Snowshoe Red Ale - New Glarus Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Slightly brighter than burnt orange with bronze-like undertones. The khaki colored head is pillowy soft and looks even better after the second pour. It's also sticky and is beginning to grace the glass with small chunks of foam and sheets of feathery lace.

The nose features toasted, earthy malts and spicy, musky hops (German Hallertau and Yakima Goldings). I like my amber and/or red ales to favor caramel malt and citric fruity hops, but this one is a valid version as well. Especially if you like German beer.

New Glarus has come through once again. Snowshoe is a hearty red ale that would be perfect for snowy winter afternoons or sunny summer mornings (like right now). Good beer knows no season.

One minor quibble is that more malt would give this ale even more flavor depth. Warming helps in that regard, so don't start it out too chilly. I get roasted peanuts, steely caramel and a small slice of well-toasted brown bread. The spicy-herbal hops round things out nicely and usher in a drying, pleasantly tight, bitter finish. An apricot and orange fruitiness joins the party in the bottom third of the bottle.

There's nothing wrong with the mouthfeel. Sure, more heft would be nice, but at just 5.7%, this isn't exactly big beer. It's at least medium for the style and is expertly carbonated.

It's a testament to Dan Carey's skill that Snowshoe is as good as it is. Even though it isn't exciting on paper (because it strays so far from my usual preferences), it's damn good beer in the glass. That's all that really matters in the end.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2008 11:38:20 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

copper colored amber with a nice thick two inch head of white foam that capped off the top and gave it a nice appearence

What I could pick up was very grainy with big notes of cereal grain very apparent as well as a musty kinda of bread smell. Some light grassy hops were present way in the back but to bready like flavor that just was too strong to really get anything else to come out from behind it. There was a slight hoppiness in the finish, but again I stress light as it was really not a factor in the overall flavor. This was truly a malty lager and really not the normal flavor I would expect from the style but thats neither here not there.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2011 01:52:38 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to BeerFMAndy for getting a box of New Glarus out to me. Served in a New Glarus taster glass.

Pours a nice reddish-amber with an off-white head. Pretty good retention but not much lace on the way down. The nose has some soft bready and amber malt with some light citrus hop notes coming through afterward. Flavor is fairly subdued, but easy-drinking, with a combination of bready malt and American hops. Medium body with good carbonation and a semi-dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 10:05:54 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

3.45/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a huge head that sticks and laces beautifully, just like a draught beer

Smell: Caramel dominates, with just a hint of hops

Taste: Opens with a caramel flavor that turns slightly grainy by mid-palate; after the swallow, the finish is rather muted, with a bit of toffee at the end

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Rather boring amber, unfortunately; not much hops and no real winter character

Can't remember who sent this to me but thanks, Unknown BA

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2008 00:37:55 | More by brentk56

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

An effortless Red Ale that shares a lot in common with Irish Reds, except for the balance of bittering hops.

A tawny amber pours from the bottle in a clear and mystic fashion. Though I want more froathy character, the beer only carries a modest head with less than stellar retention and lacing. Too bad because the color and clarity is very aesthetic.

Malty goodness of bread crusts, deep caramels, and toast lead the way in aroma. While a background of hop (herbal and earthy) tones decorate the malts in a very tea-like fashion.

Medium maltiness also resides in flavor: toast, bread crusts, and lightly scorched toffee carry the beer from inital taste through mid-palate. Then the malts taper off while the hop (citrus) flavor takes hold and grows in intensity, ushering the beer into the moderately bitter finish.

Clean and crisp, the beer starts moderately creamy but releases it's fullness early, allowing for a toasty-dry and hop-bitter finish.

This Red Ale has many of the better attributes of American Reds, but also borrows a malty rich component from Irish Reds. All of which, I think are great moves, but the beer could have pushed the boldness further for greater impact. Instead Snowshoe only acheives a hearty and steady impression of Reds across the board.

Thanks JimboHD2005!

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2010 06:06:37 | More by BEERchitect

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Thanks to VDubb86 for this bottle!

I'm enjoying these beer runs to Kenosha. This bit o' the haul pours a clear sunrise russet topped by a finger of dirty white foam. The nose comprises caramel, rye bread, wheat, and sourdough. The taste holds notes of orange peel, toasted rye bread, a very light hint of roasted malts, and a dash of pepper. The body is a straight medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, a pretty good amber, nothing really special, but something easily drinkable when it's poured.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 07:04:45 | More by TMoney2591

drabmuh

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Shared by Thorpe at Easter dinner, thanks! Beer served in a snifter.

