Apple Ale - New Glarus Brewing Company

Arenbeer

Connecticut

4.83/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12oz bottle thanks to beerwolf77

Poured into a goblet glass

A- Huge fluffy 2 finger white head sits on top of a golden copper body. Tons of carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass

S- Smells like a cider. Tons of sweet apple and spice. Maybe some brown sugar or cinnamon. The malts from the brown ale definitely come through as well and blend really nicely.

T- Wow. Just like the aroma. Super creamy malts with a nice hint of apple and spice. Absolutely delicious.

M- Nice thick cream ale style body with moderate carbonation and a nice wet finish.

Best fruit beer I've had hands down.

SkÅL!

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 18:24:35 | More by Arenbeer

mattkooler

Kansas

4.83/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- A deep copper hue with a nice initial head that dissipates quickly. Nice carbonated bubbles float to the top of the beer for quite a while

S- Amazing smell as soon as I poured the beer, I smelled pure apple.

T- The taste is a great mix of beer and apple. There is just enough malt and hop profile in the back to keep the beer balanced, however, the overriding taste is apples.

M- Extremely crisp and nicely carbonated. Very appropriate for this beer.

O- I've had this one before, and I enjoy it immensely every time. This is a great beer to change up my drinking routine and get me out of a rut. Tastes of pure apple with nice carbonation and amazing crispness.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 04:55:05 | More by mattkooler

Andrew61923

Connecticut

4.83/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz bottle to Duvel tulip. I really need to start incorporating some other glassware.

A: Clear dark orange appearance with a pleasantly small white head. Great look to the beer, both with an aggressive pour to start and then slowing it down.

S: Cliche, but yes...green Jolly Rancher. Apple through and through, but definitely not in an overly sweet way. Smells genuine and tart, bordering cider, but not crossing the boundary. Awesome.

T: Just along the same lines of the smell. This is amazing. Like biting into a less tart green apple. There's no prick on the teeth like a Granny Smith, but there's something bordering that taste.

M: Extremely smooth. The low ABV helps this, but I really have no complaints. Even after a few IPAs before, this is extremely palatable and I'm able to get as much flavor from the beer as I'd hope.

O: A great beer. I had no idea what I'd think of it, but holy crap...I need to get more.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 03:07:51 | More by Andrew61923

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.8/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Nice looking copper appearance. Slight off-white head leaves sparse lace. Quite the inviting juicy apple aroma. Very pronounced and nicely blended. Maybe a little cinamon as well. Malt is in the background too. There is a great, juicy sweet apple taste to this beer. But also ghostly tartness as well. A blend of Cortland, MacIntosh and Jonathon apples was used. Slight cinamon character. Some light barley notes in the back and a bit of a drying character coming from the hops. Easily the best apple beer or cider I've enjoyed. New Glarus has got a handle on fruit beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2004 03:37:56 | More by Bighuge

kmpitz2

Tennessee

4.8/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Picked this beer up near my inlaws over turkey day. We're having it along with some apple pie just to accentuate it. The beer pours an amber color with hints of golden in there. The nose is full on apples. Not a lot of the tart apple, but I think I like it. DAMN. What a nice flavor. I wish my apple homebrew was liket this. The apple is up front and in my faaaace (for you Chris). The finish is caramel sweetness from the malts. No detectable hop really. Feel is moderate, but what I expect on this beer. Drinkability is huge. I want to drink more and more and more. What a great beer. I really like it and will buy more of it if I find it when home.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2004 01:41:43 | More by kmpitz2

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to Terri from hooking us up with some of this glorious nectar!

A-Hard cider-like brilliant golden kissed copper. Minimal rising bubbles. A fizzy, medium white head starts then reduces to a a thin ring and leaves spotty lace.

S-Amazing blast of fresh pressed apples. Not much else other than a faint bit of caramel malt sweetness.

T-The closest "beer" hard cider replacement I have ever tasted. Amazing apple flavour is so up front and in your face it is crazy. I wonder what the malt/apple must ratio is with this one. A present, but mostly hidden, sweet malt backbone and a little spicy/tart zing compliment the apples.

M-Light bodied, very crisp, effervescent and "bouncy". A most enjoyable zippy mouthfeel that fits the brew perfectly.

D-You want drinkability? If you enjoy hard cider you will love this. As good as or better than most ciders I have had. I was told that if you like apples you will need to get at least a case of this stuff...well they were right! Wish I had more already! Truly a beer work or art! A job well done Dan...Thank you!

