Cabin Fever - New Glarus Brewing Company

uwmgdman

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This lager pours a brilliantly clear light golden color--one might call it honey colored. The head is clingy and bright white. The aroma is moderately malty--grainy and slightly sweet with a crisp lager-like aroma. The flavor is moderately malty, smooth with a moderate hop bitterness and slightly dry finish, which balances the malt nicely. The carbonation is medium-high with a medium body. Overall this brew is quite delicious--straightforward crisp malt with nice hop bitterness. Makes me start to think of spring!

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2010 01:10:22 | More by uwmgdman

scaliasux

Wisconsin

2.48/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance - Clear light gold. Tall fizzy white head. Beer itself is pretty fizzy.

Smell - Light sweet malt. Not picking up any hops.

Taste - Remarkably light. Not much to distinguish this from a light lager or a pilsiner. Light sweet malt and only the faintest hint of hops in the finish. A little alcoho and a little something else - the honey maybel. Nothing offensive, but quite light for style and not too interesting.

Mouthfeel - Light. Well carbonated.

Drinkability - I like most of the stuff produced by New Glarus, but this one's not particularly inspired. I might take it ahead of a Spotted Cow, but I wouldn't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2010 04:00:16 | More by scaliasux

AmberMan22

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap at the churchkey last night. Waitress told me it was "an ale"

Taking that general statement with a grain of salt, I didn't really know what to expect from this, and it never really got clarified.
Now reading that it's a maibock disappoints me, because I like maibocks quite a bit -- but this one didn't live up to the typical new glarus greatness.

The color looked alright, kind of a darker grain color.

I don't really want to blast this beer for not being a good maibock, because it isn't a bad beer. My grades are all regarding the category.

The smell was frankly weak, as was the taste. Not nearly as much sweet malty goodness as one would hope for, and a rather unremarkable finish. Mouthfeel didn't give any clues as to what the beer was, but it never once tasted bad.
Therefore I'll give it a bump on the drinkability scale.

Serving type: on-tap

02-06-2010 17:53:09 | More by AmberMan22

Wisconsin

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured a 12 ounce bottle into a pint glass

A - After a rigorous pour a bubbly white head quickly rose to about a finger and a half thick. The head fades to a lace with a thicker ring around the edge of the glass after a couple of minutes. Plenty of carbonation present in this one has lots of strands are visibly rising up to the top. A very clear, translucent and somewhat bland yellow body is present, but has a good overall appeal.

S - What happened? I was quite impressed by the appearance but the smell has me wondering if this was a bad batch. Little to no honey smell like I was expecting. Instead, I get an artificial almost rubbery smell with some faint hops and floral notes that are quite frankly, hard to detect. Typical corn notes are present but nothing else stands out.

T - Much like the smell, with a little more profound hop and floral notes. Faint amounts of honey and corn are present but nothing else really grabs you.

M - Light bodied beer with a relatively high amount of carbonation. Faint amounts of honey, followed by a strong amount of carbonation and a corn/grain finish. Smooth drinking no doubt.

D - While I feel this beer has been a big disappointment the beer is drinkable no doubt. Very smooth and light. Overall though, this is the worst New Glarus beer I have had by far.

I am not sure what to think of this beer. Is this going to be the new trend for New Glarus? Dumbed down beers that appeal to masses like a PBR or Honey Weiss, which I consider this beer to be quite similar to. I know times are tough, but this brewery thrived on brewing world class beers. I hope this is just a blip on the map and the new beers that are going to be released this year will be exceptional. New Glarus needs to get back to brewing top notch world class beers and stop worrying about appealing to masses with these beer. People who drink mass produced lagers aren't going to buy this at the price anyway. NG's market is with people who roam this site. I hope things improve throughout the year. Best of luck Dan.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2010 03:26:22 | More by Wisconsin

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Crystal clear golden yellow with a creamy white head that had good retention and left rocky strands of lace.

S - Sweet corn aroma with honey and herbal noble hops.

