Stone Soup - New Glarus Brewing Company

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a shaker pint glass at the Brickhouse.

Another entry in the pre-interview extravaganza. It pours a clear pale straw topped by a half-finger of white micro-foam. The nose comprises clove, pepper, wheat, lemon zest, and coriander. The taste launches on a heavy banana and clove jag, coming down later with some pepper and cardamom. It may be pretty simplistic, but it is definitely effective. The body is a heavy light, with a light moderate carbonation and a prickly fluid feel. Overall, a very nice BPA, easily drinkable and readily enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-28-2010 04:30:09 | More by TMoney2591

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a fairly clear gold. Nose is yeasty fruity goodness. Flavor is very nice. Nice balance. Yeast tones. Fruit edges. Noticed spices. Slightly thicker liquid body. Even a mediocre Belgian Ale used to be an accomplishment for an American brewer. Nowadays, I think that the bar has been raised and people are able to do some very nice interpretations. Very easy to drink. Very.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2009 21:19:12 | More by RblWthACoz

spointon

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this one on tap at the Glarner Stube in New Glarus on 5/10/2009 (while on a beer trip with BA roadhouse).

A= This ale poured a very clear pale golden color with a 1/2" white head. The head dropped slowly and left some sticky lace down my glass.

S= Very malty sweet and fruity on the nose. No hops to speak of really, but the bubblegum phenolics and malt played well together.

T= Nice bistuity sweet malt up front followed quickly by a complex little run of estery goodness. Fruit notes of peach, orange, lemon, and bubblegum lead into a faint medicinal yeast note. Finish was dry and malty.

MF= Medium bodied with a nice crispness to the feel.

D= A sessionable Belgian ale if there ever was one. I really liked this one a lot and will seek out more once my supply is gone. It paired exceptionally well with the cheese fondue at the Glarner Stube.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2009 03:41:43 | More by spointon

Nesued

South Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle, obtained via trade at DLD 2009.

Appearance - White frothy head, nice lacing clinging to the glass. Resolves to a nice ring of white. A robust carbonation feeds the lasting head. Coloring is golden yellow, with a slight haze.

Smell - Fresh nose that extends from the table to my nose quite easily. Rich Belgian yeast nose (i.e. a spicy quality). Estery with a vanilla presence.

Taste - Let's start from the finish: A rich, smooth banana finish that request another sip. The middle was very smooth with not a bite in sight. The Belgian yeast was quite the "show-stealer" here as it continued to make itself known. The start, well, candy flavor, but with a spicy opening. Very nice.

Mouthfeel - Lively carbonation retains for the entire pour, so you have a good mouthfeel. Good density.

Drinkability - A bit in the overpowering "banana estery" family for me. Nice to see a good Belgian offering, but the balance was a bit off. Not able to get New Glarus in SC, so I'm very much a newbie in reviewing their offerings.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2009 00:40:08 | More by Nesued

bigreduw64

Wisconsin

3.6/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours a cloudy golden color with a big head. As I drink it, there is lacing all over the sides of the glass. Good sign.

Honestly, the smell reminds me of stale beer, don't like that so much.

The taste has a light citrus touch, with some clove as well. It reminds me of an Americanized Hefeweizen. I like the taste, but not sure that it fits the style. Anyways, I like it.

The mouthfeel is creamy and moderately carbonated.

This is a very drinkable beer and is great in warm weather. I would love to drink this beer when having a Caesar salad or a nice spicy dish.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2007 05:34:43 | More by bigreduw64

matjack85

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A friend of mine brought back a few of these beers for me on his last trip to Wiscinsin. I see they are discontinued now, so these are probably some of the last few bottles left on the shelves. 12oz brown bottles with no freshness date, so no way to tell if these are still fresh or out of date.

The beer poured a slightly hazed pale gold color with a 1-finger white head. Retention wasn't that good and neither was the lacing.

Big fruity smell - like opening a pack of Juicy Fruit gum. Lots of banana for sure along with other tropical fruits, maybe pineapple and mango. Also getting that funky Belgian yeast smell.

Taste is surprisingly spicy. Lots of clove and coriander, which I didn't pick up in the nose. Malt is dry and biscuity and the fruit is a lot tamer in the taste than it was in the smell. Not much in the way of hop bitterness.

Crisp, light, and on the dry side, but with lively carbonation.

Interesting mix of flavors. Not the best New Glarus had to offer, but not the worst either.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 03:52:47 | More by matjack85

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pub pint.