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2008 00:10:36 | More by Deuane

Vogie

Michigan

4.8/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is my first New Glarus experience. Special thanks to my friend in Madison for picking me up a four-pack of this.

Poured 12oz bottle into a Duvel tulip glass.

A. Poured a nice apple cider color with a small head that disappeared quickly after it was completely poured. Also has a decent fizziness to it.

S. Wow fresh apple smell up front with a hint of cinnamon.

T. A strong fizzy apple cidery taste up front with some cinnamon and other spices on the back end.

M. Light with a decent amount of carbonation.

O. This was a great representation of an apple cider beer. I love that it had a lot of carbonation and was full of fresh apple flavor. It is sweet but not overbearing. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is on the fence about fruit beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 23:13:22 | More by Vogie

shippos

New York

4.78/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

poured witha creamy dense white head, lacy on a almost clear amber sicer colored body. waffs of apples and some dense sugary malt, freshly squeezed apples and fresh apple skins and some residual sourness form the apples. oh my god...shocking and absolutly amzing first taste. sugary at first the some tartness hits followed by a tongue lapping sweetness that coats your lips followed by a very tart almost spicy prickly carbonation or acidic character. well pronounced tart sharp acidic character. no off flavors whatsoever very very well crafted...these guys are just amazing. for me though one bottle was enough, kind a wish i had a few more for further down the road.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2005 20:36:19 | More by shippos

TheSSG

Illinois

4.78/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is the 2012 vintage which, due to the Midwest drought, uses Washington Fuji apples instead of a Wisconsin variety.

Pours a thick, dense, white head that has good persistence. Aroma is euphoric; bright, tart apple dominates the nose, but there is a nice yeasty aroma that smells like fresh apple skin, with a malty, almost woody hint behind that. Color is a straw-amber. Flavor starts sweet, brightly tart, and rich with apples. There is an underlying syrup-like (in the pleasant, not overpowering or over sweet) sweetness as the malt blends with the apples. It's a very dry bier; after the apple caresses your tongue, it's a clean, smooth, malt finish. This is a much thicker liquid than cider, and whereas cider becomes yeasty/apple skin bitter in the finish, the wheated brown ale slips through, leaving the finish satisfyingly malty.

This is phenomenal. I remember liking the 2009 (I think it was) version the best, but each and every year of this is gold (I'd only have about an 1/8 point variance between the 2009 and this).
I am a big fan of cider, but in all honesty, New Glarus Apple Ale is better than ANY cider I've ever had. Like I said, that malt finish replaces the low-point of cider with one of the high-points of bier.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 02:06:12 | More by TheSSG

u2carew

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

(A) Good look. Clear, Clean, signs of carbonation and no apple chunks.
(S) Delightful. Apple aroma could be smelled long before bringing the glass to my mouth.
(T) Fantastic! A great taste, like slightly sour green apples but with the sweetness of apple pie.
(M) Good. Crisp and clean, but a little too bubbly for my palate.
(D) This goes down the hatch with ease. Chug, Swig, or sip just a great, drinkable beers.
A beer that could be introduced to non-beer drinkers as a gateway beer.
Way to go New Glarus!

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 21:45:41 | More by u2carew

hwwty4

Missouri

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Once again thanks to GbVDave for this one.

Poured a 12oz bottle into my Boulevard Smokestack chalice. This beer pours a golden caramel copper with just a slight off white head that receded into just a thin line around the inside of the glass. As the beer disappears from my glass, no lacing is present. As somewhat of a cider aficionado, I definitely expected a slight haze from the apples but to my surprise it poured completely crystal clear. The aroma is fresh off the tree golden golden delicious apples coated in sweet caramel eaten off a stick at the fairgrounds. The flavor is exactly the same. It completely reminds me of a fresh artisanal caramel apple. It's completely amazing how they bottled that flavor. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and just finishes a little to sweet. New Glarus, in my opinion makes the best fruit beers. There is nothing better then a fruit beer from New Glarus. Amazing.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2009 00:56:12 | More by hwwty4

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wow. I cannot believe I haven't reviewed this one. I love this beer-- possibly one of my top fruit beers... But certainly one of my wife's top picks!

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a orangey gold with a white head that bubbles down to a thin wisp of micro-bubbles, leaving some thin streaks of lace that almost-but-not-quite form rings.