Beer is amber / red and clear with small bubbles and a little lacing, off white / tan head, nice retention.

Aroma is weak but has all the classic hallmarks of a red ale, mild and sweet. A little malt, simple. No hops.

Beer is medium in body with a nice finish, overall this is a fine local red but there is nothing interesting or special about it at all. It is just a malty, unhoppy, sweet, medium beer with a clean finish. I'd have it again if I find myself in WI and it is on draft with nothing else to drink otherwise I think I'll just skip it.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 16:38:57 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to thirdeye11 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours an amber color with an off-white head. The aroma is full of toffee with a little bit of dry cocoa mixed in. The flavor is similar. I get some toffee and chocolate notes, as well as some caramel and some grass from the hops. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

I liked this beer, I just didn't have too much to say. A fairly straight forward amber ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 00:37:32 | More by Mora2000

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks to TATURBO for this one. This beer poured out as a reddish brown color. the head was minimal and left no lacing. The smell was malty and has a German style aroma to it. The taste is a little hoppy but has some nice caramel malts in there. Good flavor. I like the mouthfeel, it's got a good smooth bubbly feel. Overall this beer was ok but nothing too special. Glad I got to try it though.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 23:16:14 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Six-pack from the brewery, didn't see this around Madison yet.

Sticky 3 fingers of foam, compact with larger bubbles pushing through to the surface. Nice reddish-amber tone with high clarity. Lazy, solitary bubbles drift through the ale. Broken webs of lace form on the sides of the glass.

Bready with slight herbal hop resin present. Yakima Golding and Bavarian Hallertau are the varieties listed on the label.

More of a showcase of bready malts, there's a dry herbal hop presence that lingers in the background. It's reminiscent of the profile in German and Czech Pilsners a little. Slight residual cereal grain, with some minor hop bitterness.

Drinks very light, great carbonation level balances the feel, making it an easy quaffer. Doesn't remind me of winter, but it's a fine Amber, seasonal or not.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2008 00:56:00 | More by emerge077

Wasatch

Utah

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks goes out to beerwolf77 for this one.

Pours a nice clean/clear golden brown color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy off-white head, with some nice sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with lots of caramel. The taste is malty, sweet, a slight bitterness, with some caramel. Medium body. Drinkable, a tasty brew.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2010 01:13:44 | More by Wasatch

rhoadsrage

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

(Served in an American pint glass)

A- This beer pours a crystal clear with a hue of hazelnut brown that shows a strong carbonation of big bubbles racing to the surface. There is a spongy light tan head that pushes up big bubbles before fading to a thin film.

S- This beer has a pretty cleans smell with soft notes of green noble hops coming through and a faint raw grain note at the finish.

T- This beer has a dry biscuit malt note at the beginning followed by a soft bitter noble hop finish with some pine hop qualities to it. There was a soft dry pale malt and sulfur note that lingered briefly after the finish.

M- This beer has a light mouthfeel with a dry crisp texture.

D- The finish of this beer reminded me of a light American Lager and that got in the way of the biscuit malt and bitterness from the hops. Even those flavors were a bit one dimensional. This beer seemed out of place as a winter seasonal aswell.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2008 18:53:31 | More by rhoadsrage

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Amber hue. Medium head with no retention. Sweet malt on the nose and a very slight spiciness (perhaps from the dry-hopping, which in my opinion, seems to do very little for the aroma of this brew). This beer has a medium to full body. There's a slight hop spiciness on the palate. Good caramel malt tones. Slight warming effect. Pretty easy drinking. This is a good amber.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2002 21:05:11 | More by Bighuge

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.15/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Not a big red fan, but I am a New Glarus fan. Easily one of the best breweries in Wisconsin.

Looks like a standard red ale. It's red. Not as clear as the crappy reds, looks like there might be some actual flavor up in there. Aroma, I've never found any aroma of any noticeable variety with a red.

Taste, decent, but isn't going to knock your socks off. Standard red, easy going, sessionable decent malt bill. No hops noticeable, but isn't flat either in any sense.

Mouthfeel, just meh, drinkable enough, but don't go out of your way. This is a good segue to some more adventurous beers. Solid, but pedestrian, especially for New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2010 20:01:12 | More by Beerandraiderfan

kojevergas

California

3.59/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with branded gold pressure cap acquired from the very gracious, very kind Duff27 in a trade and served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high given the brewery - which makes some great beers that I really adore. This is my first time trying this one. Not paired with food. Brewed with a blend of American and German malts. Uses hops from Slovenia and the Pacific Northwest. No ABV is listed.

