Apple Ale - New Glarus Brewing Company

neorunner

Virginia

1.88/5  rDev -54.7%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Thanks to DougoftheFuture for sending me this in Round 6 of the Blind Beer BIF.

12oz bottle shared w/ Pitasoup (he's living w/ me now). Golden yellow in color when poured into a New Belgium tulip with two inches of light fluffy cloud-like head. This beer is nuclear green jolly rancher in the nose to the point of chemical esque aromas. Green apple and cloyingly sweet for flavor. I can't say that I'm a fan of this beer, the chemical aroma comes through in the taste as well. Could be from growing up in an ice cream store and being very attuned to artificial flavors.

The reveal: New Glarus Apple Ale. Well this is a great beer to send in this BIF, if only because it is so polar in all accounts. Reading the label it says they used green apple juice, I'm wondering if it was concentrate.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 23:50:27 | More by neorunner

DCon

Missouri

3.9/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Received a 12 FL.OZ. bottle of this in a trade w/ rjacobs6. Poured from the Red Foiled top, White label w/ the WI state as a Thumbprint into my Surly Darkness Tulip Glass. Has no freshness date on the bottle.

Aroma- Can mistake this one for a Smirnoff Ice Apple aroma! Going to still give it an above average rating. Hits the nose hard this this apple aroma and huge malt overload.

Appearance- Pours a 1 finger head that bubbles up with an aggressive pour but dies quickly. Has a light, golden colored body with great clarity. Leaves suds behind.

Flavor- The flavor starts off EXTREMELY sweet and almost as if you just took a bite out of a juicy, Granny Smith apple. Unreal! Sweet finish as well and flavorful beyond the norm. Bit artificial but this is okay by me.

Mouthfeel- Light Bodied, Medium Carbonation, A bit watered down here and finishes once again like an Apple Smirnoff Ice.

Overall Impression- Quite interesting! Caught too much artificial flavors in the mouthfeel though... Will still be giving this one an above average rating. Not sure I've had an apple ale like this ever before! I recommend picking this one up along with the others from New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 20:08:53 | More by DCon

JohnnyHopps

Indiana

4.55/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

By far, this is the best apple beer I have had. It is not even a close contest based on the complexity of the flavors.

Poured into a fluted glass, the beer was a golden color and produced a slight head. Perhaps the only disappointment I have with this beer is the aroma. While the apple scent is present, it is quite mild. The beer is initially sweet like an apple juice beer combo. The combination of different apples is obvious. The apple snob in me takes over, as it is easy to detect both sweet and sour apples. With the apple flavor comes a vanilla taste that I would closely associate with barrel aging. In the after taste, there is a brown sugar flavor with the tart overcoming the sweet apple. This is where it becomes most obvious that this is a brown ale.

A very smooth and easy drinker. Warm or cold weather, one can consume a lot of this complex fruit beer. I only wish this were a regular beer by New Glarus

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 16:42:03 | More by JohnnyHopps

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.55/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

poured a light clear golden yellow with a little bit of a foam around the brim. as soon as the bottlecap pried open my face was hit by a curtain of apples. i've had plenty of cider in my days, and i have to say the only one that ever tasted like real apples was harpoon's - but this is just out of this world. you can tell they used a few different kinds of apples for sure. the taste was not as sweet as i expected, which is great! i think maybe they use their base recipe for spotted cow on this one. same mouthfeel with the fizziness and crisp. this is a great experiment by them, and i am glad i have 3 more to save for the summer months.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 10:07:10 | More by facundoCNB

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From tasting notes... Poured from 12 oz bottle into CBS snifter.

A) Looks like bubbly Mott's apple juice. There was very little head, and just a bit of lacing initially.

S) The aroma is of apple, more of a tart variety, not quite Granny Smith tart. It actually smells like Jolly Ranchers green apple candy.

T) Quite a bit sweeter than the nose. Really more like a red delicious apple. This is a little like a sweet amber cider. Very pleasing finish and aftertaste for any individual that enjoys apple.

M) This is light to a medium/light with a good dose of carbonation. It is quite crisp and fairly refreshing.

O) If you don't like apples, then it should be obvious, this is not the ale for you. If you do like apples, then you will likely enjoy this immensely. New Glarus knows how to make a good fruit beer, and this offering does not disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 15:41:19 | More by RoamingGnome

Duffman929

Illinois

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

I've had several bottles, over the last two seasons.

A - Looks like carbonated apple cider.

S - Strong smell of apples.

