R&D Golden Ale - New Glarus Brewing Company

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle (forgot the size). Poured into a snifter.

A- Pours a hazy golden color, white creamy head that recedes to a collar.

S- Smells great, lots of fruit, spice, peach, perfume and floral aromas.

T- A bit spicier than the aroma, with more floral, grassy, musty flavors, a bit of peach and lemon, some sweet grain. Tastes very good but the aroma really stood out in my mind.

M- Medium-bodied, smooth feel, a bit dry.

O- A very tasty beer, R&D Sour was definitely my favorite of the two, but I would be glad to drink this again any time.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 06:07:31 | More by WillCarrera

MadScientist

New York

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: A slightly hazy, glowing gold with an orange hue. The head is creamy and white leaving sticky lacing on the glass.

S: The aroma is dominated by floral hops and a alcohol aromas. There are fruity esters of peach with a slight orange aroma backed by a light horse Brett aroma. A honey like malt sweetness with moderately low peppery phenols.

T: Fruity and peppery with a light malt sweetness and moderate hops bitterness. It gets pretty dry by the finish from the Brett that brings a light barnyard funk. Te balance is slightly bitter and the aftertaste is of flowery hops and alcohol.

M: Medium-light bodied with moderately-strong carbonation. No astringency. Not cream. slight alcohol warmth.

O: The Belgian yeast character shows through well with a light Brett character.

Reviewed from notes, sampled on 12/1/2012.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 22:51:32 | More by MadScientist

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a very clean golden pour with a finger of detergent-like head, lots of visible carbonation, good amount of lacing.

smells of apples, orange peel, very fruity, sweet bready smell.. for the style it's the best smelling i've come across.

a pine like bitter-sourness. grassy, floral, tree sap bitterness. lots of earthy notes complimented by a fruity sweetness.. very complex.

medium body, high carbonation, creamy on the lips, slightly sour from the brett.

this is a phenomenal beer altogether. very complex, and hell, this is the first sour i've ever fully enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 01:14:35 | More by facundoCNB

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500 mL bottle courtesy of AlAlvarez. It was allowed to warm for just a minute before being poured into my Firestone Walker tulip.

New Glarus's Golden Ale pours a crystal clear goldenrod, lightening towards lemon along the outer edges o the glass. Three fingers or so of fluffy white foam sit atop the beer. Head retention is just alright, and there's not much lacing at all to speak of. The nose has a nice pineapple tropical fruit aroma, along with a bit of the more expected barnyard funk. The flavor profile leads off with the fruity aspect of the nose. The pineapple flavor is sharp, and maybe even a little bit bitter, filling in where hops might otherwise have been in a lot of beers. The familiar wet hay, earthy brett notes come in later on along with a very delicate pepper presence. The beer is nice and dry, but the carbonation is just not quite lively enough. I enjoyed Golden Ale, it had a nice flavor profile from the brettanomyces, but it just wasn't a "great" beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 02:00:22 | More by axeman9182

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A barnyard story. Very funky aroma, barnyard on steroids. Significant foaming. Very much smooth soapy lace, and lots of soapy head. The taste is barnyard, socks, wet rag, detergent, straw, corn, peas. Smooth mouthfeel, though mildly acidic in finish. A dramatically different golden. Steven's hookup.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 02:59:31 | More by northyorksammy

womencantsail

California

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks for sharing, Paul.

Pours a golden straw color with a finger of white head. Really nice balance of sweet pale malt notes and fruit. Quite a bit of pear and apple with a touch of pineapple. Some light tartness on the nose as well. The flavor is clean and very enjoyable. Great balance of malt and Brett. Somewhat dry but a touch of residual malt sweetness as well as some sweet fruit character. A bit of spice character on the palate which is very nice.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 21:38:25 | More by womencantsail

jsanford

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cheers to The CPJ.