Served straight from the fridge - as I think beers in the style should be. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours an audibly fizzy light khaki colour head of fair cream, nice thickness, and great (~8+ minute) retention for the high ABV. Body colour is a gorgeous vibrant rich amber-copper; now that's what an amber should look like! Rich and inviting. Light lacing clings to the sides of the glass as the head slowly recedes. It's looking great. No yeast particles are visible in the transparent translucent body. No bubble show. Near ideal for the style.

Sm: Caramel malt, bready notes, evocative floral hops, light candi fruit, toffee, and delightful graininess. Malts/grains are perfectly sweet here, with a delightful caramel undertone. A bit of spice, maybe clove or nutmeg. A subtle, appealing aroma. A bit light in strength - its main problem; I want more of that aroma to come through.

T: Ah. Bready caramel, caramalt, floral hops, bready grains, bright fruit, and light spice. The hops have faded a bit with age, but they still feel nicely balanced with the malty focus. I bet it'd be perfectly balanced fresh. No alcohol comes through, but I do get a bit of biscuity yeast. Crisp, clean, and pleasant to drink. A bit crackery, stopping short of graham cracker fullness. It's subtly executed, and boasts impressive complexity for a style so often simple. Never feels too sweet. I get more of the toasted fruity character as it warms, reminding me of a Belgian ale. Clove, crackerbread, and notes redolent of cherries. Tasty stuff.

Mf: Smooth, with a growing dryness as it approaches the climax and finish. Perfect coarseness, with a light scratchiness complemented by the refreshing wetness in a push-and-pull with the palate. Unfortunately, it's a bit thin - that's this beer's biggest flaw by far. It comes off weak. However, the full body yields a satisfying presence on the palate, allowing the full flavour profile to come through as much as possible. It's nice and clean. Carbonation is perfect. Constructively, it could be a bit more crisp.

Dr: A highly drinkable amber. Very enjoyable. Hides its alcohol well. Very sessionable. I'd love to try this fresh on-draught for a fuller hop flavour. Balance is key to the style, and New Glarus brings a lot to the table. I'd definitely have this again. I'd recommend it to amber lovers as well. A solid beer in the style that rises above the many pedestrian ambers out there to deliver a memorable experience. Lovely stuff.

Low B

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 04:54:33 | More by kojevergas

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into Sam Smith pint glass.

Pours a finger of beige head that fades down quick. Leaves some splattered lace. Color is a caramel copper. Some sediment floating in the glass.

Aroma: Some apples and banana flavors. Lots of malt and caramel. Some grassy hops.

Taste: I am like this red. Lots of caramel and toffee notes. Grassy hops with a mix of fruits as well.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and bubbly. Decent amount of carbonation with a medium bodied. Ends a little sticky and malty.

Overall, a pretty tasty red for the season. I am drinking it rather fast. I like this offering from New Glarus and could easily drink more.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2009 22:56:02 | More by mothman

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear amber tawny brown color with a medium tannish head that sits briefly, nearly no lace, just some faint glaring clearish spots. Aroma is nice, subtle and layered with some interesting effects of malts, here's what I get - whole grain toast with some peanut butter, honey, and caramel on it. Sounds good...smells good...and tastes good...light and mild start of grasses and husks, then whole grain toasty breadyness thats very grabbing and rather rich mixing with a bit of spicy/herbal hops, that lets go to lay a leveling array of malty breads, sweetens some, notes of roasted nuts and butter squeeze through at the finish where it goes lightly dry and lighter still of tangy sweetened bread. Nice subtle complexitiy to it, me likes it. Feel is about medium, smooth and inactive carbonation lending a slight creamyness that holds well throughout. A pretty darn good little amber here, reminds me more of a Vienna, but drinkable for sure, a close cousin to Eliot Ness in some regards.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2004 02:54:43 | More by tavernjef

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.48/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike.

The beer is mostly clear, appearing honey orange colored. The aroma is mild, with only hints of lightly sweetened malt and perhaps a touch of fruity biscuits. The flavor is fruity and malty. Decent. Light bodied and fairly creamy. Overall, this was ok.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 22:03:06 | More by Huhzubendah

largadeer

California

3.48/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Clear but dark rusty amber. The head falls flat a bit quickly on this one, lasting only a minute or so.

Smell - Mild fruity esters, namely dried apricot and peach. A bit mineral. Not much hop presence in the nose.

Taste & mouthfeel - Dry and slightly metallic. Hints of burnt caramel and biscuit with an herbal hoppy finish. Light-bodied, semi-crisp. Easy to drink but not particularly interesting.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2008 22:47:58 | More by largadeer

gford217

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle from FlssmrBrewAlum poured into a tulip.