T - Carbonation hits the mouth and then a tart taste of green apple. It is light and has no lingering flavors. It is exactly what I expect it to taste like.

M - Very bubbly, similar to a sparkling apple cider.

O - NG does fruit beers better than most others. This is a great anytime beer, but 1 per sitting is good enough because of the sweet apple nature.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 12:17:04 | More by Duffman929

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

nova009

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass

A- small half finger fizzy white head appears on the pour and quickly dissipates to a white covering on the surface, powerful string of bubbles rises from the bottom of the glass to the surface, dark golden color like apple juice

S- apples, crisp apples, smells a little tart as well

T- sweet and creamy, spiced apples, tastes like smooth apple cider with a small bite

M- light and crisp, decently high carbonation that works well, slick and clean on the palate

O- this is a delicious fruit beer, clean and crisp, however no more than two or else your stomach will start feeling it

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 01:39:39 | More by nova009

Trifecta1

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle, bought at the New Glarus Brewery in New Glarus, WI.

A - Sparkling apple juice. Need I say more?

S - Oh my. Crisp, fresh apple cider. Apple pie, crust included. Oh man. I could smell it all day. New Glarus should invest in an air freshener business on the side.

T - Sweet, clean, refreshing, almost like a soda minus the high fructose corn syrup. Tart and very tasty, but almost no beer taste. Slight breadiness, but I can't tell if it's my mind tricking me into thinking of pie.

M - No stickiness, definite plus. Very carbonated. Light and bubbly.

O - Excellent fruit beer, I would not expect less from New Glarus, and one of my personal favorites of the style. Must try if you're a fan of fruity beer or apples, and recommended if you wanna try something new. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 07:31:52 | More by Trifecta1

waltonc

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Spdklz for this great extra. Another great fruit beer from New Glarus. Nothing overly complex, but this is just a delicious liquid embodiment of tart apples. Starts out slightly sweet but finishes fairly dry so that it's not cloying. Light to medium bodied with fairly high carbonation. Quite a refreshing brew. Would love to get more of this.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 02:35:12 | More by waltonc

MaxSpang

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter. Thanks to Duff27 for sending me this fantastic brew!

APPEARANCE

The beer is a crystal clear yellow-orange color. It reminds me of apple juice if you can believe it. The head was about a finger and almost pure white. It disappeared quickly, and absolutely none of it remained in the glass. There was some nice carbonation bubbles floating up, making this beer look quite inviting.

SMELL

Tons of - you guessed it - apples. This is intensely strong in a good way. It doesn't smell like cider, but rather a candy-like tart apple. I could swear I was smelling a caramel apple. It's honestly hard to get much else, save some slight spice character. This is similar to Wisconsin Belgian Red or Raspberry Tart in that I find myself going "There's no way this is beer" to myself!

TASTE

The taste is nowhere near as intense as the smell. That being said, there's a lot of apple flavor in this fella. It's a sweet apple variety rather than a tart Granny-Smith or something. There's a good amount of sweetness, and it reminds me of brown sugar. The caramel flavor comes out but is subtle, and there's a nice little bit of malt right at the end. There's some candy-like sweetness that reminds me of rock candy (not the Belgian kind) or cotton candy. Really incredible flavors coming from this brew.

MOUTHFEEL

The carbonation is very close to perfect, and it creates a nice, crisp, dry finish to an otherwise sweet beer. The body is fairly light. It's big enough to be satisfying while being light enough to be refreshing.

OVERALL

I'm going to come out and say it - New Glarus makes the best fruit beers ever. Like Raspberry Tart is to raspberries and Wisconsin Belgian Red is to cherries, this is the truest apple flavor I have tasted and smelled from any beer. This beer would be amazing in the fall... or any other time of the year! If you love apples, you'll love this beer. Period.

Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 23:33:38 | More by MaxSpang

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

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

Bitterbill

Wyoming

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

12oz bottle with the code 3111. I reckon that's the 311th day of 2011.

It pours a clear light gold with close to a 2 finger head of foam and has a lot of lacing.

The smell is...green apples, green apples! I LOVE that aroma.

The taste is yummy. Loads of apples bringing both sweet and tart notes that really intensify when I swish the beer in my mouth. I was looking for the base beer, Brown Ale, and though it had some hints of one, the fruit just dominated completely and I'm alright with that. Lots of flavour in this 4%abv brew to enjoy.

On the upper end of light bodied with a nice effervescent level of carbonation, the mouthfeel was good and the drinkability..excellent.

