Fat Squirrel Ale - New Glarus Brewing Company

Crundy

Ohio

4.68/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: Light tan colored head, it poured a very clear reddish amber color

S: Big roasted malt, some bread notes, feint hop smell in the background, a slight alcohol smell as well.

T: Dominant flavor was the caramel roasted malt along with the nut flavor, there was some bread as well and some floral hops behind it all.

M: very creamy, very smooth, medium bodied

O: very well balanced beer and the flavors were subtle but full at the same time. great beer, very drinkable. Delicious.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 18:49:26 | More by Crundy

TheStove

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a 14 oz "pint glass". Pours nice rich brown amber color with a nice thin white head, which dissipates not too long after pouring. Some initial smells yield a nice rich yet not overpowering malt aroma with some earthy hops.

First sips impart a nice sweet maltiness which fades to a little bit of nuttiness. A nice variety of said earthy and slightly bitter hops contribute to the aroma of a great fall beer. At first appeared under carbonated however it works nicely with the hop flavors to give it a nice little pop towards the end of the sip. A slightly sweet and faintly rich malt taste lingers on the tongue with some hop flavors in-between sips.

An excellent brown ale. Diverse enough to be interesting yet without too much going on that you feel you don't know what you're drinking or that you're missing something. Also seems like a great session beer, not so malty you feel your mouth is coated and balanced enough to easily have more than one. Would definitely enjoy this in front of a fire, be it indoors or out.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 07:08:19 | More by TheStove

doughanson78

Washington

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Thanks to storminspank for this.

A: Medium brown in color with great clarity. Half finger off white head with disappointing retention and lacing.

S: Light nose. Cola, chocolate, coffee, caramel, toffee, nutty, are all very light aromas.

T: Caramel and toffee upfront. Nuttiness and light toasted flavors come through in the middle along with the slightest hint of chocolate and coffee. A slight bready finish.

M: Light bodied. Higher carbonation. Slightly sticky.

O: Decent beer. Nothing to rave about, Nothing to complain about.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 10:28:19 | More by doughanson78

matjack85

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I got a few of these 12oz brown bottles from a friend who brought them back from his trip to Milwaukee. This was greatly appreciated as New Glarus doesn't ship their stuff outside Wisconsin, so if you want one of these, you'd normally have to make a trip up to America's dairyland to get one. There is no freshness date on the bottle, but there is a short blurb about the beer on the front label.

The beer poured a fairly clear light brown/amber color with a ½-finger of off-white head that dissipates fairly quick and leaves only minimal lacing.

The beer smells like roasted malts and hazelnuts.

The beer has a sweet roasted malt and hazelnut flavor like the smell indicated, but with the addition of some sweet toffee and mild chocolate as well. A surprising amount of hop bitterness makes an appearance halfway thru the taste and lingers on thru the finish.

Smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel. Medium bodied with assertive carbonation.

An interesting beer that doesn't wow me over, but it's very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 05:50:08 | More by matjack85

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours translucent brown with a khaki head that dissipates quickly leaving very little lace. Smell is earthy, lightly toasted malt and caramels. Taste is lightly sweet and bitter, light roasted malt, biscuits and tea, and a bit earthy. Mouthfeel starts creamy and has good carbonation but seems watery. Overall this is a pleasant English brown

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 04:56:47 | More by JackieTH

ChopperSmith

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -10%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. long neck bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Clear medium brown color with a one finger tan foam head that faded quick and left a little lacing but no cap.

Smell: Sweet, nutty, malty with hints of caramel and light coffee.

Taste: Big and malty with a weird bitterness that doesn't taste like hops. More of a burned malt bitterness, and not that pleasant. Not much sweetness, like most other good brown ales. Not much happening besides the big malt. No real hops flavor to balance it out. Also a little watered down for my liking.

Mouth feel: Light to medium bodied and slightly dry. Good carbonation.

Overall: Not the best of the New Glarus beers. It's not bad, but it's nothing too special for the brown ale style and a little too thin. I won't seek this one out again. This actually makes me want a tastier classic Brown Ale, like Samuel Smith's real English Brown Ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 23:48:54 | More by ChopperSmith

rundocrun

Iowa

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12-oz bottle into a pint glass.

A - Pours a crystal-clear toasty brown color with very subtle orange highlights. Yields a 1/2 finger of white head that dissipates quickly. No lacing on the glass.