T - Corn with pale malts and some sweet honey.

M - Medium mouthfeel but crisp and refreshing with a bit of lingering sweetness.

D - I would have guessed this was an adjunct lager from one of the big brewers with a touch of honey added. Not what I was expecting.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2010 02:01:56 | More by brewcrew76

weatherdog

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

12oz. bottle poured into a New Glarus weiss glass

Bottle dated 0110

The pour is a lively rise of a white head capping a crystal clear golden straw body that is just a hair darker than a normal American light lager. The bubbles are tiny and rise through out the whole beer. A minimal amount of lacing is present at the end of the glass.

The nose is very bland. There is a minimal amount of of floral hops that is then taken over by crisp pilsner malt smell. It is very reminiscent of an average pale lager.

All I pretty much taste is a full bodied bland American lager with a distinct corn taste which is befuddling me. At the end there is just a little bit of floral notes that could be from the hops or the honey used. That is really the only discernible positive character from the beer.

The carbonation is lively and high like an American lager and it drinks quickly and without any hesitation. This beer can easily be gulped in large quantities and is relatively refreshing for what it is.

I really had high expectation for this beer given the original description, but I feel it falls so short and disappoints. I see this beer as the winter version of 'Totally Naked' and a direct competitor to 'Honeyweiss'. This is the full bodied "winter"equivalent of that beer, and while I see it will please the people who this is targeted to, I find it a travesty that beers such as 'Uff-da bock', 'Black Wheat', 'Coffee Stout' and 'Hop Hearty' had to be shelved to make room for this. Why not just make 'Totally Naked' all year round? It feels like a brewery I know can make some of the best beers I have ever had, is now catering to the least common denominator in order to pay for the new brewery. I really hope the rest of the new beers being introduced this year are not a dumbed down version of styles BA's know New Glarus can hit a home run in if they wanted.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2010 02:43:06 | More by weatherdog

PrinceDarren

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I had never heard of this one before so I enjoyed an opportunity to try a new beer with no pre-conceived notions. I didn't even know what the style would be.

It looked like a run-of-the-mill pilsner. Had no aroma whatsoever. Tasted slightly sweeter than a pils but had no hop profile at all.

I commented to my friend that, if tasted blind, it would be difficult to distinguish between this and an Old Style or Hamms.

Now that I see it is described as a "Pale Bock" I am still not impressed. The sweetness that was contributed by the honey is no different on the tongue than that of a corn that is frequently used in mass-produced cheap macro beer.

In summary, NG used more expensive ingredients and a more intensive brewing process but failed to produce anything that is better than a crappy macro.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2010 18:35:30 | More by PrinceDarren

minnunderground

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I was actaully pretty excited to try this but...really didnt deliver oh well...

Looks really like a clear honey, with a light creme tan head, really tastes like a macro with maybe a hint of honey man this a llight and...to put it blunt a pretty crappy bock. Don't get me wrong it's probably what NG was going for some weak beer that spotted cow people would drink. But I need more flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2010 07:15:53 | More by minnunderground

darklordlager

Wisconsin

3.63/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a exceptionally clear, honey-hued orange/golden, with a lively 1.5" slightly off-white coloured head. The many-sized bubbles in the head make for a lack of retention.

S: Rich, clean malt, twangy scent, light lemon. As it warms up, it gets a bit more bready and dough-like. Dash of pepper.

T: Slighty spicy hops, mild pale/2-row malt sweetness, with a bit of sourness. Maybe a bit of caramel malt. Finishes dry, but with a bit of malt flavour that lingers on the tongue. A bit herbal as well (could be from the honey or the hops). Very clean. More doughy/biscuity malt flavour emerges after it warms, some corn.

M: Light-to-medium body, with an interesting "creaminess" to it. Medium carbonation.

D: I can see the reason that this won't be rated very high--it isn't boisterous with enormous flavours, it is subtle and very easy to drink--Not something I am likely to pick up again, but a nice sessionable beer from New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2010 02:23:20 | More by darklordlager

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.2/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a Pilsner glass. 0110 on the neck but no info.

