Apple Ale - New Glarus Brewing Company

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

New Glarus' Apple Ale smells and tastes astonishingly like fresh apples; and it's dark amber body with golden highlights is also reminiscent of cider. There's little head, and only a thin collar remains of that; and lacing is limited to just a few tiny spots here and there. The taste is of apples, although a touch of malt can be found if you look close enough. It's very delicately carbonated, and surprisingly much fuller in the mouth than might be expected. It finishes sweet with some lingering maltiness. It's certainly not your average beer, and I see it as somewhat of an apertif or dessert beer, but it's delicious regardless.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2005 20:40:28 | More by NeroFiddled

SheepNutz

Kentucky

4.35/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A big thanks to Kev (kmpitz2) for sharing this brew. 12oz. bottle poured into a snifter. It pours a medium copper color with just a little bit of large bubble foam. There is no lacing. The smell has lots and lots of apple, and even a touch of cinnamon. It smells just like an apple pie, like grandma used to make! The taste is very sweet and cider-like. More cinnamon floating around. I bet Johnny Lieberman's apple pie beer tastes like this! The mouthfeel is very very heavy for a fruit beer, very nice. The drinkability fairs well also. A damn good apple beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2005 22:38:34 | More by SheepNutz

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

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

ZAP

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Current rating seems a little high....one of these is about all I can handle....not a horrible brew but I prefer their other fruit beers better.

Pours a cloudy copper color...nose is lighter than expected but is very fresh smelling...enjoyable nose....taste is much sweeter than I anticipated. I expected some acidic bitterness but this is more like baked sweet apples covered in brown sugar...Medium bodied....

A nice change of pace beer...I would think about ordering it as a desert beer or perhaps with some pancakes for breakfest but that is about it....just real overwhelmingly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2005 17:54:25 | More by ZAP

GIVEMEBACKMYSON

Alaska

3.78/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Surprisingly enough, this beer smells like fresh apple cider. It pours with a similar appearance (color, translucence) of apple cider. The head turns into nothing pretty darn quickly.
This basically has the flavor of apple cider with the body of a beer. The three types of apples used (cortland, macintosh, and jonathan) are actually each detected in the flavor. In the finish, some of the tartness is lost, which gives way to an overly sweet finish.
I found this to be much better than woodchuck, which i didn't much care for when I had it many years ago. But, it is kind of difficult to remind one's self that this is beer, and not cider, whilst drinking. Nonetheless, a tasty and enjoyable enough beverage.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2005 16:49:30 | More by GIVEMEBACKMYSON

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

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

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

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

donnyw

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours golden with a slight red hue. Little head with decent retention and lacing. Smell of a freshly cut apple. The taste is of biting into a fresh Macintosh apple, finish with malts and hints of cinamon. Remeniciant of the Belgian Red, supstitute apples for cherries. Very good brew, what I would expect of New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2004 06:02:49 | More by donnyw

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep orange robe, almost clear. Diminishing beige head. Direct apple compote nose overwhelms the senses. Shredded apple flesh thrown up the nostrils in a sweet fashion. Riped delicious (the brand) apple crustade, pie crust. Nice warming medium body, very comfortable, low carbonation. This is definitely interesting, but not in the leagues of the raspberry tart for instance. Maybe I’m just more of a raspberry guy, but this seems sweet and simple, which I’m aware the other one is also, but it fails to take on me and surpass futile concepts like caring about the complexity rather than overall enjoyment. Here, rather than smelling like a fresh harvest, it appears a bit oldish (which it sure isn’t). I fear this won’t age well at all, but I’m very glad to have sampled it. Cheers Barry!

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2004 21:30:50 | More by Rastacouere

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

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a light brown ale with medium head with very little retention. Aroma is, without any surprises, comprised of sweet apple. Taste is also overtaken by the apple juice taste, which is great since the apples that were incorporated in here are fresh, sweet (but not too sweet) and with just enough sourness in them. Malt and hops are very hard to taste. Body is just above average with some light carbonation. This is one fine fruit beer, well balance and without the ‘’concentrated’’ feel to it.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2004 17:24:55 | More by Phyl21ca

Winter

Wisconsin

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a medium copper in color with a dissapating light tan pillowy head. Aroma consists of fresh apples, pie crust, malt and a sweetness akin to apple pie filling. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, yet uncommonly smooth.

My initial impression is to compare this to cider and forget that it's an ale. I quickly disregarded that thought, as this is so much better than any hard cider I've ever had. The initial taste is of sweet sugary apples. Feint tartness and practically no bitterness at all. The apple flavor dominates any hops that may have been used. Malt background is there but takes a backseat to the apple flavor. This would border on being a bit too cloying, except the finish is dry enough to evaporate most of the sweetness.

This stuff slides down like silk with little resistance. Some concerns that this isn't much of a beer, but I think if you add the bitterness of hops and a stronger malt body, the taste would completely fall apart. This is sweet enough to be a dessert beer or enjoyed alone by itself for you to discover its nuances. Combine this with a slice of fresh apple pie and vanilla ice cream and you've got a perfect match.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2004 02:03:40 | More by Winter

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

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

Apples are my favorite fruit. I like apple pie, apple cake, apple bread, apple pancakes, apple juice, apple cider, apple... well, you get the idea. When the opportunity arose to try some apple beer, I just couldn't pass it up. Thanks Skidz.

Bright orangish amber with a faint hint of apple peel red. The pale caramel-colored head is on the small side, but is compact and tight-bubbled. While not overly creamy or sticky, it does manage to leave a short collar of lace.

