Unplugged Bohemian Lager - New Glarus Brewing Company

dancinwillie

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours straw and golden honey colored, topped by a quarter inch white head. Some good lacing appears as the modest head disappears.

I could smell the hops as soon as I opened the bottle up. A closer whiff reveals some earthy and grassy notes, and a bold suggestion of honey sweetness to come. Malty aromas also come on strong.

Black pepper, honey, and a big helping of malt. I read on the bottle that it's Czech Moravian malt. Don't know much about that, but sure tastes fine to me. A bit of oak comes into the picture, but not so much in the foreground. Very crisp, and a really nice beer for a cool Autumn day. OK, it's not Autumn, but it sure feels like it this July in Wisconsin!

Medium in body, and medium to low carbonation make this a great beer to have while relaxing and catching up with some friends. A few hunks of meat on the barbeque wouldn't break my heart either.

Super beer, and although I'm not very familiar with the style, this proves to be an ambassador to Plzen, and I hope to become more of a lager drinker, and develop my palate even further. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2009 01:22:15 | More by dancinwillie

MooseBoose

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +19%

05-21-2013 15:35:07 | More by MooseBoose

Photekut

Azerbaijan

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%

05-19-2013 01:09:38 | More by Photekut

t0rin0

California

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%

11-23-2012 00:23:46 | More by t0rin0

Loogs

Wisconsin

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%

10-14-2012 03:08:50 | More by Loogs

FritzSteinhoff

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

09-06-2012 00:35:37 | More by FritzSteinhoff

Duff27

Illinois

2.83/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A- Short lived white head with decent retention.

S- Slightly skunked smell.

T- Actuallly not too bad considering age/style. Slight sweetness, dry aftertaste.

M- Thin mouthfeel, low carbonation.

D/O- Alright. Not bad, definitely beyond its ageability. If you still have any I'd recommend cracking them soon before they become undrinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 23:26:02 | More by Duff27

djrn2

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%

01-09-2012 20:53:44 | More by djrn2

Beertracker

Oklahoma

5/5  rDev +19%

12-16-2011 19:45:03 | More by Beertracker

imperialking

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.8%

12-01-2011 20:37:59 | More by imperialking

brandoman63

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

11-30-2011 03:21:14 | More by brandoman63

westcoastbeerlvr

California

3.5/5  rDev -16.7%

11-14-2011 23:45:20 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

manitouman84

Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a bright crystal clear golden honey with an exuberant white head. Hop smell is spicy and earthy, lemon and grassy, over a strong malt backbone. Taste is grainy; cereal, biscuit and pale malt flavors dominate, hint of red grapes, mild bitterness with herbal undertones, and slight copper flavor kicks in on the finish. Dry finish, for a lager, crisp and refreshing, highly drinkable, very good.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 04:16:20 | More by manitouman84

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2009 rate.

12oz bottle, thanks Ryan! Pours a nice clear honey gold with a small ,creamy white head. Slightly sour nose with very light fruits, grains, and bittering hops. Flavor is a touch blank. A decent grain and hop presence. A slight sour twang announces itself like a berlinner weisse. Not sure what they were really going for here. A decent offering, certainly drinkable, just nothing to really drool over.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 02:51:16 | More by JAXSON

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into pilsner glass - thanks to GraniteSkunk

Pours golden orange with a very slight haze to it, plenty of carbonation, decent white head retains pretty well with some patches of lacing on the glass.

Toasted biscuity malt, lemon grass, light fruit sweetness and a dash of citrusy hops in the nose.

Bitter grassy hops up front with touches of lemony citrus. Soft biscuit malt, light breadiness and some sweet edges. Faint traces of caramel and fruit sweetness. Finishes with some bitter dry hoppiness and citrus.

Lighter medium body, higher carbonation, refreshing on the palate, slightly dry. Solid flavor, easy to drink, smooth overall.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 01:16:20 | More by xnicknj

corby112

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

From notes:

Pours a clear golden yellow color with a two finger, frothy white head that has very good retention, only slowly fading into a lasting ring. Sporadic spots of lacing.