A real fun beer to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 00:01:02 | More by Bitterbill

vande

Illinois

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

a - a somewhat thinner head, but one that quickly disappears leaving behind a darker gold, lighter read color that is somewhat clear and easy to see through...quite nearly matches the color and grain of wood in my IKEA kitchen table...

s - apple pie; theres the fruit present with a mixture of some bready malt that makes a nice 'grammas apple pie' kinda feel to it

t - wow... if i didn't know better, i'd claim it as a heck of a cider... apple immediately, but a nice, frsh granny smith taste to it...

m - clean, crisp, clear and cold

o - a pretty good apple ale... Enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 02:44:17 | More by vande

aasher

Indiana

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This bottle was courtesy of Alewatcher, who gave me a bottle simply because he had heard me say that I love this beer in the past. Thanks Jeff!

This beer pours a very light bodied and clear rusty copper in color with a very light and quickly dissipating off white lacing. It doesn't look like much. The aromas are of slightly buttery, spiced caramel apples. It smells great, like roasted apples with cinnamon. The flavors mimic the aromas with more of an apple juice/cider type flavor than the roasted apples. It has nice flavor and isn't cloying like Lindemans Pomme. The closest thing I could relate it to is perhaps Leinenkugels Apple Spice that they used to make. It drinks really light in body and has nice flavor. At four percent, this is incredibly drinkable. My fiancé would love this.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 03:18:18 | More by aasher

lurpy1

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler brought to a recent tasting - filled at Casanova's - I gotta hit this place some day. Nobody in THE WORLD does fruit brew better than NG - don't agree with me? the rankings do - so expectations are high.

The pour is awful. Mountain dew mixed with miller lite mixed with sprite.Seltzery little head on top. Oh well, I want to drink it, not paint it.

Smell brings the sour apple. I suppose there are some beer elements in there.

Taste is just like a jolly rancher sour apple. Delicious! There's a little bit of yeast and malt in the background to remind you you're drinking beer. Even better, this veers far away from the Mike's Hard Nameyourfruit type of flavor.

A little zingy and perhaps overcarbonated, but this is not a beer that could have worked with a thick smooth feel.

Well, Apple Ale looks lousy, tastes great. Insert your own misogynystic joke here, I suppose. I liked this slightly better than Raspberry Tart even, but like RT, due to the sugar/sour experience, I couldn't ever throw down a huge amount at one sitting. But I will be buying it.

Serving type: growler

01-09-2012 19:55:58 | More by lurpy1

ehammond1

California

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

Bottle (2011)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, stig!

Clear goldenrod, slight amber, with a small white head and not a ton of visible carbonation. It actually really closely resembles apple juice, with just a touch of active bubbly.

Incredible aroma of candied caramel apples. This is authentic, juicy, sweet, and fresh smelling. The aroma of rich apple orchards come leaping out of the glass, along with a touch of burnt sugar caramel and toffee aroma. I really like this!

The flavor follows similarly to the aroma, as the authentic, juicy apple flavor is dominant, with just a touch of bitterness, and some sweet candy toffee elements as well.

Thin to medium bodied with low to moderate carbonation.

A really nice apple beer. I wish it was just a touch more bitter and a bit less sweet, but I'd only be nitpicking. I love this stuff!

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 14:38:22 | More by ehammond1

vitrael

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Like a lot Dan's unplugged series, it's difficult to put this one in a box. It has little in common with most other fruit beers I've approached, and in particular it associates more with fresh apple cider flavors than beer flavors. That said, I'm giving Dan the benefit of the doubt (which he well deserves) and figuring he set out to create a beer of intense, unadulterated fresh apple flavor, with the body and mouthfeel of a beer. And that he did.

At the first crack of the bottle, you get the sensation that you've bitten into a honeycrisp apple off the vine, and its juices are wafting up into your nose. The delicate fresh sweetness borders on the flavor of white grapes or a good chardonnay. The appearance is crystal clear and golden, with a thin white film of a head. Before tasting, you could mistake it easily for a sparkling apple juice.

You'll discover, as soon as you part your lips, the full bouqet of fresh apple flavor is executed perfectly on the tongue. It is really very sweet, quite cider-like, but balanced nicely due to the lightness of body and relatively high carbonation. The actual character of the hopping here is almost imperceptible, just enough to cut through the sweetness of the fruit. How such a powerful fruit characteristic was achieved, I really don't know. Barley has taken a back seat in this beverage.

