Apple Ale - New Glarus Brewing Company

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Cooked apple aroma escapes on uncapping the bottle...let's pour first before further comment...amber hue, apple cider-y, slightly hazy, mostly clear, without a head to speak of...nose is pungent, snappy, appley all the way, tart, and hot...Taste? Sour twang at first, then sweetness ensues...bracing mouthfeel, then mellow...juicy, high carbonation, tasty, tingly...though it fades a bit toward the end...not bad. No, actually, it's okay.
Not what I like, but it's sure to suit plenty of tastes out there...here's to them!

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2004 07:10:44 | More by feloniousmonk

drabmuh

Maryland

3.4/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Yuck...what happens when you try to make a cider into a beer? this happens.

Beer is amber and clear with no head, no lacing and low carbonation, this is OK i guess.

Beer smells like apples and spice, this is more upsetting if this isn't what i expected.

Beer is thin to medium bodied and apply. Its sweet and cidery with mild spice and some grain acidity at the end. It's not super enjoyable as I hoped. I doubt I would drink more than the 12 ounces I had.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2010 05:21:27 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to my brother for sharing this bottle. A fruit beer from New Glarus? Yes please.

The beer pours an amber color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the apple pie. I get all of the notes I expect, with some cinnamon, apple and bready notes. The flavor also doesn’t disappoint. I get cinnamon, apple and crust notes. This beer tastes like an apple pie. Awesome. Thin to medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. There are lots of breweries out there, but I don’t think anyone does fruit beers better than our friends from Wisconsin.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 01:07:08 | More by Mora2000

MasterSki

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Shared a bottle with the in-laws while eating apple crisp - how appropriate!

A - Not sure how to evaluate this, as I don't have much frame of reference. It looks like carbonated apple juice, but with a two-fingered head and spotty lacing. The rising bubbles settle down pretty quickly after pouring.

S - It smells like fermented juice. I suppose that's the point, isn't it? There are some faint spices in there, kind of like an apple pie.

T - Tart and sweet at the same time. Really pleasant - it tastes like cider but with the slightest hint of malt.

M - The carbonation gives it a nice zing. Smooth and creamy, just like good cider.

D - If you love cider this is great for sessions, if you don't it still might be nice for the occasional try.

Another great New Glarus fruit brew! Wish I'd grabbed more of this when I was in Milwaukee.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 00:48:19 | More by MasterSki

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.65/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Acquired via trade from MilwaukeeCrusher so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains a lot of sweet apples, some light caramelized malts and a touch of hops.

T: The taste likewise starts out with a very strong sweet apple flavor that dominates. I had expected it to be more sour than sweet but I’m not disappointed either. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and there’s a very mild hops presence that brings a decent balance. The after-taste is sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, very mild kick, good representation of style, this is a decent beer to drink for a while if you’re in the mood for the sweet apple flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 04:23:27 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to TATURBO for this one! This beer poured out as a lightly hazy golden color with a thin white head that doesn't do much but form a ring around the glass. Not much lacing here. The smell of the beer had a pretty good aroma of apple to it. It starts to smell better as it warms up. The taste is like a blend of cider and apple juice with a good amount of spices in there too. The mouthfeel was almost medium bodied and had a good carbonation to it. Overall I can't say that it was my favorite Apple flavored beer, as much as I love these beers, I think it was a little too tart at times. I would drink this again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 22:45:46 | More by Knapp85

Halcyondays

California

4.88/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours amber with a mild white head, limited lacing, solid head retention.

S: Winter spice, green and yellow apples, mulled cider; decadent, like the best apple pie you've ever smelled.

T: Pretty much with the nose. More cider like than beer. Beautiful winter spice/cinnamon with the true apple flavour, absolutely delicious.

M: Light-bodied, crisp, soft carbonation with a very mild acidity.

D: As with the other New Glarus fruit beers I've had this is incredible. The top 4 fruit beers of my life, they're all New Glarus, can't say more than that.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2010 05:23:34 | More by Halcyondays

emerge077

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Glad they brought this out of retirement! Poured into a rinsed stange glass, a vigorous pour created a three finger head of crackling white foam. Surface has a nice soft luster, and a ring of sticky foam. Crisp and fresh apple juice aroma, some light musty yeast lingers too. Flavor is crisp tart red apple, some mild malt in the back, seems very close to dry cider. Very clean and crisp feeling, fairly light without the estery alcohol of traditional cider. A little bit sweet, but the dryness seems to take care of it before it gets cloying. Drank two yesterday and one today, so it's pretty drinkable, especially if you like apple juice or cider.

Tried a 50/50 blend with the Unplugged Berliner Weisse, and it was better with just about 1/3 Berliner Weisse added to 2/3 Apple Ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2008 04:25:54 | More by emerge077

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Younger35 for this foil-wrapped 12 oz bottle.

