkability somewhat, although if I use the question 'would I have another?' as my sole criterion, a bump in score would be a no-brainer.

My first thought was that the mouthfeel wasn't quite as thick and as syrupy as my memory of Belgian Red. Now, I'm not so sure. As the beer sits, it comes together beautifully and is now the very definition of heavily silky. This beer is a mouth party of the highest order! Since I have no idea how it could be improved... another perfect.

I don't know what else to say. I've used just about every adjective for 'great' that I can think of and I still feel that my ramblings have been inadequate to describe the... uh... greatness of Raspberry Tart. I hope this beer keeps as well as I think it does because I'll be clearing out Madison the next time I make the trip. Simply stunning.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2006 22:00:32 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.97/5  rDev +14%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Now lets talk a little bit about this one for a minute. I have been wanting to try this forever, and I just recently received not one, but two bottles of this brew. I really did not know what to expect going into it, but have heard it is simply outstanding. So needless to say the red wax coated 750 beckoned me from the start and I popped one open last night. Poured a very nice raspberry colored red with a small pink colored head and very nice carbonation visible throughout the session. The smell was rich with raspberry essence. Extremely strong so that nothing else could possibly come through. Now the flavor was to die for. I have never been the biggest fan of fruit beers in general, but this has just come to a whole new level. So sweet yet tart and sour at the same time, the flavor was so strong, yet not overpowering and not too sweet as to make you sick, it was in a word, perfect. It had the most perfect taste for this style I could have ever imagined. A great light body and great carbonation made it feel like water and there was just no hint of any kind of alcohol in this. This was by far one of the best brews I have ever had. I was raving mad about this all night long and easily killed the bottle myself. I just did not think anything could taste this good, this was fantastic. I would love to get my hands on as much as I could, I have to give it up here. This is one of the best drinks I have ever had, hands down, just wonderful. I would have to recommend this to everyone, go and get some!

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2007 13:32:47 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

4.33/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A big thanks to cvaypai for this bottle. Craig keeps on hooking it up with the Wisconsin goods.

A: The pour is a clear, dark, ruby/garnet color with little to no head.

S: Great raspberry aroma. There's a wonderful mix of tartness and sweetness. Maybe a bit of cranberry as well.

T: Like the nose, there is a great balance of tart and sweet raspberry. The flavor is not candy-like such as other fruit beers.

M: The body is medium and the level of carbonation is fairly low. Somehow, it works though.

T: Much, much more drinkable than the Wisconsin Belgian Red. The lack of cloying sweetness is quite a nice surprise and makes this beer very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2010 06:01:51 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a strawberry red with plenty of visible carbonation and a pink-tinted white head. The smell is one of slight sourness accompanied by overpowering fresh raspberries. The taste is much the same with an added tartness that complements the fruity sweetness of the raspberries perfectly. The mouthfeel is one of a good dose of carbonation on a fairly light-bodied beer; not too different from champagne, but perhaps a bit less carbonation. Drinkability is about as high as can be--with 4.0% abv, I'd have no problem going all night with this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2009 20:26:17 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

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

Appearance: Pours a murky, pinkish-brown body with a pink-hued, bubbly head.

Smell: Rich, fresh raspberry fruit aroma with a touch of tartness. Maybe a lil' bit of heaven added, too.

Taste: It's delish! Raspberry compote with just the perfect balance of pleasing sweetness and tartness. Small tinge of bitter and oak character serve as a reminder that you're not simply feasting on fresh juice. Finishes with a long, lingering fruitiness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation.

Drinkability: Unrivaled drinkability. I can say, quite categorically, that New Glarus Raspberry Tart is a phenomenal, incredibly delicious beer. It's a damn shame all fruit beers can't be this good.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 20:57:09 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

4.53/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a magenta color with a fluffy pink head that hangs around for a while and then descends to a ringlet but leaves delicate wisps of lace around the flute

Smell: Just about the most incredible whiff of raspberries you could imagine; fresh raspberry soda aroma

Taste: As soon as the liquid touches the tongue the sweet-tart interplay begins and intensifies after the swallow; the finish is long-lasting

Mouthfeel : Light bodied with a mouth-puckering prickly tartness

Drinkability: This beer is a joy to drink; keeping the alcohol low makes this so much more enjoyable

Thanks, murrayswine, for the opportunity and to FlandersNed, for the chance to taste a 4 year old version

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2006 23:00:09 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

4.65/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to burnheartsMKE for sending me this one!