A - Totally clear golden yellow with a billowing white head two fingers tall. The dense bubbles made it look creamy but weren't retained all that well. A silhouette of white foam mountains is left in lace though.

S - The aroma is immediately reminiscent of a sweet adjunct lager. A bit of corn highlights the grainy dry straw while low pale malts and some sweet honey finish it up. Very few floral hop notes in this.

T - It also tastes like an adjunct lager. Better than the nose though, the flavor is a dry straw and mild corn beginning with pale malts and a good coating of honey backing it up.

M - Smooth and wet, it's somewhat slick with a lingering honey sweetness. The carbonation is there but not distracting. It's a medium-bodied bock. Very crisp overall.

D - Cabin Fever is an average beer with decent drinkability. It's nothing to be proud of but certainly nothing to be ashamed of. I'd have it over Spotted Cow as a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2010 00:15:24 | More by BeerFMAndy

GbVDave

Illinois

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a 20oz imperial pint. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist!

Bottle dated 0110

A: Pours a crystal clear, Motts apple juice gold with about a finger and a half of creamy, bright-white head. Retention was good and a lot of sticky lace was left behind. Carbonation was pretty active.

S: Interesting mix of herbal noble hops, toasted grains, and a hint of lemon. When it comes up to temp there is a definite aroma of honey.

T: Pretty much just as above except that the honey is there from the first sip. Finish is all toasted grain, honey, and a touch of floral hops.

M: Pretty full bodied and smooth with a nice dose of Lager crispness.

D: Exceedingly refreshing! We really enjoyed the subtleties of the natural honey throughout this.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2010 23:44:59 | More by GbVDave

lester619

Wisconsin

2.83/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep golden yellow with a bright white head that goes away quickly. Lots of carbonation with no lacing to speak of. Smell is sweet malts and honey with a touch of floral. Really not much to get excited about. It's a sweet beer with the honey and malts. Some grainy corn shows up. Very little hop bitterness. Pretty boring. I was expecting something with much more of a complex flavor. It doesn't have any bad or off flavors, but it doesn't anything great to offer either. They could call this a pale lager and make it a summer seasonal and not miss a beat. It's still ten degrees outside, I need something bigger.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2010 23:15:00 | More by lester619

cokes

Wisconsin

2.63/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Golden hued with a sizzling carbonation feeding its white head. It recedes with the haste of a macro lager and leaves no trace.
Sweet, honey aroma. Candy sugar and distinct corn notes (from where?) Vague caramel maltiness. Little actual depth, and a late rubber band chemical note.
The flavor profile is similarly shallow. A brisk grainy/bready note is engulfed by honey/sugar/corn(WTF?) sweetness. A light bit of florarity dots the finish. I expected this to be a reincarnation of the Norski...instead it's more of a homage to PBR.
Fizzy thin body that flatlines and grows a bit heavier over time.
I'll give this another go sometime, hoping that, right now, either it's off or I am. My present opinion is that it's the worst thing New Glarus has even released.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2010 09:56:12 | More by cokes

Soneast

Wisconsin

3.3/5  rDev -7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Pours a crystal clear, golden color. Not much carbonation evident, only a few rising bubbles. Develops a half inch, white colored head that vanishes as quickly as it appeared, leaving a small ring of bubbles.

Aroma consists of a breadiness and grains, some freshly opened canned corn, with a touch of green apples and a noble hop presence showcasing a floral, slightly spicy character.

The flavor is clean and crisp, grains and corn, with some hop presence as you near the finish consisting of a floral quality, which I assume is only accentuated by the clover honey. I thought the finish would be quite a bit dryer, but it's actually fairly sweet and malty.