Wow. This is like cider. It is just fantastic. Nice sweetness up front, but the finish is crisp and dry. It isn't like a crappy "malternative" that is overly sweet-- this has found that perfect balance and comes across as delicious.
Really well done.

The body is -- wow... it's like sparkling. Lots of carbonation that is composed of light and tiny champagne-esque bubbles. Some little cinnamon notes come through here too.

I love this beer. This will forever remain on my wants list!

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 05:06:38 | More by AleWatcher

Strix

Wisconsin

4.72/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Clear pale orange, little head.

Smells of apples and cherries, slight cinnamon note

I can taste apple, pear, orange dreamsicle, and candied apple. Interesting and complex.

Medium mouthfeel, bubbly carbonation.

This beer rocked. Complex and delicious.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 02:45:47 | More by Strix

mrand01

New Jersey

4.72/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle tasted with nicoco. Poured into a Tyranena tulip.

A: Clear, coppery brown...a little darker than apple juice. Pours with a small amount of head that quickly dissipates. Thin lacing that disappears quick.

S: Apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, some caramel malt.

T: Caramel malt, apples, not much spice in the taste. Sweet, but not overbearing. Almost cider-like.

M: Light to medium bodied with light carbonation.

O: Excellent brew. The fruit is balanced nice with the malt. Normally I'd be disappointed by the absence of hops, but not with this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2011 00:34:18 | More by mrand01

clvand0

Kentucky

4.7/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to kmpitz2 for bringing one of these for tasting. This one pours an amber color with a very small head that dissipates quickly and doesn't leave much lacing on the glass. Awesome aroma. Apples and more apples. Not tart or sour, but just a nice apple smell. Not sure how they did that and avoided the sourness. The flavor is excellent. Lots of non-sour apple flavor with some caramel. Wish I knew how they did this beer because I would brew it as my house beer. Loved it.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2004 18:45:04 | More by clvand0

afausser

Virginia

4.7/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bottle courtesy of nflmvp. Thanks to a great trader, and very happy to be enjoying this one on New Year's Eve!!

Appearance: Pours a peachy orange. Fizzy, with very little head, and carbonation almost like sparkling cider. Leaves a thin ring of lacing with large carbonation bubbles.

Smell: No surprise here--apples and cider, as well as some spices (cloves?) and a fair amount of malts in the nose.

Taste: Tastes nearly like apple juice, with a syrupy sweet alcohol taste that is barely present. It actually shocked me how little you can taste the alcohol here. It's sweet and fizzy, starting out with sweet apples and moving to a slightly tart aftertaste in the finish. Simple, but delicious, and well done. There's something in the aftertaste that's not quite apples, which as it warms turns out to be a light white grapefruit, and a hint of light grapes as well. Tastes like real fruit--delicious in its simplicity.

Mouthfeel: Fizzy, large carbonation makes the apple juice taste really pop and stand out, as well as adding the illusion of a slight spice in the aftertaste. Well done.

Drinkability: VERY drinkable--though also filling. Would love to have this over and over again.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2010 03:16:35 | More by afausser

semibaked

Kentucky

4.7/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Many Thanks to northernbrews for hooking me up with this.

Pours into a pint glass.

A - Pours a slightly dark apple juice color with a little white head on top that disappears quickly, also has the body is crystal clear and doesn't have much carbonation either.

S - Huge amount of apple juice and cider smells which I love but no much else.

T - HOLY CRAP is this good, Big Time apple flavors with many some slight cinnamon and a touch of lemon. Pretty tastes like a top notch hard cider.

M - Tons of carbonation, absolutely the most crisp and clean beer I have ever had.

D - Amazingly refreshing, goes down super easy and tastes amazing, New Glarus needs to do 2 things, make this beer again and distribute it to Michigan (my house specifically).

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2010 00:56:56 | More by semibaked

themedievalist

New York

4.7/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I think the moment I realized beer was really amazing was when I tried the New Glarus Raspberry Tart, so this brewery has a special place in my heart even though, living in New York, I very rarely have the chance to enjoy their offerings. But my boyfriend got his hands on a couple, and since he knows I like this sort of thing, he offered one to me. It pours a very clear copper shade, with a small head that dissipates quickly; a great deal of carbonation is visible at first, but soon disappears. The nose is rather light, with just a hint of that slight apple-and-vinegar scent one finds in some ciders. The taste, too, recalls apple cider, and as far as I'm concerned, this beer is absolutely delicious. The dominant flavor is sharp, flavorful apples; the light carbonation really allows that flavor to stand out. I have a feeling I'll be trying to steal the second one of these from my boyfriend's closet ...