Pours a semi-clear cranberry juice red with a tiny 1/2 light red head that fades to a film on the top of the beer. No lacing whatsoever. Smells of raspberries and raspberry puree in cherry/berry juice. There is a slight metallic odor I am getting too. Taste is awesome with sweet raspberries in a fruit juice cocktail. Very sweet yet slightly tart at the same time in a perfect balance. This is a highly carbonated beer that is very crisp and clean in the mouth. This is a delicious fruit beer all around and probably the best raspberry flavored beer I have ever had. Really refreshing and something I could drink a lot of in one night. I will seek out more of these for sure.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2011 01:05:12 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.9/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle: Poured a deep red color fruit beer with a nice bubbly pink head with minimal retention. Aroma of fresh sweet raspberries is just incredible and I could spend days just sniffing in my glass. Taste consisted of sweet fresh raspberry (not the chemical syrupy raspberry that are commonly used in fruit beers), slight tartness and a light acidic finish. It’s a shame that I cannot obtain this beer more regularly over here.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2005 14:12:44 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.55/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Similar in nature to the Belgian Red, except with raspberries instead of cherries. I'd hate to know how much fruit is in each bottle. The beer just explodes with raspberry color, aroma, flavor, and tartness. Sweet, tart, and thickness to the point that it's hard to drink. Sip maybe, but not drink. Belly-aching sweet. Still the flavors and aromas are flawless. Juicy, ripe, rich and full. The beer has a lingering raspberry sweetness that goes on for days. Though I like the beer, it's a little over-bearing and could stand more beer-like qualities. I'm looking for a bit more vineous, woodsy, barley, hop, and drinkability--just a little more dimension.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2006 16:23:29 | More by BEERchitect

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A beautiful reddish body with a purpleish cast is capped by a short head of pink foam that quickly receeds to a thin collar and leaves little lacing about the glass. Fresh raspberries greet you in the nose and beckon you to take a sip! It's delicately effervescent carbonation tickles the tongue; and its medium body gives some girth to its sweet and tart flavors. The raspberry is quite authentic, and it's so juicy and puckeringly tart-sweet that you'd think you were drinking delicately carbonated raspberry juice! It finishes dry with a wash of acidity and some residual, lingering raspberry flavor. This is quite amazing, and it easily matches the intensity of some of the sweeter versions of raspberry lambic from Belgium. Brilliant!

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2005 21:46:36 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Duvel tulip glass.

Picked this guy up randomly while shopping fer brews at the outset of the Man's Weekend. It pours a deep garnet/ruby/other miscellaneous red-colored gemstones topped by well over a finger of slightly pink-tinted light ecru foam. The nose is an explosion of sweetened raspberries, as though a bowl o' them berries had been sprinkled liberally with confectioner's sugar. Some blueberries may or not be in the bowl as well, and some cinnamon seems to have been added to the sweetening party, though in much less abundance. The taste follows pretty dern closely, but a nice tartness replaces the seemingly sugariness. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a sticky, syrupy feel. Overall, a very nice bit o' fruity goodness, excessively drinkable and increasingly tart/complex (so to speak) as the tasting goes on.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 15:58:40 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

There's a precious, raspberry-red wax over the crown and down the neck of this beer, proper insurance of a finely crafted and properly presented product. How often do you see the like in a beer?
Snap! Fssh...and out wafts the incredible raspberry aroma! Let's get that in a glass and up to my lips, pronto!
Color pours out a devilishly dark, bloody red, with a head that starts fine, but swiftly dissipates. I search for associations with appearance and can only come up with candies, desserts, pies, liqueurs...all things sweet, delicious, and fruity!
Up in the nose, BAM! Raspberry Sorbet! Gorgeous! I used to work in an ice cream factory, and relished the time spent with fruit purees, before blending and freezing. This is exactly like that.
I don't even care if I never get to drink it, just to smell this all day long would be heaven!
A highly charged pounce upon the palate at first sip, a bracket of hops, a rush of carbonation.
So much lip-smacking going on throughout the drink...ooo,tart! oo, tart!, but still sweet and delicious.
Texture: phenomenal, body:full, finish: eternal!This beer has a flavor that never lags, or sags, or forgets it's business.
My only caveats are that the tart flavor can be too much at times, and though quite a delight, this is strictly a special occasion ale, best enjoyed after a perfect meal, among several friends, with plenty of time to loll back and marvel at the splendor!
Other than that, perfection!