Cabin Fever is not overwhelming in any sense of the word. In fact "craft-brewed macro" might be an appropriate term for this beer. It has all the hallmarks of a macro brew, which sadly isn't my thing. However, it is quite crisp and refreshing, with a light-medium body making it quite sessionable. I'm surprised this beer rounds out at 6% ABV. It drinks like a 4% ABV beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2010 04:07:25 | More by Soneast

jrallen34

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

I drank this from a 12oz bottle into my Rochefort chalice.

The beer pours a clear light gold with a light white head, not much retention or lacing.

The aroma is very light, smells like a beer, with a little sweetness.

The taste is light, like an american lager with a hint of skunkness.

The feel is super light, but decent drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2010 02:22:44 | More by jrallen34

RJUGA03

Illinois

2.55/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A-Golden transparent body with a minimally laced head.
S-Sweet, lightly malted, and simple.
T-Much like a simple macrobrewed lager.
M-Watery and light with a typical European bittered hop finish.
D-If it were 1/4th the price I would make it a daily drink.

I was dissappointed by this beer, so I will re-review it within a week to see if my true judgement was accurate.

UPDATE: 1/29/10 I distributed this beer to 3 of my beer loving/ judging friends and I've recieved back 2 dissappointing reviews, while the 3rd has yet to try the beer. If I were to review this in the summer months I might give it a solid C rating, but the release time on this one isn't feeling correct to me. I do love most of the NG beers and eagerly await new releases...

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2010 00:07:03 | More by RJUGA03

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I love getting to review a beer in it's infancy. Poured into my pint glass the beer is a crystal clear golden yellow. The white head bursts to full three fingers then slowly recedes leaving just a smattering of lace.

The aroma is full of sweet malt, honey, fresh bread and I swear it has a hint of grape hubba bubba. Light hops along with spice and a hint of corn.

The flavor is super smooth and pleasant. Light sweet malt, honey drizzled toast, mild hops, and just a touch of spice. This usually isn't my style but I really like the taste.

Light to medium body with a moderate amount of carbonation. Dry in the finish.

Overall a super drinkable beer. Not thay this is a surprise considering the source. Keep'em coming NG.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2010 00:53:34 | More by beerwolf77

gatornation

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours a nice golden tan color with a great fresh head and sticky lacing till the end it looks good and fresh with a pure white ring..the smell is malts and fresh baked bread followed by some floral hops a pleasant springlike clover smell..the taste is malts first and in a good way followed by the floral hops it finishes crisp and clean and a little sweet..its highly drinkable,,very flavorful ..another fine bock from NG that is well balanced with malts and hops and honey nothing overwhelms in this one...recommended

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 23:18:39 | More by gatornation

wheatyweiss

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 once bottle into an imperial pint.

Pours a medium straw to light honey, nicely sized off white head is soapy and clingy. Carbonation rises quickly through the beer with perfect clarity.

Aroma is pale malt and floral sweetness. Clover and floral hops in the middle. Floral notes hint at noble hops. Clean aroma with a pronounced malt in the foreground.

Flavor opens up with a big malt shout. Malt is not the usual pils malt flavor, but is more substantial, more body and a bit chewier, but not heavy by any means. Middle shows a hint of hop, not pulling out the varietal but there is just enough floral hop to let you know they are there. I would love a touch more, but this is within style. Floral hops and clover honey bring on the finish. Finishes crisp and a little sweeter than most helles bocks I've had.

Mouthfeel is medium to light. Carbonation is aggressive and cuts the honey sweetness enough to balance. There is a bit of substance to the malt that makes for a nice place to anchor all that carbonation.

Drinkability is high. The beer is crisp and not heavy by any means, but full of flavor. ABV is at 6.0% so this would be a nifty little session bock.

Overall a very tasty beer that is very drinkable and has a decent amount of flavor and body. The only downfall is the sweetness and low hop flavor. I am accustomed to a bit more in a maibock, but a good beer all the same. Sadly, this is not the stunner I was expecting to replace Hop Hearty, but it will do for now until I run out.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2010 23:35:53 | More by wheatyweiss