A- Pours a light golden with a 1 finger white head. Small bubbles and trails of lacing on the glass.

S- Sweet honey, spices, banana, bubble gum

T- Sweet caramel, bubble gum, spices from the Belgian yeast, and some slight hop presence.

M- Medium body and carbonation. Very smooth and slick after a year plus in the bottle.

O- I don't remember care too much for this fresh, but this a very drinkable tasty beer at the moment.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 23:48:12 | More by kawilliams81

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

3.33/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

The last remaining bottle from Gary's beer and liquor in Oak Creek.
poured from a 12oz bottle into a Ommegang tulip glass.

A- A light clear golden color. Pours a thick fizzy white head that dissipates incredibly quickly for how full it was.

S- fruity esteryness smelling distinctly of Belgian yeast. Light notes of banana mixed with mango and pineapple.

T- Sweetness is the first thing you get.A sweet taste of bananas hits you right away. sweeter then the average Belgian Ive tasted. Distinct Belgian yeast flavor. Light sweet pineapple notes at the end with a hint of spice. A almost slight pineyness too it at the very end. very refreshing.

M- Feels a bit crisp yet syrupy with a biting little finish.

O- A very good Belgian pale ale, Wish that it wasn't the last time I will probably be drinking this.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2012 07:19:36 | More by Zachtheporter

JohnnyChicago

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Chimay goblet.

A: Pours light amber with a rich, full cap of creamy off-white foam.

S: Big bubblegum them along with fruit juice, clove and spice.

T: Nice candied fruit and funk. Its sweet, but still funky enough to remain balanced; hops are only just apparent.

D: Really drinkable! I wish I had more bottles of this; it is a really tasty and refreshing beer.

Overall: Someone described this as a "session Quad" and I'd agree with that. They squeezed all those Belgian abbey flavour you know and love into this little beer. Really tasty stuff!

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 20:18:35 | More by JohnnyChicago

Infamous7100

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: pale, golden hue. Very thin head that disappears quickly. Unremarkable.M
S: cloves, banana, spiced fruit. Very sweet. Candied apple maybe.
T: A lot of the sweetness comes through at the front. Bready malts combined with the previously mentioned spices. Perhaps a tad muted considering how intense the smell was. Toward the back, its a tad spicy, vey pleasant though.
M: medium bodied with a decent amount of carbonation. A nice finish with a tasty hang.
O: this is not the best version of this style I have sampled. However, NG has done very well. The essence of the style shines through and its extremely quaffable. Its damn good and you could have several.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 02:29:42 | More by Infamous7100

BrewerB

California

3.53/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up directly at New Glarus Brewing Company.

Pours a medium orange with a thin off-white head that fizzed away quickly, leaving only a trace of bubbles behind.

Upfront esters with notes of banana, clove, a little cinnamon. Sugar-like malty sweetness.

Soft, sweet maltiness melding with yeast-driven esters that offer up touches of fruitiness, a mild vanilla, and a scant orange peel. Low bitterness, dry finish.

Medium-light bodied with a moderate high level of carbonation. Rather effervescent.

Overall this is an easy drinking version of the style that lacks a bit of the complexity some of the finer examples offer. Perhaps a fresher bottle would have more character.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 02:37:56 | More by BrewerB

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip. Found this one tucked away, may as well give it a go.

Appearance: This pours an iridescent golden color with a small off white head. Initially just a bit of foam, this fades rather quickly and noticeably leaves no lace.

Smell: Muscat grapes, biscuity malt, and a bit of champagne yeast.

Taste: The biscuity malt is noticeable, setting the table for what could be a complex set of flavors. White grapes and a bit of green apple provide the fruit flavors, and a bit of spicy yeast leads into a slightly grassy ending. The finish is a little boozy, actually, which was surprising.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the light to medium side, starting sweet and becoming a little dry by the end. The carbonation is crisp despite a light grainy texture.

Overall: I thought this was an take on the style, but noting about it really draws me in or keeps my interest.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 05:39:44 | More by KickInTheChalice

TheStove

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Belgian beer glass. Have been holding onto this one for since I left the Midwest and it is well preserved!

Pours a nice grapefruit color, with bright yellow at the top of the glass and a hazy orange/yellow complexion in the middle. Has a light lace that quickly disappears.

Yeast, clove and a bit of citrus are in the nose with some slight vanilla undertones which no doubt come from the clove. The flavor matches the nose with that Belgian taste and citrus from the wheat coming through. Finishes with a faint malt and more clove.