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2003 01:54:35 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.8/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to Tim and Mary Anderson for their help in getting this.

The beer pours a beautiful dark red color with a thick frothy pink head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great! Just like the label suggests: Tart raspberries. It's extremely fruity with a killer raspberry character. The taste is perfect. It's everything a fruit beer should be. It's way over the top with raspberry character. It hits you in the face with a commanding sourness and doesn't back down. What a great beer. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a treat. It's highly drinkable and soo soo delicious!

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2010 19:35:46 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a becher. Beer is about what you expect as far as color, looks red and hazy, forms a white head made up of medium to small bubbles. Head falls away leaving lacing on the glass. Beer looks good.

Aroma is full of raspberries and sweetness.

Beer is sweet and full of tartness from the raspberries. Medium to low body, lots of carbonation on the palate. Sweetness is up front and the tart is in the back of the mouth. Beer finishes rather cleanly and there is no aftertaste. Its a very pleasant experience and I love drinking this beer. If raspberries are your thing, I would check this out totally. Drinkability high, good mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2010 21:17:48 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4.33/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Exiled for sharing this wax-dipped 750 ml bottle of Wisconsin goodness. I had beer looking forward to trying this beer for quite some time and I was not disappointed.

The beer pours a medium-dark red color with a large white head. The aroma is strong raspberry. The flavor is sweet raspberries with a nice strong tart finish. Medium mouthfeel and medium, crisp carbonation. This has a more soda-like mouthfeel than the Belgian Red which seems to be more juice like. Overall, an outstanding fruit beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2010 22:22:52 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

4.4/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out a clear, very bubbly, deep red color with a small, pink, fizzy head. It left no lace.

S - It smelled of sweet raspberries. That's about it, but it was a very good aroma.

T - It tasted very sweet and of great raspberry flavor. Really an amazing taste.

M - It was very crisp and fizzy with a slightly dry finish. A light bodied beer.

D - This is really rich and full of flavor. This truly is an amazing brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2009 01:52:37 | More by zeff80

MasterSki

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Picked up a bottle at Discount Liquors last time I was in Milwaukee - served it with my mom's apple crisp at Xmas dinner.

A - Beautiful ruby red color with a thin pinkish head that dissipates quickly. Bubbles lazily rise from the bottom - it looks kind of like soda, except for the small amount of lacing. It's hard to compare as I don't have a real frame of reference for fruit beer - it doesn't even really look like a kriek.

S - Fresh raspberries, and all that entails. Some sweetness, some tartness - it's obviously sweetened with sugar or malt, as pure raspberry juice doesn't have this potency of scent.

T - Initial taste is pure raspberry, but you get some hop bitterness at the back of the palate. As someone who loves raspberries this is as good as it gets - it actually tastes like the fruit (or jam), and not like the phony raspberry flavor found in gum, etc. The taste is tarter than the smell, which keeps it from getting sickeningly sweet after a while.

M - Medium body, sticky, with a nice amount of carbonation. It's also got the dry crispness that I get from lambics - reminds me a little of La Folie. It leaves that too much candy mouthfeel after a while, for which I don't totally care.

D - At 4%, and with such incredible flavor, this is the perfect beer for dessert spreads. I could drink a bottle by myself and be totally fine with that - although I'd probably want to brush my teeth afterward!

This stuff is awesome - seek it out via trade if you can't hit up Wisconsin yourself.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2008 23:54:14 | More by MasterSki

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.53/5  rDev -19%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours into my glass with a deep pink colored head. The beer is a dark red color that is approaching black (though it has a ways to go). I get strong aromas of raspberries emanating from my glass as I pour this beer. The sweet raspberry notes dominate the aroma, though perhaps a hint of acidity comes through, but not much else. The beer is definitely sweet. It has a full fruity flavor and an almost thick body from the residual sugars that are left behind. It is quite tart in the finish, though it could perhaps use a bit more to balance the syrupy sweetness. I also get a bit of raspberry skin tannin in the finish. The sweetness really over powers that rest of the complexity that might be found in the base beer. This is definitely enjoyable, but is a bit too sweet and cloying to be a 'beer' for me.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2004 05:51:20 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired via from fogdog courtesy of the 2009 Secret Bunny BIF, so a big "Thank You" goes out to him. Poured from a 750ml wax-sealed bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright pinkish purple color, with a thin pink head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is all raspberries as you would expect and is very strong.