A: The ale is significantly darker than the pale color I expected. Rather, it looks like a glass of apple juice except for the 3/4 finger of head blanketing the top of my glass.

S: The apple aroma is stronger and sweeter than I expected (clearly I've underestimated all aspects of this ale). Rather than showing off a tart green apple, the beer goes with a sweet, fuller array of red and yellow varieties. The apple presence is very sugary, very juicy.

T: Each sip has the sweet sugary profile of apple juice. There is little here to remind me that I'm drinking a beer. On the other hand, this isn't a hard cider. The sweetness is intriguing, heavily dependent on the apples for such a blast. If I didn't know any better, I'd never call this a beer.

M: An amazing ale, spot-on for the sweetness of apple juice with the kick that all adults can enjoy. Some things, like the offerings from New Glarus, never cease to amaze me.

D: I love apple juice and I love beer. Therefore, it stands to reason that I love this drink to a geometrically greater degree. I don't see myself drinking this all day long but as a one-off treat it really hits the spot.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2009 02:42:52 | More by akorsak

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a dimple mug)

A- This beer pours a crystal clear body the color of strong iced tea with a slight red hue to it. There is a spongy white head that is gone after the first sip. The gentle carbonation of big bubbles glides through to the surface.

S- This beer has a fruity pectin aroma with an apple quality and a unsweetened candy jolly rancher note but it is pretty natural apple over all.

T- The fruity taste of pears and tart apples is crisp and has a soft malt flavor to support it. There is a light toasted note to the malt followed by a fruity finish that is a bit more jolly rancher than cider but is a pleasant combination of the two.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a dry texture and a very slight apple astringency in the finish.

D- This beer has a big apple flavor without being sugary candy or chemical tasting. The apple flavors have some nice bright fresh fruit flavors and a soft bit of support from the malt. This beer is easy to drink and the best example of apple beer I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2009 14:32:40 | More by rhoadsrage

Jason

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

Color: Crystal clear pale brass.

Smell: Apple pie filling, not much else other than that.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Sweet, semi-syrupy sugary mouthfeel. Sweet apple flavor, just like the aroma ... apple pie filling. Hint of cherries and cinnamon from the fermentation. Some cookie dough maltiness within reveals that this is actually a beer. Very sweet finish.

Overall: Awesome to see beers this far down the spectrum of sweetness and even being away from most qualities of beer. You'd think this was a cider though after a few sips some malt comes through.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2011 01:57:09 | More by Jason

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to rudzud for sharing.

Pours a very light fizzy head, semi hazy golden orange carrot color.

Nose is like sparkling apple juice, fresh apple cider, quite effervescent, hint cinnamon like spices, spiced cider, touch apple pie sweetness too.

Taste fizzy, big apple flavor, apple cider and again sparkling apple juice, sharp acid bite, apple pie and cider mulling spices, tart apple flesh. Finish is tart and dry, tart apple lingering, bit of acidity, more apple cider and spices, and dry mouth smacking tart crab apple like finish.

Mouth is lighter bodied, lots of carbonation, effervescent.

Overall pretty good, one of the better straight up fruit beers I've had. Great apple flavor, effervescent sparkling apple, light mulling spices and sweetness, overall quite nice. I could drink tons of these.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2012 17:11:27 | More by jlindros

mdfb79

New York

4.23/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 02/19/12 notes. Received from JYounger30 in the Birthday BIF; thanks Jay! Love the fruit beers I've had from NG so far so have been wanting to try this one. 12 oz. bottle poured into my Duvel tulip. 2010 vintage.

a - Pours a clear golden color with one inch of white head and moderate to high carbonation evident.

s - Smells of apple juice, cider, green apples, and light bread and grains. A ton of apples, very nice.

t - Tastes of green apples, cider, apple juice, slightly tart or sour green apples, light spice, and grains. Again, a really great tasting beer.

m - Light body and high carbonation. Crisp and dry.

o - Overall I thought this was another good fruit beer from NG; I've yet to have a bad one from them. This was exactly what I was expecting/hoping for, as it tastes a lot like hard cider/apple juice. While I enjoyed the NG Cran-bic more, if I could buy any of these fruit beers off the shelf I'd always have some in my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 16:42:16 | More by mdfb79

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle obtained via trade with Skidz. Thanks for the opportunity...

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed 1/4" of eggshell head over the dark amber brew. Head was short-lived, quickly fading to a layer of small bubbles, and lacing was minimal. Excepting the head that was present, looks like cider. Aroma is deeply of sweet apples, with a tinge of sour here and there. Smells like cider. Taste is pretty much cider as well, but as much sour component, and this incorporates the slightest of discernable malt character, adding a smoothness at the end. Mouthfeel and drinkability okay, but this one's just too sweet for what I would expect from a apple beer. Now if it were a cider, that would be a different kettle of fish, so to speak. Worth a try for fruit brew lovers out there, nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2004 22:05:17 | More by ppoitras

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle into a flute. Big thanks to Deuane for hooking me up with a bottle of this.