Pours a hazy gold with a dense white head that settles to a thin cap, leaving sheets of lacing. Excellent aromas of earthy, musty Brettanomyces, orange peel, lemony hops, and crisp grains. Taste is quite similar to the nose, earthy, slightly plastic-y Brett, with lots of citrus hops and light grain. Very spritzy and light, and the Brett is balanced nicely by the hops. Mouthfeel is crisp, with a medium-thin body and good carbonation. A really great beer overall, refreshing and complex.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 01:56:23 | More by jsanford

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a light golden body, hazy, and with a full inch of near white foam.

Smell: Leather chaps dipped in phenols, pineapple rings dipped in relatively clean sweat, a squirt of lemon juice, and some underlying straw-like malts.

Taste: Lightly malty with modest touches of bread and toasted straw. Light sweetness from a dusting of powdered sugar. Background hops remain light. Floral soap suds. Musty cobwebs, lightly funky barnyard character, jutting phenols. Citrusy lemon. Saliva-inducing, drying finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium-high, engaging carbonation.

Overall: An interesting, enjoyable brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 16:08:31 | More by ChainGangGuy

cosmicevan

New York

3.5/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

bottle generously sent my way a little while back by Biglobo8971 in a growler BIF. enjoyed from an urthel tulip.

brewed 3/23/09
bottled 6/18/09
batch 160 BBL

a - bottle slightly started to gush shortly after i opened it so i went for a quick pour. murky opaque orange with some visible carbonation and about a fist worth of big foamy head that slowly fizzled away looking a bit soapy leaving some foamy chunks on the side of the glass.

s - BRETT. pretty funky. some sweet tart, but soured. almost like spoiled funk.

t - the taste is all brett as well. barnyard funk...a bit sour crossed with spoiled. some sweet tart, but mostly hay and cosmic funkiness. some floral notes.

m - crisp while being soft. bready. cooling. definitely leaves a coating of the spoiled funk vibe in my mouth.

o - overall, it is pretty good. mostly just seems like brett, but without the sweetness that would make it great. just spoiled sour brett funk with some floral notes.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 00:38:30 | More by cosmicevan

ckollias

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed this 500ml bottle out of a large snifter glass.

A: Pours a golden orange hue with a 2-finger white head that quickly dissipates leaving a decent trail down the glass.

S: Fruity and citrus aroma with a mild hoppy background.

T: Similar to the smell I get a fruity citrus flavor with a floral hoppy background.

M: Medium body and carbonation.

O: Decent beer – went down smooth and was enjoyable. Not the most rememberable beer but worth the taste.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 03:44:50 | More by ckollias

Lemke10

Wisconsin

4.78/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I picked this up at the New Glarus Brewery on my May 2012 visit. At that time, this was the only “brewery exclusive” beer that was offered.

Pours a cloudy copper color with a thick, foamy head. Scent is a mixture of citrus and floral scents. Taste is bold with flavors of hibiscus, citrus and other floral tones. Smooth, mellow and delicious. Drinks great and keeps inviting you back for another sip. If you think the New Glarus 6 packs are good, you’re in for a treat as this is even better!

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 04:58:15 | More by Lemke10

beagle75

Iowa

2.68/5  rDev -34.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 0.5L bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Slightly hazy, orange-golden color with less than one finger of diminishing white foam head. Scant lacing remains on the glass.

S: Plasticky band-aid quality is sharp, with some associated spiciness that suggests phenolics. Goat pasture is weak, hard to pin down, likely interrupted by strong plastic notes and lesser perceived sourness.

T: Begins dry, with acidic pale malt and phenolics that become intense and energetic in the middle. The finish is briny and surprisingly bitter for the style.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, acidic on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: This bottled version of New Glarus's brettanomyces ale is of questionable relationship to the draft version, which exhibited a purified clarion call of brett qualities. Rather, this beer is slightly sour and chemical-infused, with just enough of goaty brett qualities to make the drinker wish for more. While not as undrinkable as some might suggest, it is definitely a bit of a mess--and not in a good way.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 22:21:46 | More by beagle75

bashiba

Iowa

1.68/5  rDev -58.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Poured a bright golden/orange with a thick white head.

The smell is very bubblegummy with a lot of plastic.

The common band aid flavor is very apparent here. Has a very off plastic flavor as well, not good. I really get nothing but artificial.