Awesome bright mouth feel typical of a good Belgian Pale though there is a noticeable lack of hops in comparison to some other Belgian Pale Ales I've had.

A very enjoyable beer. Glad I picked up a few before this one was retired.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 07:10:55 | More by TheStove

zachary80

Indiana

3.08/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a Guinness Pint. Influence given from earlier notes. No date is visible (those hashes are impossible) but the rest of the mixed 12 pack tasted fresh.

Head starts off nice but quickly fades to a thin layer of white bubbles. Body is a cloudy and a nice golden straw color, reminiscent of hefeweizen. No lacing

Smell typical of belgian yeast, although there is some of that german banana aroma. Pretty light on the aroma

Taste is somewhat light and almost entirely malty, with some bread character. Yeast influence is mild. Hops? What hops?

Mouthfeel is good, maybe a little too much carbonation if anything.

Overall it is an average beer. Almost seems diluted - not much character

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 01:05:17 | More by zachary80

anglagard1

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Decent head when poured into my Duvel glass following the Duvel pouring instructions. Head quickly dissipates, although the characteristic bubble fountain continues from the bottom of the glass. Initial smell has a bit of a corn element to it, but this quickly vanishes. Taste and mouthfeel is pleasantly subtle, though not quite as delicate as the finest Belgian ales.

I can't think of a better beer to start with when first exploring the style. This is no Duvel, but it is a very balanced and drinkable beer that will leave one interested in seeking out other Belgian ales.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 01:55:31 | More by anglagard1

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Served in duvel tulip.

Hazy gold body starts off with a towering 4 finger head of fluffy white bubbles. Before I can even take a sip... After a few sips I'm down to a little collar of foam.

Smells like: bubblegum, cloves, and banana-- really, lots of banana. Wow. What's the deal with the banana? The beer tastes lightly sweet, then WAY too yeasty.

Light, heavily carbonated, airy body.

Overall-- BPA's aren't a style I dink a ton of, but this is not one I'll plan on having again. It isn't terrible, but it is low on the spectrum of how I like the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2011 03:34:33 | More by AleWatcher

KrautAficionado

Pennsylvania

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

From the bottle, pours a clear orange gold with a thin white head. Aroma is malty, a bit fruity. The taste is lacking any real spice you might expect from a belgian, but does have a hint of bananas and cloves at first, followed quickly by a malty smoothness and finishes lightly bitter and sour. This beer definitely improved as it warmed. Decent while cold, I think this is a good beer, but not an excellent one.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 07:50:16 | More by KrautAficionado

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

. Bright, cloudy, and fully of energy and life! I could not wait to dive further in to see what else this could indeed hold for me.

First chance to try and get a hold of the aroma yields a wonderful vibrant blend of aromas. Fresh grassy notes and a nice tart lemon smell start coming up right away. Very interesting and not what I expected at first, but very, very pleasant. Warming brings on almost a grape skin like note to it, just a touch of funk that blends in very well with the bright lemon that I am still picking up. Each sip now becomes more and more and exploratory effort into what can be done when you shed the constraints of a style and brew good beer, period. Smooth, subtle and building on the palate with each sip this lovely balance of light earthy hops, some notes of citrus, and light sour all blending as one. Nothing dominating here at all, just working together towards a common goal. It seems as if each sip is something more unique, more perplexing the one before. Prickly carbonation nips at the tongue, keeping the feel lively and fresh and allowing light flavors to penetrate every inch of the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2011 01:34:53 | More by mikesgroove

Viciousknishs

Virginia

3.6/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

A- translucent gloden color with burnt orange and lemon meringue tones intermingled. A good healthy two fingers of off white head recedes quickly and no matter how hard one swirls there is no revival. Great color, poor head.

S- The monastic yeast steals the stage in this soup of a brew. Gentle but assertive fruit esters and spices jump out with notes of green apple, under ripe peach, Ginger and clove. Herbal spicey hop character gives this abbey ale a unique spurce/wintergreen tinge. Finishs with a dry crunchy sugar Ginger snap cookie malt in the finish.

T- Starts out with pale malt honey sweetness that seems to linger through out the flavors like a painters canvas. The hebal hop notes give a subtle spicy character. Yeast flavors come in with white grape, green apple and clove flavor. Finishs dry with a bready malt and cracked grain.

MF- slick smooth mouthfeel with an average carbonation and medium body.