Apple Ale smells of tart, crisp apples and white wine, like an especially appley Chardonnay. I would prefer that it smell like the sweeter varieties of apple (Cortland, MacIntosh, Jonathan) rather than the ones that it's actually made with, since the ones listed are some of my favorites.

Now this is more like it. The beer was unquestionably made with sweet, snappily tart apple pressings. It tastes much more like brown apple cider than clear, amber apple juice. This is exactly what I had in mind when I first heard about cider/perry, not that straw-colored, too sweet, citric acid-tart beverage that passes for actual cider/perry. As other reviewers have noted, Apple Ale resembles fresh apple cider more than it does beer.

If a brown ale is the base, it isn't an overly assertive brown. It's apparent that there's a capable enough malt structure, but little actual malt flavor (or hop flavor for that matter) finds its way past the apple. The body is medium with a pleasant viscousness from the natural sugar. That same sweetness limits drinkability a tad (that's a weak 4.0), but this stuff is delicious and multiple bottles might be possible if one drinks slowly enough.

Apple Ale is my first New Glarus beer and it's a winner. Apples and beer. A match made in heaven? Nope, Wisconsin.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2004 15:29:43 | More by BuckeyeNation

cokes

Wisconsin

2.8/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Toasted golden in color- a shade right between yellow and amber. The head is greying beige and vanishes nearly as soon as the pour is completed. It looks like cider, and for good reason.
The nose is, not surprisingly, dominated by apples, all red and sweet. Deeper in, some cedar and yeast notes add traces of spice.
Begins with elephantine apple aggression. All laid out at the fore. Red apples. Juicy. Sweet. Sugary. Some cinnamon notes at the close, with a slight cedar woodiness. But complexity is foregone in order to deliver all apples, all the time.
This is basically carbonated apple juice. It's not readily identifiable as alcoholic, and certainly not as beer.

This needs to be more tart, as the sweetness is heavy handed. More yeasty, lambic-esque nuance would be a start. I'd also appreciate some semblence of malt and/or hops contributions. Until then, I'll view this as more of a malternative, or hard cider, than a beer.

I enjoy the Belgian Red and Raspberry Tart quite a bit, but this is hardly drinkable for me. It maintains the fruit, but lacks the nuance. It's just not in the same league.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2004 05:50:26 | More by cokes

bnuttz

Wisconsin

4.3/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Well, the third New Glarus fruit beer I have sampled. I went into this with high expectations and here are the results.

appearance: a dark copper color, with little head

smell: sweet, apples, smells so good, like a sweet apple cider. Some tartness can be detected also

taste: Apples all over. Wow, this is great. Very sweet and tart at the same time. Tastes like an apple cider sweetened up. The sweetness does not hide the tartness at all.

Well, New Glarus has done it again, these guys just cannot miss on the fruit beers. True, I probably couldnt drink more than one due to the inherant sweetness. But I must reccomend this beer to everyone that can get their hands on it. It is pricier like all the NG fruit beers, but that is understandable because you can tell they dont skimp on the fruit. Get it while you can!

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2004 00:53:06 | More by bnuttz

ALESwhatCURESya

Wisconsin

4.95/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I have had my eye on this since it hit the shelf. I am guessing that this is going to be very limited edition so if you find this anywhere, thank the gods and purchase a few bottles. Bought at Sendiks for $2.99. Has the "Unplugged" series red foil on top with a neck label that says Apple Ale. The body label is typical of New Glarus with a branch of red apples. The narrative on the label says that it is brewed with a Brown ale base and blended with 3 kinds of locally grown apples that his friend personally squeezes.

Now for the report card...The color is a light copper color with a pretty thin head, but lots of carbonating action flowing from the bottom. The aroma is so unbelievably refreshing, that you believe you are in the midst of an orchard. It is not just apple smell, but freshness as well. The first sip brings pure enjoyment to the taste buds. The apple flavor spreads quickly, but doesn't swarm you with a sugar-sweetness. This beer is almost as flawless as you can get with a fruit brew. In my mind, New Glarus has earned the crown for fruit enhanced brewing. This is just one more winner to add to the Belgian Red and Raspberry Tart line!
One thing to note, this is exactly as the label says..an Apple Ale. If you do not like apples or cider in general, you will be wasting your time with this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2004 02:20:55 | More by ALESwhatCURESya

Skidz

Wisconsin

4.97/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Served in a 12 oz. bottle, strikingly similar to that of the "Unplugged Series," though the label does not say anything of the sort. Red foil over the cap and neck with a red label and white printing of "Apple Ale."

Pours out bright gold and sits a dark amber in the glass with a meager off-white head, fading fast.

Smells of dried apple leather and caramel. A very sweet, candylike aroma. Reminiscant of apple juice concentrate, with a light, spicy hop aroma behind. Very pleasant and inticing.

Tastes sweet up front and builds up steam from there. Apple cider all the way to the bank. A blend of caramel and a light trace of cinnamon tingling the sides of your tounge also give good feeling to this beer. Hopping minimal and barely noticeable, just like the other two fruit beer by New Glarus. Full of real apple flavor, even a bit of skins and stems thrown into the mix. Excellent.

Smooth, rich and creamy in the mouth, medium bodied with carbonation that relaxes your entire mouth, just plain soothing. Makes it all the more worthwhile.

I could drink this stuff easier than I could water. This beer is cutting it close, and is right on par with their other fruit beers, mabye even better. Wow, this is tasty, tasty stuff.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2004 03:05:36 | More by Skidz