My hat off to Dan as usual (probably the only exception was choco-abbey... man, what was that about?)

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 22:45:24 | More by vitrael

OleJohnnieAle

Minnesota

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

A- pours a clear orange gold with a finger of nice head that leaves behind thin lacing.

S- WOW! Apples hit you from the moment you open the bottle. Almost a green sour apple candy.

T- Beer? Taste just like sour apple juice. Pretty amazing actually. Nice sour notes.

M- Very light body and smooth.

O- Not anything like I was expecting. Hard to classify this one as a beer, more of a hard cider I would say. Nonetheless, I will see if I can get it again!

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 21:54:10 | More by OleJohnnieAle

FosterJM

California

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

1018th Review on BA
Bottle to Pint
12oz

Bottle stamp of 3081

Thanks to Erikkoppin for this one

App- A very well done and clear golden color with a one finger very fast receding head that left no cling or lace. Lots of bubbles in the glass.

Smell- Apples for days even out of the bottle it just filled the air with crisp green apples, A little sweetness and what seemed like a white wine note behind it.

Taste- I know someone said it below me and I hate to repeat but good lord this taste just like a Jolly Rancher. A little sugary, a little sweet and a little tart with a mix of all the apples. I really get no bitter or hops or malts on this one, just the light a crisp apples.

Mouth- A pleasant light/medium body with a semi medium/high carbonation level. Right amount of balance of smooth and bubbles.

Drink- Damn this was tasty. Between all their Fruit beers, they really should move out to all parts of the country. They are killing it with this style. This would be a great summer beer here in So.Cal. I would love to have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 23:03:04 | More by FosterJM

tasteegood

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked this 4 pack for 11.99 at a popular cheese castle in Wisconsin on a drive back to Chicago with my old man.

I did get an opportunity to sample it before purchasing and decided to buy it despite my apprehension. Once I got back to my place, I spilt it with a friend.

A- Nice golden color with little carbonation, no head retention.
S- Apples and tons of them. Smell like a combination of Golden and Red Apples.
T- Apples, sweet, don't detect much tartness. Not a fan of the aftertaste, the finish mimics an artificial apple butter-like taste.
M- Nothing fancy, sweet risidual, not overbearing. However, I may struggle to finish a whole beer.
O-This is a decent beer, but reminds me more of a cider or even a "Cidral" (Mexican cabornated apple soda). For 11.99, I would seek another beer, but I was suckered into it since the likelihood of finding this beer in Illinois is rare.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 06:10:29 | More by tasteegood

JCaweinstein

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The first thing that I notice is that it's beautiful copper color and that it's absolutely clear. It's got a cottony white head which is very appealing but it doesn't hang out for too long.
This ale is bursting with apple aromas, both with a hint of sweetness and tartness. Not smelling much in the way of hops and malts but it still smells good.
Apples! There is a slight hint of earthiness which I assume is coming from the hops.
This is a light bodied beer, it's sweet but leaves a nice effervecence touch from the carbonation that follows the apple sweetness beautifully. It's like drinking and apple flavored champaigne.
I really like this beer. I have never tasted a beer quite like this before. As mentioned before it's like drinking a sparkling wine or champaigne. I also like that this is a beer that I could sit down and drink with my wife, as she really enjoys it as well. New Glarus Apple Ale is hard to come by in my neighorhood but I will again go through the effort to find it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 04:11:37 | More by JCaweinstein

Heavenisbeer

Georgia

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

A: Sparkling apple juice, with a thin head off the pour. Crystal clear, like a pilsner.

S: Boozy apple juice. Extremely fruity and sweet in the nose. Smells like apple juice mixed with a good lager.

T: Like the nose, extremely fruit-forward, with some booze under the veil, and a light, crisp, clean lager bite to cut the sweetness.

M: Lagerish. Crisp, clean, and wonderfully refreshing.

Couldn't drink more than one in a sitting, but this is an excellent fruit beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 00:24:33 | More by Heavenisbeer

camil1mj

Michigan

4.93/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Received as a gift from Romulux.

A: looks like fizzy apple juice. White head. Minimal lacing.

S: Smells like a green apple Jolly Rancher.

T: Tastes like a green apple Jolly Rancher. Spot on!

M: Refreshing and well carbonated.

O: NG is the king of fruit beers and this one is no exception. I would love a case of this to pull from on the days I feel like a break from big, boozy stouts and barleywines.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 02:34:27 | More by camil1mj