Th emouthfeel has a long oily quality to it.

Just plain bad, a drain pour for sure.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 00:29:21 | More by bashiba

williamjbauer

West Virginia

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

Served on tap in brewhouse on 4/28/12

A - Bright golden with 1 finger white head with great retention and great lacing.

S - Quite an abundance of floral notes, honey, malt.

T - Starts with a light peppery spice on the side palate with a sweet banana ester, floral, and honey. Just slightly bitter with some herbal hops A touch of alcohol.

M - Light-moderate body with moderate-high carbonation with crisp, refreshing finish.

O - A nice refreshing and drinkable honey brew, very exceptional for this style.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 00:39:50 | More by williamjbauer

cradke

Texas

4.23/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pale foggy orange. Very thin head.

Smell: Good belgian yeast comes through at first. Apple, pear and cinnamon. Not a huge nose but nicely complex

Taste: This taste more than a little like apple pie. Smooth aftertaste. Pretty dry with some good hops in the background. Nicely subtle and complex at the same time.

Mouthfeel: A bit thin but certainly within the style.

Overall: Nice and refreshing. Good belgian style. Doesn't blow me out of the water but i would certainly have it again. Love NG

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 02:31:50 | More by cradke

ncketchum

Wisconsin

4.08/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served chilled in a Duvel tulip

A - pours a honey golden with lots of carbonation, come pure white head that fades to a nice lacing

S - yeast, banana, cloves

T - sweet, yeasty up front then balanced with hops in the finish

M - not overly carbonated, no trace of alcohol, makes for a potentially dangerous 7% ABV

O - typically I'm not huge Belgian fan, but this had enough balance that it made me a pretty big fan. Lucky to have been able to pick this one up

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 00:30:28 | More by ncketchum

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle: Poured a hazy bright blonde color ale with a super huge foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of funky barnyard notes with some light tart notes and some pungy hops are quite nice. Taste is a great mix between some floral dry hops notes with light pungy characteristics mix ion with some notes of funky barnyard ester and a tart finish. Body is full with great carbonation. I though this was a great take on an Orval-like beer style with loads of complex notes.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 15:19:22 | More by Phyl21ca

dogfishandi

New York

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

thanks to dougofthefuture for the bottle!

16oz bottle at about fridge temp poured into a boulevard tulip, split with trxxpaxxs, bottled on 6/18/2009 (roughly 2 1/2 years old)

pours out a somwhat cloudy golden color with a nice fluffy 2 fingers of near pure white head. some very good retention, and lots of sticky lace till the end of the glass.

very pleasent aromas. clove, and a bit of pepper and lemon citrus are noticed intially followed by some light bretty, horsey funk, floral, also a bit grassy or hay like and something that reminds me of smarties?

again, just the right amount of barnyard bretty funk. nice floral, grassy, and hay like notes and again, something reminds me of smarties. a nice easy tartness, but no actual sourness.

light body, dry finish, very easy drinking and almost crisply refreshing.

a top notch belgian pale, very well made. id definatly come back to this. age has done this beer very well. leaves me wanting to try any new glarus beer i can get my hands on, exspecially the 2 other R&D series beers.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 22:59:58 | More by dogfishandi

trxxpaxxs

New York

4.8/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to dogfishandi for splitting this bottle...

A: This beer pours a nice honey gold with hues of pick peach. There is about a half finger of pure white head that wants to linger around forever. There is some solid lacing as it drinks.

S: I'm getting huge brett, some fresh cut grass, some definite lemon, and a tiny bit of pepper. This beer smells absolutely delicious. I can't wait any longer to try a sip.

T: This beer starts off with a nice citrus and floral punch. I get some lemon and rose right off the bat. The brett comes on strong and linger through to the finish. The brett notes get stronger as it lingers on the palate. This beer is delightful.

M: Medium bodied beer. This beer has a strong brett character, but it never gets overwhelming. It's perfectly suited to bring out the flavors a hoppy ale.

O: This beer is fantastically delicious. This might be one of the best New Glarus brews that I've ever had. It's hitting me in all the right spots. I need to find some more of this.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 22:59:17 | More by trxxpaxxs

mdaschaf

Washington

4.15/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Review from notes.