Pours a clear, effervescent gold, with 1 1/2 fingers of rigid brite-white head. Retains with a nice creamy look around the edges, staying strong, and leaving some quality patchy lace back. The aroma is straight up apple juice in the nose. This is a bit cider-like as well, with the tartness of the apples playing nicely with the sugary sweetness of the wheat. Bit of floral hops and spice make themselves known in a more subtle fashion. I'm not sure what the ABV is, but I swear that I'm getting just a touch of warmth in here as well.

The taste is crisp apple flavors, with a delicious malt base of sugar and bread. Spicy Noble hop character pulls up the back, tasting a bit like the cinnamon topping on this piece of apple pie. The mouthfeel is light-medium bodied, with a crisp and bubbly pop to it, and man, does this go down easy or what? I literally think that I could have used 2 bottles of this for the review.

I love how they used the hops and spice to counteract and compliment both the tartness and sweeter components of these fruit beers, and this is just another great example of that. They really need to make this a fall seasonal during apple season. Very nice!

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2009 12:00:30 | More by Kegatron

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.47/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle, believe brdc hooked me up at DLD but I could be wrong!

Pours a crystal clear light amber, some orange highlighting, thick white head forms, drops to a thin ring around the glass and a thin layer, some nice chunks of lace stick to the glass. Smell is real neat, like apple juice, caramel, lightly sugary, toasty/biscuity, treacle, pears, cider, very malty, quite sweet, but really interesting maltiness, and real nice apple aroma, definitely unique. Taste is similar, lots of apple juice character, very fresh, lightly tart, great maltiness, caramel and honey, toast and biscuit, very rich and full, very fresh and juicy, this stuff is great! Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with medium carbonation, very smooth, real nice tartness. Insanely drinkable, I could drink a lot of this stuff!

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2009 02:13:34 | More by Viggo

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

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.95/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured out looking like a little more champagne-y type of beer, golden with great clarity and tons of bubbles. Aroma was exactly like an apple. Lots of 'em.

Obvious apple taste, but stays away from being cidery, isn't super dry, and cider usually imparts more alcohol because there aren't any hops, less if any malt etc. . .; Nice and relatively complex, you would think straight apple, usually green, but no, this smells like all kinds of different apples. Sure it has a decent amount of sugaryness to it, but so do apples, and this isn't like we're talking Lindeman's level of sugar, its just like an apple, slightly tart and sweet at the same time.

I couldn't see knocking back an entire 4 pack to myself, but I think a few ounces of this stuff during a drinking session really hits the spot. They add enough other stuff to it to make it right up the alley of apple pie (crust, cinnamon).

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 21:19:05 | More by Beerandraiderfan

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle courtesy of mikesgroove. Thanks!
Clear, light coppery amber with a white collar and skim of fine bubbles. Some lacing, good retention. Definitely some apples in the aroma, lower tartness and more of a baked apple or applesauce character. Mild caramel. Tons of apple in the flavour, nice balance of sweet and tart apple character. More cider than apple juice with just a bit of caramel sweetness in the background. Lightish body with average carbonation. On the dry side without being bone dry. Crisp and refreshing. Highly drinkable, especially if you like apples.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2009 22:07:51 | More by DrJay

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

My crazy, sexy, cool cellar continues to yield forgotten treasures. Once I have reduced the backlog, I will not allow that kind of thing to happen again. In the meantime, here goes ...

From the label: "Apple Ale sings with the fresh crisp taste of Wisconsin Apples. Our Brewmaster begins with a brown ale base employing Wisconsin famed wheat and a blend of Cortland, Macintosh and Jonathan apples. Our apple growing friends squeeze them especially for this brew."; "Expect this Ale to pour a beautiful copper color. The fresh bouquet will rise to meet you even before the glass touches your lips. So be sure to sip slowly and enjoy the fruits of a Wisconsin Harvest."; "Vielen Dank!"; "[undersigned] Daniel & Deborah Carey".

I employed a very gentle pour, resulting in mere wisps in terms of head. Color was a slightly hazy light-brown with amber highlights. It did, indeed, resemble freshly squeezed apple juice. Nose was very much driven by the apple juice employed in its production. Mouthfeel was on the thin side and the taste was of lightly spiced apple juice. If I had the proper equipment, I might consider heating this in a double boiler as a sort of mulled cider-type of drink. Finish was a pleasant admixture of apple and spice, the latter most likely cinnamon. Very tasty cold and would be welcomed as a hot drink also.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 08:16:30 | More by woodychandler

HopHead84

California

4.33/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I meant to drink the Bohemian Pilsner but mistakenly opened an Apple Ale. Poured into my Lost Abbey tulip, the beer is vibrant copper with one inch white head. The head quickly dissipates and leaves little lacing.