Slightly earthy pilsner malt aroma with hints of grass, straw, lemon and light, crisp fruit.

Surprisingly full bodied and much more complex than anticipated. Pilsner malt flavor balanced by some earthy bitterness along with hints of straw, lemon zest and crisp golden apple. Slightly dry finish. Very well balanced and quite quaffable. This beer was a pleasant surprise.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2011 02:05:29 | More by corby112

weatherdog

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a fluted pilsner glass.

It pours a lively golden hue with a frothy bone colored head. The head is sticky and th retention is very high. Tiny champagne like bubbles are constantly rising to the surface. This is nearly a perfect looking beer.

The nose has a touch of herbal, spicy hops with underlying toasted bread. It's not as crisp and clean as when this beer was fresh but it's still very good.

The taste has a little bit of spicy hops with an addition of some citrus orange zest taste. Behind that there is just a little malt sweetness. The flavor profile is pretty simple and straight forward but really good.

The mouthfeel is where this beer kind of fell apart for me. I suspect it is a victim of it's age since I do not remember it like this when fresh. The body is a little too full and as previously mentioned it doesn't have that great well made lager crispness. Even through all that it is highly drinkable as most New Glarus beers are and I am still enjoying this beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 02:59:33 | More by weatherdog

Xul

California

4.15/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to GraniteSkunk for hooking this up.

A: Pours a translucent straw color, capped by a finger of foamy white head. Retention is good as it settles at a half finger and holds steady there.

S: Noble hopping up front, followed by a big citrus kick with slightly sweet lemon juice, lemon zest and some faint oranges. Pale malt base provides a strong background.

T: Hops are a bit more dialed up than on the nose with a nice grassy quality. Citrus is assertive but not overbearing, with almost a touch of a medicinal quality. Well balanced and clean.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation, if it was a touch lighter it would be perfect.

D: Quaffable, if I wasn't paying attention it would've been easy to put this down in under 10 minutes.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2010 02:39:55 | More by Xul

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a nice moderate amber color with a good white head. The nose brings some light bready malt and some nice, mild fruity undertones. The taste is definite bread with some good caramel and a light hop presence. Some slight yeast characteristics. Good, crisp mouthfeel leading to excellent drinkability. Additionally, after having this a few times over a fairly extended period of time, I can say that this aged quite well.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2010 03:12:37 | More by Thorpe429

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to adamharbaugh for this shared with abru17 -poured chilled into a willybecker.

A light golden color like apple juice with slight haziness. The cap is cream and holds well with a tiny bead. There is moderate amounts of lace that cling. I like the aroma -a LOT, the smell of malt is sweet with a mild fruity honey-like aroma and some hop aroma gets carried with it which has more spice than fruit. The feel is very good with moderate bitterness and clean overal texture w/ a slight spice in the finish with full feeling malt.

I was very pleased with the way this tastes and did not want to stop drinking it. The noble hop flavor of saaz is apparent with a mild citrus and spice complimenting the nice semi sweet pilsner malt which is slightly bready and the beer finishes semi-dry with a light bitter somewhat spicy hopped flavor. I enjoyed this and could see this as a year round pleaser except that it is brewed nowhere near me and was unplugged which means it may or may not be brewed again -Kudos to New Glarus for another tasty lager!

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2010 16:44:56 | More by Slatetank

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Ed for sending this my way.

Poured into pils glass.

Pours 1/2 finger of creamy off white head. Nice retention. Leaves a ring of lace every sip. Color is a slight hazed orange gold.

Aroma: Pale malts with some nice noble hops present. Very earthy. It has a barnyard like nose (not that of a saison, however) with hay flavors. A very pleasing aroma. Awesome profile for a pils.