S - Smells of rich, caramely malts and earthy hops. Has a subtle character of rich roasted peanut butter and mild hints of coffee.

T - Quite malty, but certainly not over-sweet--actually a very impressive and desirable characteristic for a brown ale to me. I usually find them to be one one end or the other, but this seems to skirt the edges of sweet and bitter quite well. Not too much hazelnut coming through to be honest, but definitely enough for me to brand this beer with a "nutty" characteristic. I'd quite honestly prefer this level of nuttiness over an obviously artificial-tasting hazelnut flavor injection that I have tasted in other beers.

M - Thin body. Fairly dry and doesn't linger too long on the palate except for a mild residual sweetness. Good carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 23:14:42 | More by rundocrun

RISky

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

P - Pours very nice rich, dark amber, thick white head and good carbonation.

S - Malty sweet, warm and touch of wood, slight roasted smell.

T - Malts are second to nuttiness at first but creep up in after taste, accompanied by hops.

MF - Initial taste is smooth and mild, strength of malts appear at end.

O - Nice beer for an English brown. It has more of a sweet side that may attribute to my enjoying it more than most English... anythings. Slight nut flavor is very nice accent to malts and carbonation almost perfect. Great beer for a fall day!

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 22:32:43 | More by RISky

biglobo8971

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

poured from bottle to pub glass.
A - roasty amber with present lacing with a 1/4 in head
S - a lil bit of malt mixed with sweet. Smell is inticing
T - solid, nice and refreshing. I'm a hop head, so not my favorite type of beer. But I find this one quite enjoyable.
M - very easy to drink. Was surprised when I looked and half the glass was gone.
O - glad its avaialable. Not readily, but still available. I enjoyed, and will probably enjoy another soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 00:35:37 | More by biglobo8971

homebrew311

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A: pours a clear light brown, creamy dense white head leaves thick lacking

S: nose is malty, hints of faint coffee and other roasted qualities are present along with a touch of nuttiness and brown bread

T: tastes is much sweeter than nose suggests, the roasted malts take a back seat, notes of molasses and caramel come through and make for a sweet middle, finish features a little bit of hop bitterness.

MF: creamy and smooth, mellow carbonation

O: this brown ale borders on the sweet side of the spectrum, I found myself searching for something to balance it out...but it never did. It is quite refreshing and drinkable, but misses being an excellent beer by lack of balance.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 23:27:15 | More by homebrew311

Duff27

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottled August 2011

A- Half-inch white head on a clear, dark red body. Very pleasant lacing and head retention aint nothing to shake yer fist at neither!

S- Sweet smelling malts.

T- More sweet malts. Bready, nutty. Hop presence balances nicely. Leaves a clean palate.

M- Medium to medium-thin mouthfeel. Almost overly carbonated it seems.

D/O- The New Glarus tick-a-thon keeps on truckin'. I couldn't remember the last times I had this beer...3, 4 years? Either way, great session-able brew right here.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 01:54:32 | More by Duff27

FreshHawk

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Light chestnut color with a healthy sized, foamy, bubbly, light, off white head. Pretty good retention leaving a thin ring of lace.

S - Lots of nuttiness that leads itself into an apple like orchard aroma. Some cocoa and maybe a touch of light coffee. Toasted malt as well.

T - Starts of with a slightly tart apple nuttiness. Leads into a more savory nutty flavor with hints of cocoa. Finishes with a sweet mix of nut, cocoa, and toasted malt providing some caramel and toffee flavors. A nice little herbal and grassy hop flavor provides a nice undertone throughout.

M - Light body with lower carbonation. Slightly creamy.

D - Nice balance between sweetness and more earthy flavors. Good diversity of flavors with apples, hints of berry, cocoa, and of course nuttiness. It didn't necessarily make me want another, but I would certainly have another.

Notes: Tasty and pretty interesting brown ale. Great mix of flavors and a nice hoppy undertone. Good brown ale that while maybe not outstanding or something I would crave, it is a very nice drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 00:13:52 | More by FreshHawk

schoolboy

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

We are on our Wisconsin tour and the bartender in our hotel was nice enough to give us samples of the eight beers he has on tap.

Ywo seemed pretty good. This is way better than most "dark ales" like this.It is malty, as they sould be, but extremely well balanced.

