Serendipity
New Glarus Brewing Company

SerendipitySerendipity
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From:
New Glarus Brewing Company
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
Fruit and Field Beer
Ranked #3
ABV:
4%
Score:
97
Ranked #719
Avg:
4.36 | pDev: 9.4%
Reviews:
351
Ratings:
3,021
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 21, 2024
Added:
Oct 15, 2012
Wants:
  561
Gots:
  774
Severe Drought, we shared the farmer’s horror as Wisconsin’s cherry crop failed! Dan bought what cherries he could. The Apple crop fared better. Then joy! A grand Wisconsin cranberry harvest. What will Dan brew with Apples, Cranberries and Cherries? Oh my! You hold the happy accident of Wisconsin’s favorite fruit aged in oak with an almost magical wild fermentation. Serendipity is a wondrous celebration that sparkles your senses and dances across your palate. A kaleidoscope of flavor discovered by accident in a sour ale!

Cheers to the unexpected.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tectactoe:
Photo of tectactoe
Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan

4.36/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Another big thanks to Jeff for cracking this one - it was on my "wants" list for a long time and I'm glad to finally get a chance to try it. Pours a very clean and slick, ruby-tinted mahogany with pretty remarkable clarity for the deep shade it emits. A beige cap quickly foams up a recedes almost just as quick while leaving a few decent rings of lacing after the first few sips.

Holy smokes, the aroma is a huge explosion of fruit almost unlike anything else I've smelled before. A very deep, juicy, and raw black cherry aroma is first in command, heavily accented with sweet red apples on the edges. The fruit characteristics are so convincing and pure without the artificial and medicinal hints that oftentimes plague fruit beers and can evidently lead to their demise. This smells like a puree or freshly squeezed juice. Super convincing, mouth-watering, and honest to god delicious - can't wait to try it.

After taking one taste, I realize that I misspoke when calling the aroma a huge fruit explosion... because it's nothing compared to the flavor. Hot damn, the flavor in this is just incredible, if you're a fan of fruit, that is. Just absolutely delicious, pure, juicy, sweet, and mildly tart, all at once. I get hit with some Red Delicious apples up front, immediately following by the gushing onslaught of ripe, black cherries.

Serendipity is extremely juicy and overflowing with flavor. A tartness hits quick and fast before it fades into a sweetness that carries through to the aftertaste. Cranberries are heaviest in the finish, providing another small jolt of tart before they turn entirely sweet and savory on the palate. This beer is just on the cusp of the sour/sweet line at times, and it dangerously flirts with it so well. Lighter bodied with high carbonation, crisp and popping mouth feel.

This.... Now THIS is how you do a fruit beer. Throw an apple, some cherries, and a few cranberries into a blender, bottle it up and call it Serendipity. Almost perfect execution of pure fruit flavors while avoiding all of the off-putting side-effect that commonly plague this style of beer. New Glarus... I like them. A lot.
Mar 26, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.4 by Bhubbard34 from Pennsylvania

Jan 21, 2024
Photo of dcotom
Reviewed by dcotom from Iowa

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from 12-ounce bottle into a tulip glass. Deep reddish brown in color, with an off-white head that left some nice lacing. This "serendipitous" blend of spontaneously-fermented fruit juices is amazing. As this warmed toward room temperature, huge aromas amd flavors of wild cherry began to shine through. Quite sweet, with some understated wild-ale funk. Great carbonation, light bodied, and some lingering tart fruit on the finish complete the profile. I've always said that these spontaneously-fermented fruit beers really showcase the New Glarus brewers' chops. This is yet more evidence of that. Incredible beer, unquestionably world-class.
Dec 15, 2023
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

4.56/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
(12 oz bottle, no date/code; purchased single off shelf at their Beer Depot this week... poured into a plastic cup)