D- extremely drinkable. This beer is complex yet understated. However it is just a bit lacluster in the flavor from the amazing aroma. I could drink this all night if I didn't eBay to think about my beer. Delicious and quenching.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 03:18:23 | More by Viciousknishs

crewfan16

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

poured from a bottle into a New Glarus pint glass

a-pours a sort of hazy golden color. the white colored head rises and falls fairly quickly.

s-belgian yeast and some fruit sweetness and dark sugar.

t-another review called it a Belgian tripel but a light version, which is kinda accurate IMO. yeasty flavor give way to a slight hoppiness and then some fruity, sweetness. not much finish, but goes down smooth

m-a little over-carbonated for me personally, and i think it hurts the flavors a bit. very easy drinking and goes down pretty smooth but nothing heavy.

overall, I dont mind this beer. Its another drinkable session beer from New Glarus. Nothing amazing or eye-opening, but a very drinkable beer that I would much rather reach for than any macro ever available.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2011 02:08:54 | More by crewfan16

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

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

Acquired via trade from ughsmash 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 bright yellow color, with a short white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains Belgian yeast, spices, some citrus, light caramelized malts and a little bit of hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with flavors of Belgian yeast and a hearty but not too heavy malt character. Then some background flavors of spices, citrus and bananas come in. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly bready.

M: Smooth and crisp, light-to-medium body, medium-to-high carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a lighter but very solid Belgian style beer to drink for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2011 02:42:18 | More by TheManiacalOne

UCLABrewN84

California

3.78/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to burnheartsMKE for sending me this one!

Pours a hazy light yellow-orange with a 2 inch white head that fades to a thin film on the top of the beer. No lacing whatsoever. Smells of Belgian yeast, spices (clove, ginger), banana, and some malt. Taste is of Belgian yeast, the aforementioned spices, banana flavors, and some wheat-like malts. Mouthfeel is crisp and clean due to a good level of carbonation. Overall, this is a good Belgian pale ale beer but not one of my favorite styles. I am still glad that I got to try this one from New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2011 04:56:42 | More by UCLABrewN84

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

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

12oz bottle date stamped Aug 19th 2010 if I've decoded the Julian date correctly. Stored in my basement for a low ABV cellaring experiment. I will be adding to this review in the future when I open further bottles later.

A. Lightly Hazy yellow-gold. For want of a more polite description, I am forced to concede that it is urine colored.
S. Fortunately it smells much nicer than pee. The smell reminds me of extra-gingery gingersnap cookies. Or of DFH's Pangaea smell. But that actually has ginger in it, while this brew, to my best knowledge, does not. There is a honeyed sweetness mixed with HEAVY belgian yeast esters. I daresay time in the basement may have amplified my yeast quite nicely. :)
T. She's gone dry! The sweetness in the smell is rather absent from the taste. Now there is mostly crispness, spice notes, yeast, and some mustiness mixed with tangy funk from belgian yeast. However, the dryness isn't quite...balanced with the spice. This beer is actually making me thirstier as I drink it, I forget what the official tasting terminology is for that, but it is the opposite of thirst-quenching. The Malts are sort of....flat and dead for reasons unknown.
M. The crispness of the ginger is intense on my tongue. I like it.

Mixed results here. I wonder how it will mutate further in the cellar as time goes on.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 20:52:16 | More by WastingFreetime

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to my roommate that had family bring this out from Wisconsin. Poured a hazy gold with a white head.

This is a spicy, slightly sweet, mostly dry Belgian pale - a session beer as Belgians go. Reminds me a lot of the recent hefeweizens I had over the weekend for the smooth fruit candy character. There's touches of orange blossom and pale malt, but the yeast dominates here. I'd want a little more depth here, but it's a fine beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 01:33:06 | More by tempest

ngeunit1

California

3.88/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a cloudy golden-orange color with a finger of frothy head. The head fades fairly quickly down to a thin ring leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is full of citrus and other fruits and yeast aroma. There is just a bit of malt and some banana and faint hops.

T - Starts off with some yeast flavor and banana and citrus flavors. Just a touch of hop flavor mixed in. Through the middle, some stronger yeast and fruits come through. There is also a bit of spices that come through. The finish is a mix of fruity flavors (banana) some spices and breadiness that linger.

M - Medium bodied with moderate lively carbonation. Feels smooth and crisp. Mouthfeel of the finish feels just a touch off.

D - Very drinkable. The flavors for the most part are complex and work well together. The banana flavors and the spices compliment each other nicely. Felt like it could have poured a bit nicer and the aroma was a touch lacking.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 04:31:16 | More by ngeunit1