Pours a deep, clear amber with a big creamy beige head that clings to the sides and leaves a thin cap for the duration.

The dominant aroma is lightly toasted caramel malts with some earthy hops, with a definite spiciness coming through. The malts aren't nearly as sweet as most ambers in the nose.

The taste is a bit sweeter and the caramel malts seem less toasted, though there is an underlying doughy character to things. The hops are there - spicy and earthy with a slight dryness in the finish.

The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and very creamy for the style with good carbonation...very smooth.

This is a very good amber that's got a more earthy character than most I've tasted. All in all, another solid effort from New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2009 04:40:06 | More by gford217

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A single column of bubbles uniformely rises from a strong amber, cherry wood color. A great head lasts throughout the whole twelve ounces. The aroma is a caramel punch malt blended with spicey, piney hops. The sips a lightly fruity carameled malt goodness with a a medium hop finish that helps cleanse the palate for another sip, and another.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2008 02:56:30 | More by scruffwhor

ZAP

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

RE-REVIEW (4-7-04)-

Much of the same thughts although I raised the ratings slightly...very impressed with the clarity of this for an ale and the puffy tan head...very tasty red ale...just not a big winter beer, but I am willing to accept that now where previously it seemed to shake me up some (always fun to read the old reviews)
----
I guess this is the New Glarus Winter seasonal....They could do much better than this for a winter seasonal. As a red ale it is slightly above average. On the nose I got a toasty and nutty smell..it was orange in color with a soft small lace..The taste was unique...tough to describe but I'll try...nutty a little, some caramel...toasty...pretty clean texture...This has some character to it for a red ale, but is far from outstanding. (For A winter seasonal I would rate it about a 1)

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2002 00:27:37 | More by ZAP

cokes

Wisconsin

3.4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

First, a qualm: New Glarus can do a lot better for a Winter seasonal than a standard red ale.
Now that I've vented, I will be as objective as possible.

Scarlet-orange bodied with a thin tan head that doesn't last long.
Not much on the nose. Ghostly green apples, sweetened caramel, and (maybe) spiced hops.
Taste leans towards toffee out of the gate. There is a fair amout of sweetness present, some of it odd. Alot of green apples, and out-of-place bananas. I wonder if they failed to wash the Solstice (weiss) vats prior to brewing this. However, the fruitiness is short lived, as it reverts back to the caramel/toffee hues just prior to the entrance of the hops. The hopping is two-fold, and by far the most interesting part of this beer. There is a quick jab of spice (hallertau), then a smooth, lingering tea-like essence (goldings).
Relatively robust red ale. Feels fine in the mouth. Nothing caressing, nothing abrasive.
Drinkabilty is contingent on one's attention span.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2002 23:37:02 | More by cokes

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.93/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Ian has sent me everything New Glarus have put in bottles of late, and this is no exception. Thanks, man!

The pour is gorgeous, shiny copper colored with a dense beige head with excellent retention and lacing. Quite tremendous.

The nose is solid, a blend of sweetness that's decoction-mashed in origin, rich, toasted bread with caramel and a light nutty character. Earthy hop character is noticeable too, with a little bitterness. A little underwhelming?

The palate is quite better than the nose, opening with a delicious blend of caramel sweetness and an earthy, mineral-like bitterness. I'm also getting a little burnt sugar. A touch fruity, especially in the mid-palate. Drying on the finish with a lingering bitterness, there's also some sugar and caramel flavors present.Rather light in body with a medium-high level of carbonation, this beer is pretty solid, and thoroughly drinkable. Just a little bit more body would go a long way towards making this so much better.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2010 02:57:35 | More by DefenCorps

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

2.8/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into an Imperial pint. 2729 on neck, no other info.

Thanks to Beerwolf77 for this brew!

A - Pours a totally clear amber with a big off-white head of two-fingers that recedes with poor retention. Some lace is left on the glass though.

S - Snowshoe has a low aroma that's barely detectable save for a tiny bit of toasted malts back there with a little mineral nose to them.

T - The mineral nose comes out in the flavor with a vengeance. Slightly metallic too. The malts are far back and toasty while the hops are no where to be found.

M - Snowshoe is medium-light bodied with a sharp carbonation bite to the finish. Metallic and watery.

D - Disappointing. A New Glarus that fails to deliver and leaves me feeling ripped off. Totally lacking in every regard, I wonder whats wrong with this bottle as the consensus shows it's not as bad overall as I have experienced. It's drinkable just fine cause there really isn't much there besides a mineral taste with few malts. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2009 23:50:25 | More by BeerFMAndy