Could just be me, but I feel like this is arguably the unsung masterwork of their celebrated fruit collection... compared to Tart and Red and Apfel and Rhubarb, this one has the most going on, the most interest, dynamics, and complexity... fruity, yet less near-dessert like compared to the others, cidery tart and funkier... the apple seems to cut through most vibrantly, of course accented, colored, and complimented by the cranberry and cherry... what a sublime blend of these fruit additions, not to mention the base beer sitting in perfect concert with it all... another beer I wish I bought more of, had I known it's glory... as good a reason as any to go back for another visit (2200)
Aug 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by OtisCampbell007 from Tennessee

Jul 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.75 by khargro2 from Tennessee

Jul 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.12 by SeymourDunn from Wisconsin

Apr 09, 2023
 
Rated: 4.28 by DownyIsHungry from Minnesota

Dec 17, 2022
 
Rated: 4.25 by Dovers from Wisconsin

Dec 15, 2022
Photo of Mindcrime1000
Reviewed by Mindcrime1000 from South Dakota

4.42/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Poured into a tulip.

Pours dark garnet but nearly crystal clear. Very limited head. No lacing. Looks like a fine red wine. Gorgeous.

Apple and cherry are the most prominent aromas, but there is a hint of cranberry there. Trace of oak.

Sweet cherry and apple on the tip of the tongue. Tart cherry, crabapple, and cranberry in midstream. The finish is acidic and lends some hidden cinnamon spice notes.

Medium light bodied, smooth, and drying.

I may have had a better wild ale, but I don't remember it. This is outstanding stuff.
Dec 03, 2022
 
Rated: 4.58 by hbeimers from Illinois

Oct 25, 2022
 
Rated: 4.24 by not2quick from Missouri

Oct 13, 2022
Photo of Tsar_Riga
Reviewed by Tsar_Riga from Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A bottle from 2017 with a good five years on it, this beer illustrates why some brews are best with a bit of age on it.

A - A muddy brown body, with red highlights. Minimal head, light tan, fades to a thin line around the glass. No lacing to speak of. Visually, decent but this is not the attraction.

S - The nose is cherry first, with just a bit of berry and crabapple. Below is a fruit punch element, sweet fruitiness that comes across as almost artificial. Not that it is bad, just surprising. It smells delicious.

T - If the nose suggests child-like punch, the flavor is a shockingly bright mélange of fruit, melded into a delicious, deep experience. I cannot really express the surprise of how integrated and tight this brew lands. A sweet open, a mildly tart finish. Just so well built, I am in awe.

M - Slightly slick open, full and lush feel, and a clean, bright close. So full for 4%, so satisfying.

O - It does not surprise that this is a banger, but man, it is extraordinary. A brew I'm so glad I kept, and so glad I opened and enjoyed. One of the best fruit beers I've ever had. It makes me look for when I can next get to southern Wisconsin and pick up a few more bottles for me cellar.
Aug 29, 2022
 
Rated: 4.69 by tcbro023 from Wisconsin

Feb 23, 2022
 
Rated: 4.4 by Gkruszewski from New York

Feb 06, 2022
 
Rated: 4.25 by MDDMD from Pennsylvania

Jan 15, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by slimntubbs from Pennsylvania

Oct 31, 2021
 
Rated: 3.05 by BigIronH from Michigan

Oct 10, 2021
Photo of TedHead
Reviewed by TedHead from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a reddish brown with a tan head that dissipates very quickly. It smells like sour apples and cherries with no malt or hop character present. It tastes like tart cherries and apples that's finished off by a slightly acidic finish from the cranberries that keep it from being too sweet. It goes down more than easily without feeling like a sugary bomb and you'd probably even be able to drink the whole 4 pack if you really like it. Overall a very very good fruit beer.
Sep 08, 2021
 
Rated: 4.1 by Taybeh from Minnesota

Aug 14, 2021
Serendipity from New Glarus Brewing Company
Beer rating: 97 out of 100 with 3021 ratings