The aroma is as it should be, mild but pleasant. It's pretty brown in the glass. I already ordered two, so I like it. More may be coming...

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2011 23:16:39 | More by schoolboy

zimm421

Ohio

3.28/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a DFH shaped pint glass. Appears a brown to ruby-red color with a thick off-white head. The head fizzes like a pour of soda. Even gives off noise that is noticeable while watching TV. Head has good staying power but doesn't leave much lacing.

Nose is very sweet. Lots of toasted malts and nuts. Not a lot of hop aroma, if any. Maybe a slight bittering note. Taste is also very sweet. Starts out with lots of malts, moves a little more bitter and then finishes very sweet and watery. Almost like a cola. A little odd, but it definitely reminds me of the way a Coke finishes.

Mouthfeel is too thin for me. Light bodied with lower than expected carbonation. Pretty drinkable. As it warms, the mouthfeel starts to thicken up, but still not at the right point. Overall, a decent brew, but too sweet and thin for me. If you're into malt bombs, go for it, otherwise there's better things to pick up if you're getting New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 01:38:57 | More by zimm421

hwwty4

Missouri

4.4/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a 12oz bottle into my Hennepin globe.

This beer pours a subtly hazy brown with a big 3 inch cap that disappears into just a thin cap. Massive amounts of lacing covers the inside of the globe. Nice looking beer. The aroma is fairly complex for most brown ales. Up front notes of sweet caramel, toasted breads and just a hint of roasted nuts. Underneath all that is just a bit of sweet cherry. As it warms the cherry comes through a bit more and just a hint of chocolate. The flavor is much the same. The cherry and sweet fruits is just a bit more pronounced. Roasted nuts and toasted bread. This is a tasty beer. The mouthfeel is about perfect for the style. There is a nice creamy smoothness at the front part of the mouthfeel and it finishes fairly dry. Just about perfect. Overall this is a fantastic beer. New Glarus hits more home runs then any other brewery in my opinion. Just like everyone else that doesn't live close to Wisconsin, I wish I could get it here.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 00:41:58 | More by hwwty4

mariposafan

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A fairly stiff pour yields an impressive creamy head over a mahogany body. Retention isn't bad but could be better.

The aroma is very pleasant. Sweet and nutty malts with just a hint of grassiness underneath.

The flavor mirrors the aroma but with the unwelcome addition of some lingering roasty bitterness. The sweetness and light nuttiness, though, are very pleasant and plenty bold.

Medium mouthfeel with well balanced carbonation. Not to prickly but there's certainly enough carbonation to ensure that the sweet flavors do become cloying.

If not for the slightly overdone bitter aftertaste this would be a standard for me. As it stands I'll certainly have it again, just not as often as the less flavorful, but also less bitter Sprecher's Pub Brown Ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 21:27:18 | More by mariposafan

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle.

A: Two fingers of thick head that sits on top of a medium clear brown beer with lively carbonation. Great head retention

S: Sweet, nutty malts over very light citrus hops.

T: Fairly strong sweet toffee and nutty flavor with slight hop bitterness.

M: Great carbonation with medium body. Good for style.

O: Quite flavorful and well constructed. Impressive.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 21:34:42 | More by coreyfmcdonald

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 10 May 2010... really? I wonder if I got the year wrong on that. Will have to try a fresher bottle soon to see if this one's lost anything.

Pours a medium-dark reddish brown, clear, with about one finger of head. The head is a funny color, like tan with a bit of orange leaking into it from the edges. Fades pretty quickly, leaving not much lacing.

Smell is rather faint, but what's there is sweet nutty malts. It's a little funny, as I'm not used to the combination of English brown sweetness with hazelnuts. But I like it. The smell is cylindrical, long and smooth but rounded, and it keeps coming back to the same place. No hops in the aroma at all.

Taste is straight-up sweet brown ale. All malts, with less nutty or woody character than there is in the smell. Not really caramel; more like sugar on top of pale malts. But the flavor is really one-dimensional - it's missing those little bits sticking out at the edges that it needs to make it more interesting. Tastes decent, but lacking any degree of complexity.

Mouthfeel is quite light, almost buoyant in the mouth, and the initial lift gets pushed up higher by a burst of fuzzy carbonation. By the time it settles back down, it's almost gone.