T: The taste is very tart and sour up front with the strong raspberry flavor. There's a little bit of sweetness that creeps in along with faint touches of wheat and hops. The malt character is thin on-target for this type of beer. The after-taste is sour.

M: Very crisp and a little smooth, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty especially if you're into the raspberry flavor, goes down easily, not too filling, very mild kick, although I'm not a big lambic fan, this beer is right up there with the better lambics, sours and wine-like beers that I've had.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2009 02:28:01 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.78/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Cheers to Jw347 for this one!

Pours burgundy/purple with 2+ fingers of noisy pink head. Great lacing & fairly good head retention

s: Super raspberry nose, fades as this warms

T: Juicy & tart raspberries. plus a little puckery sourness up front. Tartness & dryness dominate along a sweet raspberry vinaigrette as this warms. Finishes with a nice puckery sweet/tart flourish

MF: Light & sparkling, plus some acidity & just a touch of stickyness

Drinks really well, I believe the acidity & tartness would preclude me from sessioning on this. Easily one of the best beers at 4.0% abv, below, above or whatever! Also, easily the best fruit beer I've ever drank!

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2008 02:33:12 | More by russpowell

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A huge thanks to my friend Traci for getting this for me. Opened this over the weekend and shared it with a few close friends. The beer poured out as a nice clear looking ruby red color with a cream colored head on top. The smell of the beer floods the nose with a rush of fresh picked raspberries. There isn't too much else on the nose except for a light amount of tart funk, very light though and almost unnoticeable. The taste of the beer is sweet, it's loaded with raspberry flavors that dance on your taste buds leaving behind a tingling tartness behind. The beer finishes dry leaving you ready for the next sip. The mouthfeel of the beer is medium bodied with a soft carbonation to it. Overall this is pretty much exactly what I was hoping for with this beer, I would enjoy this one over and over again. Very glad I got to have this and hope to have it again someday.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 05:25:38 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Hideaway in Chaseburg, WI. Served in a Lindemans flute. This was the scene: Country on the stereo, sitting under a Nascar neon, with some contractor dudes eating lunch at the bar, giving me the stink eye. I luckily survived, and here's a review (from notes).

Crimson brown, pinkish white foam, ok retention.
Some carbonation visible in the glass.

Seedy raspberry aroma, lightly sweet with traces of natural cherry and raspberry juice.

Lightly tart, 2/10 on the sour scale. A clearly defined raspberry flavor, sweet and juicy, very effervescent. Very lightly puckering, but the sweetness comes in and extinguishes any trace of sourness. Nice balance. One is enough to savor.

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2010 06:18:33 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

4.9/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From a 750 mL bottle, my 3rd time having this,

A: Pours red with a moderate light tan head, some lace.

S: Decadent full raspberry fruit nose, outstanding.

T: As with the nose, an incredible real raspberry flavour, like the best dessert you've ever had, nothing more to say about it. Can't help but put a smile on my face.

M: Light-bodied, very mildly acidic, smooth.

D: As with the Wisconsin Belgian Red this is incredible fruit beer. I'm so glad I got to revisit it. I still like Belgian Red a tad more, I think that's because I'm more of a cherry fan than raspberries. But I still love raspberries, this was phenomenal.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2010 05:55:11 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

4.93/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: clear reddish purple color with a short 1" head. SOme spotty lace develops.

Smell: huge raspberry aroma here that is wonderful. No fake syrupy aroma here.

Taste: there is a light graininess to this beer. Big raspberry flavor with a bit of tartness. Bitterness is mild.

Mouthfeel: crisp and lightly dry from start to finish. Very long lasting raspberry flavors coat the tongue.

Drinkability: this is one of the best fruit styled beers I have had the pleasure to drink. Easy to quaff and very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2009 20:55:43 | More by Gavage