Taste: There is something in this beer I just can't pick out, but its unique and good. Pale biscuity malts Earthy noble hops. It definitely has a yeasty flavor and a touch of sweet honey.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, a touch bitter, and refreshing. Lighter bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Ends dry.

Overall, this was a great pils. More breweries need to make the style like this. NG really nailed this one. Very drinkable with some great flavors. I am impressed.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 00:00:46 | More by mothman

andrewinski1

Maine

3.88/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into my pilsner glass.

Appearance is light straw with a decent sized head that retains solid lacing throughout. Pretty.

Little to no hop aroma in this one; sweet malts only. I get a little bit of that typical yeasty bread character as well. Typical for the style.

The taste is actually a little hoppier than I expected (though not nearly as much as say Prima Pils); perfectly balancing out the subtle sweetness. I nice crisp finish is also appreciated here. Good stuff.

I might have liked a little more of an crisper mouthfeel to this one but it is still above average to me as it's slightly creamy instead. Of course, this is one I would love to try again but Summer is almost over and so is this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2010 02:49:43 | More by andrewinski1

PittBeerGirl

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks Brian for sending this my way! 12 oz bottle poured into my pilsner glass.

A-Body is a uniformly hazy golden yellow hue with a mild to moderate fogginess. Pours with a nice soapy 1-2 finger white head that fades to 1/2 finger and has good retention from there. Lots of lacing sticks the whole way down the glass. Bubbles can be seen steadily rising to the top. A very beautiful beer.

S-Nose reminds me a lot of Voodoo PILZILLA. Its fairly mild and pilsner malt is probably the most prominent. There is a sugary sweetness underneath as well. The hop profile is there but pretty mild with some pine and earthy tones.

T- Upfront is a slightly sweet, sugary malt profile with and accent of pine hop flavor. The pine and earthy hop flavor come through and intensify for the finish but then fade immediately as a grainy sweetness and Euro lager flavor emerge. Beer is crisp and refreshing.

M-Medium to high tingly carbonation and a very smooth, oily, lightweight, drinkable lager body.

D- This is a very good brew and another great one by New Glarus. I'm sure the hop profile was a bit brighter when this was newer but I don't know if the mouthfeel would be as smooth. One of the best lagers that I've had that isn't from the state of PA.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2010 17:17:33 | More by PittBeerGirl

Thanby

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I love having reasons to visit Wisconsin, because I get access to some amazing breweries. New Glarus is on the top of that list.

Serving: Bottle, about 2 months after release, kept at about 40F, poured into pilsner glass.

Appearance: Hazy golden honey/straw color with a solid finger of creamy head that dies very slowly, leaving lots of sticky lacing. Quite bubbly.

Nose: Sweet honey malt is dominant, built on top of a smooth yeast aroma with just a hint of hops and citrus.

Taste: Surprisingly, hops is the dominant flavor, but it is very mellow and smooth. A little malty sweetness, but not nearly as much as expected after the smell. Citrus notes around the edge, and yeast filling in the cracks.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, but carbonated just enough to keep it crisp. Sweetens a little as it warms up. Hoppy aftertaste with a hint of citrus lingers for a bit.

Drinkability: Very smooth and delicious. The flavors complement each other well. The palate changes some as it warms up, becoming sweeter. The hops in the aftertaste are more prominent than expected, but still enjoyable.

Now that I think about it, I should have recognized the Czech hops right off that bat. I've only ever had a few Czech lagers, but their flavor is distinctive enough that I remember it well. Though I must say I prefer this rendering of the recipe to any of the imports I've tried. Hats off to Dan.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 23:37:09 | More by Thanby

sauron681

Wisconsin

3.7/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a short head, with a crisp golden color. with good carbonation throughout. Aroma of yeasty bread, and slightly floral. Medium thin body going down.
Has a nice caramel malt flavor, with hints of citrus and possibly honey. Goes down good. Wish I had more than the two bottles. Maybe they will brew again.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2010 15:37:59 | More by sauron681