The aroma transports me to an apple orchard. Perhaps an orchard in Wisconsin? Six varieties of apples, the label reads, and I do believe it. Fresh, crisp, apple aroma. The beer smells very sweet and sugary. Reminiscent of a cider. I'm unable to see (or smell, rather) past the nice apple aroma so I'll simply tell you that I noticed no hop or malt characteristics. There wasn't a trace of the brown ale in the nose.

Wow! Delicious! Sweet and slightly tart, crisp apple flavor. It really tastes more like a complex blend of fresh apple cider and apple juice than beer. No alcohol is noticeable. The finish is sweet, crisp, and clean.

Light-Medium bodied with low carbonation and a slightly sticky mouthfeel.

This beer was a serious treat.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2009 03:22:19 | More by HopHead84

stakem

Pennsylvania

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

I appreciated the opportunity to try this one and thank Bmoyer0301 busting this brew out on 12/3/10.

Poured into a snifter, this brew appears a crystal clear orange color with a thin film of white bubbles that hangs around the inside perimeter of the glass. Swirls and sips produce some spotty lace work on the glass.

The smell of this brew is primarily fresh apple juice with some faint spices akin to cinnamon and some depth of apple skin, not just flesh.

The taste of this brew is all apples, apple juice via sweet concentrated form. Drinking this brew is easy going if you approach it like you are enjoying a hard cider, it is slightly acidic with does a decent job at balancing out the sweetness of this offering. A long lingering aftertaste of apple is left inside the mouth.

Medium to light in body with a modest level of carbonation. Quite easy drinking, if you enjoy apples or hard cider this is certainly a brew to give a try. First impressions of this brew are pretty hard to swallow. This brew was quite tasty in a back-sweetened cider sort of way.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2010 01:03:24 | More by stakem

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into chalice

Pours a light fizzy head that fades down to nothing instantly. Some active carbonation in the glass. Color is an absolutely clear pink hued peach. Despite the no head, it is a gorgeous looking beer.

Aroma: Dry, crisp golden delicious apples. It smells like an apple harvest or something. Apple sauce flavors. Apple cider. Pretty much all apples.

Taste: This beer tastes like some of NG sours' base brown ale. However, it has none of the sour components, but rather apple flavors and some dry spice. It is pretty much straight up apples. It is pretty good.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, crisp, and refreshing. Light bodied with a low to medium amount of carbonation. Ends fairly dry, but clean.

Overall, it is another solid brew from NG. It is pretty easy drinking and I will have no problem with this bottle and probably want another. Awesome stuff.

Edit: As I get further into the bottle it becomes harder to drink due to the sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2010 18:44:35 | More by mothman

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Nice light golden copper color with a slight hazyness to it. Small, loosely bubbled and strangely constructed greyish cap that whisps away pretty quickly leaving a thin collar that stays about half the glass down. Lacing is very minimal in spots.

Aroma is musty mushy bruised apples, borderline melon-like with a more musty past-its-prime honeydew thing. Oddly abtrusive yet possibly appetizing and intriguing nose.

Flavor is mellow and musky with a heavy sweet dark apple skin and mush tone. Pretty darn sweet and thickly so; the apple isn't to bad, its not cidery, its mushy, chewy, tangy, and mellow. The sourness is beyond deep in tone, nearly nonexsisitent until very late where some truer crispy apple tones float across the finish.

Feel is partially thick and chewy with a mellow tang and solid sweet dark apple tone thats melony and candy-like. Sugary through and through; smooth and creamy mediumness in body.
A strange brew tis true. One thats either a 'love it' or 'hate it' thing. I'm right in the middle, I don't particularly like it all that much, but it doesn't bother me or uninterest me either. I probably won't buy it again but I'm glad to have tried it. One of those types of brews.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2005 00:32:52 | More by tavernjef

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks goes out to StayWhatYouAre2 for sending this one my way! Served from bottle into a New Glarus flute (also from StayWhatYouAre2). Poured a golden yellow-orange with a one finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, green apple, pastry, bread, sugar, and apple pie. The flavor was of sweet malt, pastry, green apple, sugar, apple pie, and subtle wheat. It had a light feel on the palate with high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. Upon first investigation of this one I was knocked back by the aroma of apple pie. I couldn’t believe what I was smelling! This beer smelled like America! So right out of the gate I was excited to try this one. The flavor even carried over on this one with the same components. I’m really glad this was the case because usually a lot is lost between the two when I really enjoy the aroma. Really well done on this one New Glarus!

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 13:36:24 | More by thagr81us