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 04:04:55 | More by themedievalist

abents

Wisconsin

4.68/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours out a light transparent copper with a light head that's gone pretty quickly. Smells of tart green apples, slight spices, and more apples. Taste is a very refreshing apple flavor with a slight tartness to it that balances very well. Slight maltiness in there makes it not taste completely like a cider. Very nicely done, not as good as the Raspberry I don't think, but still very spot on and delicious. Wish they would make this one year round too.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2009 02:39:12 | More by abents

heliosphann

Indiana

4.68/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12oz bottle. Poured in a pint glass. Yet another brew I received multiples from various traders. Big ups to all those cats.

A: Pours a golden orange. Very little head if any. Leaves some oily, top lacing.

S: Apple Juice and more Apple Juice. Seriously, you could to a blind sniff test and trick quite a few people. There's also some hints of spice and malty sweetness.

T: Big, juicy apple goodness. If I didn't know this was a beer, I'd swear it was a dry cider. Very sweet and a tad bit of tartness on the finish. Also some creamy caramel malts with a small amount of biscuit to round things out. Delicious.

M: Mouthfeel is surprisingly thicker than expected.There's some decent carbonation and it really sits well in the mouth.

D: I think my friend kept stealing sips, because the glass was gone before I knew it. Like I said, this could almost be a good cider or quality apple juice.

I've had this a few times now and have enjoyed ever sip. I'm kind of upset that I discovered this beer after it's very hard to obtain. This is one of those beers I'd love to let non-beer people try. New Glarus are easily the kings of producing fruited beers here in the US. I'd love to see them revisit this as a seasonal offering.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2009 21:06:49 | More by heliosphann

richkrull

Wisconsin

4.65/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a transparent copper/amber color with a little bit of white head on it. Smell is nice and fruity. The apples really come through. Taste is the same, heavy on the apples with a little bit of malt. Light mouthfeel, this is a smooth, easy drinking beer. Overall another great fruit beer from NG. This is a really good beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2011 00:36:19 | More by richkrull

dhannes

Wisconsin

4.65/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Was able to still find a 4-pack; paired with a caramel cashew sundae. Poured into a pint glass.

A=Nice golden color; head was overly foamy at the start and quickly went away.

S=Like green apples...perhaps a bit of mustiness.

T=This is my first apple beer (and I've yet to try any hard apple ciders), so nothing to compare with. Green apple tartness with lots of sweetness...almost seemed to need ice to keep it refreshing.

M=Excellent...very drinkable, even more so than most light beers, with almost no carbonation...was actually expecting more carbonation and am almost wondering if this pour went flat prematurely.

O=Recommended try, especially when it first comes out, on hotter days, and well chilled.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 03:12:51 | More by dhannes

katiebecck

Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

My favorite fruit beer out there, from one who does not generally like fruit beers.

A - Attractive clear gold color, lots of carbonation, some head that quickly disappears.

S - Has a strong apple aroma, with traces of bready malt.

T - Apple flavor hits the tongue right away, followed by notes of bready malts that serve as an exceptional balance to the sweetness of the apples. At no point is the beer too sweet.

M - highly carbonated, light and refreshing feel in the mouth

D - the most drinkable apple ale I've tried. Never gets too sweet, great for a hot summer day. So glad that New Glarus re-released this exceptional beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2009 19:22:48 | More by katiebecck

brew3crew

Ohio

4.63/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

In line at founders for CBS

A-golden yellow with no head whatsoever

S-nice sour apple. Wow blows me away. Almost

T-so good. Like a very good apple cider. With alcohol.

M-medium body and smooth

O-wow. So good. " liquid McDonald's apple pie"

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 10:39:00 | More by brew3crew

Pauly2X

Wisconsin

4.6/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Deep clear gold, half finger head.

S- There's a hint of barley, but other than that it smells like apple juice.

T- The taste is mostly apple, no doubt. Take a high quality apple juice with a solid malty flavor midway to the end. Finishes slightly tart.

M- Clean and crisp, good carbonation.

D- For a non-traditional beer, great.

If you like fruit beers, get it. If it's not available by you Beer Mail me.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2008 01:14:18 | More by Pauly2X