Decent brown ale, definitely on the English/sweet side. Wish more of that hazelnut that's so obvious in the smell were present in the flavor. Not bad, but not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 03:11:15 | More by zeledonia

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The second offering in a mixer my mom grabbed me while she was in the States.

A - Pours a nice dark mahogany colour, finger of beige head with solid retention and some nice sticky lacing.

S - Very nutty with some roasted almonds, dark toffee and a touch of sweetened coffee on the finish.

T - Much like the scent, with the roasted malt notes coming through very nicely. Nutty flavours complemented by some sweet caramel and toffee and a hint of coffee.

M - Medium bodied, goes down incredibly smooth and finishes nice and wet.

O - I could drink this stuff all day. The sessionability of it is insane. The flavours are nice and bold, yet not overwhelming. So far this mixer pack is nailing it on every level.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 12:13:49 | More by andrenaline

flyfisherfinn

Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Exceptional brown ale offering from New Glarus. The roasted malts in this beer make for a very pleasant aroma and taste. This poured very nicely, with a thick creamy head. The beer is very smooth as well. I was definitely able to pick up the hazelnut tones within this beer that the brewery marks on the bottle. Great variation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 23:47:31 | More by flyfisherfinn

OttoPeeWee

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +22%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I love Wisconsin. This brewery seems to be one of its hidden gems. Looks good. Hefty brown with good lacing. Just the right amount of head. She'll do! Smells wonderful like toasted almond, bread, grassy hops, and some alcohol. Taste is lovely toasted, but definately subtle enough to let other flavors shine like mocha and honey. The mouthfeel is outstanding. Surprising, I thought it was going to be similar to the Belgian Red, but I was wrong. Very smooth. I really don't know how a brown can get much better. I could drink this 24/7. Better off I stay south of the boarder!

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 23:24:03 | More by OttoPeeWee

SkitzIrish3

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light brown with good layer of head (I did a different pour with this one, so it's hard to comment. Toasty, nut malt aroma with an herbal background. English malts some are saying? Yummy. Wow, yum is right. Great toasty, nut flavor with a light bitterness making me want another drink NOW! Carbonation is low, body seems adequate. Reminds me of Fat Tire, although technically a different style. Glad I got this from my brew partner the other day!

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 01:01:16 | More by SkitzIrish3

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: The pour is an amber brown with a bubbly white cap. Good retention, with the head eventually fading to strange shaped

Smell: Very English - caramel brown malt, peat, some earthy and nutty aromas as well.

Taste: The taste follows, it is pretty straight forward. Up front there is some caramel and toffee sweetness from the English malts, with some hazelnut up next, and some full earthy flavors with a bitter tint.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation is a little bit less than medium. A soft stickiness permeates each sip. The flavor starts sweet and turns a little bit oily toward the end.

Overall: This was an easy drinking example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 09:21:36 | More by KickInTheChalice

DmanGTR

New York

4.28/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to Amanda for this! Been wanting to try it for a while now. Well, now that our huge effing exam is over, I can finally celebrate.

Poured clear maple brown with caramel highlights in the light. Topped by a 3/4" white head that lazily dissipated into a thin ring. Small irregular patches of lace here and there.

Very clean aroma with a blend of toasty and caramel grains. Touch of earth from the hops and maybe a tiny bit of metal, which IMO enhances the aroma here. Mildly sweet forefront that gives way to a nicely balanced grain profile of a classic English pale ale, but finishing with dark honey sweetness. Hops is barely noticeable, more apparent as an afterthought in each sip, but prolonging the sip so much as to introduce the next quaff.

Fat Squirrel isn't too "fat" IMO. It could use a touch more body for its bubbly carbonation. However, it is clearly a minor issue in the big picture.

Overall, this is a fantastic beer. A great anytime beer that goes well with an American meal or it can stand on its own, like it is right now. It's not a crazy assertive bal-aged bourbon brandy apple tripel eised whatever have you, but it's not a boring beer that gets a "meh" from me. Thanks again, Amanda!

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 21:34:46 | More by DmanGTR

lurpy1

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a medium chestnut, some head. Vague smell of almonds and a little bit of coffee. Not real impressive or assertive. To be fair, maybe I should have let it warm. Does come out of its shell as I drink it, a more pronounced nut flavor with a little bit of hop pizzaz. Tasty. An easy drinking beer. Would love to try it again at a warmer temperature.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 13:18:02 | More by lurpy1