A: Pours a hazy golden color with a white foamy head on top Decent retention and spotty lacing.

S: A nice combination of citrus and tart fruit, some pale malt, and little wheat, and some funky/barnyard aromas.

T: Rather spicy with cloves upfront, nice citrus fruit in the middle, mostly lemon rind and zest as well as a slight floral flavor. Some definite barnyard funk on the flavor profile as well.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Easy drinking.

O: Pretty good beer, rather different, especially for a BPA. Would be interested in drinking this one again.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 21:41:15 | More by mdaschaf

adrock7309

Minnesota

2.93/5  rDev -28%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

shared a bottle over the weekend with a few fellow BAs. Let me first say - this beer did get partially frozen in transit.

for me, the pour and sight of this beer was the highlight - if there was one. Cap was light and fluffy over a bright orange body.

Was expecting a belgian golden ale / pale ale with some tartness. What we had was a wheaty funky mess.

The smell was heavy on plastic bandaids, old wet cardboard and dank basement.

Flavors I picked up were belgian spicy yeast, a bit of a crisp malt character, but ZERO fruit, sour, or anything interesting.

I think it would be possible that the freezing played a role in the flavor but i doubt it as I have had thawed / frozen beer but never with results like this.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 15:59:45 | More by adrock7309

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Finally getting around to yappin about this beer after many afternoons spent drinking this at the brewery.

From a bottle dated June 2009. Light golden body, tornado of bubbles, and fat topping nearly two inches high that leaves curtains of lace.

Brett, funk, hay, touch of lemon, soapiness, and an underlying mild sourness.

Taste follows suit. Mouthfeel is lively and creamy.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 03:12:59 | More by BarrytheBear

htomsirveaux

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500 mL bottle tried 21 Oct 2010. Courtesy of ratatat & S, thank you! Served in the 0.4 L Steiner Pils snifter.

Brewed 23 Mar 2009, bottled 18 Jun 2009.

Large light yellow fluffy head. Well carbonated. Hazy golden orange in color. Aroma is fairly complex, yeasty, earthy, musty, tart cherries, some acetone, barnyard funkiness, maybe even tomato vine. Taste is reminiscent of the aroma,yeasty, hay, funkiness. Dry earthy finish. A lingering grainy sweetness in the aftertaste. Medium body, moderate ethanol.

Seems to have aged quite well.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 05:28:56 | More by htomsirveaux

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to FooFaa for sharing this at his place, poured chilled into a cervoise.

Color is murky goldenrod which is apropos with thick white cap that adheres in a spotty lace pattern. The smell is unique and off with strong herbal essence like a cough drop with some methol and floral earthy qualities -very medicinal arom with light hint of pepper.
The feel is dry with medicinal feel with herbal tannin and slight dry toast with mild grassy tannin and woody tonic-type aspect.

This has a taste that is both dry with the herbal flavor following the smell and feel. There is a light anise accent with the grass and mint adding to the flavors with subtle dry woody and gentle chalky taste. I was surpised by how quick the flavor dissipates considering the amount of intensity it has. the overall drinkability is low for me as this tastes like something along the lines of absinthe in beer form, which is not really a flavor I am especially fond of.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 19:00:12 | More by Slatetank

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle into a taster glass. Thanks to FooFaa for sharing. The brew appears a clear golden color with a finger of white froth. As it recedes, it leaves minor spots of lacing and a light swirl revives the cap back to a finger strength.

The aroma of this brew includes a light note of plastic mixed with cheese. Citrus hops are evident with a light herbal aspect that collectively makes for an earthy feel to the nose.

The taste includes a minor note of plastic just like the aroma indicated. Some citrus to herbal rind aspects are also evident before the onset of more grassy to herbal hop inclusion.

This is a medium bodied brew with a light level of carbonation. There is seemingly no alcohol feel to this which makes it fairly easy drinking. The flavor and aroma seem a bit disjointed through. Worth a try if you get the chance but nothing to go out of your way for.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 16:10:36 | More by stakem