New Glarus Brewing Company

gordonbeersch

Tennessee

4.8/5  rDev +8.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $

There is not much about New Glarus's operation that is not impressive. You will be hard pressed to find a brewery more devoted to a pure product than them.

The atmosphere was relaxed and fun. There brewery looks like a farm house connected to a small victorian mansion on the outside, with a cool beer garden in the back with a fountain and pic nic tables. There was also cornhole available to play.

Service was excellent. Three tap locations around with a tap room, one outside, and one in the gift shop. Your free to walk around the brewery most days and take a self guided tour, but there is usually a guide around who is happy to tell you all about it if you ask.

Selection was about 9 of their beers on tap, including the raspberry tart and the Wisconsin Belgian Red. Others included Dancing man wheat, moon man, two women, spotted cow, and fat squirrel. Im sure some of these change with the seasons. There is also a beer depot below to purchase most their beers in bottles.

The quality of this place is outstanding. They have an amazing devotion to sanitation of their equipment. The place literally shines when you walk in, and the beer is excellent as well. Its not too hard on the wallet either. 6 bucks for your first pint, but you get a sweet glass with it to keep, refills after are only 3 bucks. Thats certainly a price that could keep me around all day for such great beer.

09-22-2011 04:36:38 | More by gordonbeersch

mobius387

Wisconsin

4.45/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 3 | $$

First time at the brewery for the sour Ale release. This place is just a gorgeous brewery, inside and out. Great atmosphere, very clean inside. Great gift shop with lots of cool brewery related and Wisconsin related items. Went on a self guided tour, but they do have guided tours too. Great outdoor space for drinking the beer. The only criticism is that they only had their regular stuff on tap, not that those beers aren't great just don't expect anything special.

Overall, loved the brewery and the city is very cool too.

08-11-2012 23:28:15 | More by mobius387

czfreeman

Michigan

4.69/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

What an idyllic setting to enjoy some brews!
Drivining up from Chicago got a bit boring at times, but beautiful scenery helped.
Arriving at the brewery, I was reminded instantly of Ommegang.Remote location, European style building.
They are currently adding on 15,500 square feet of additional space to include a larger tasting room, and perhaps a restaurant.
I tried a Fat squirrel, Moon Man, and the Spotted Cow. My companions enjoyed a Raspberry Tart and the Black Top bock.
All beer truly stood out. Every one had a great balance and flavor profile the were extremely enjoyable.
I really respect their philosophy of not sacrificing their excellent quality to ensure the beer is up to their high standards.
Afterward my father purchased an entire mixed case of beer because he was so impressed.
I am looking forward to returning

10-25-2012 22:39:44 | More by czfreeman

sonoma01

Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

I will start off by saying that New Glarus Brewery is a definite must stop if you are in the area.

I stopped at the brewery this past Friday and went on the Hard Hat Tour.This was my first visit to the brewery and it definately will not be my last. The tour guide, Dan, was from the lab but was more than knowledgable on all aspects of the brewery operations. He was open to all questions and was easy to undestand even if you had non brewing knowledge to begin with. The tour included both the original Riverside brewery and the newer Hilltop brewery location. The Riverside brewery is where the Unplugged/ Thumprint are brewed. The next Apple Ale release had just finished boiling and was going into the fermenter when I was there.

The Hilltop brewery is where the newest addition, gift shop and beer depot are located. The outside apperance is like something straight out of Germany/Switzerland. Upon entering the brewery it is like walking into a museum, but it is a fully functional brewery. The operations at this location are very clean and high tech. At the end of the tour, there was a beer and local cheese tasting which took place in a private upstairs lounge that overlooked the town of New Glarus.

This is by far the cleanest brewery I have ever visited. The depth of the cleanliness actually puts most other breweries to shame. This just shows the pride and dedication that all the employees have for their namesake. The new Thumprint Chocolate Abbey was just coming off the bottling line when I was there and was available for purchase. I picked up a few packs as well as some other goodies. The prices for the beer were not that much more than at most retail outlets. The clothing items were a little on the pricey side but they were all of high quality.

Overall I would highly recommend New Glarus to anyone and let them know it is well worth the drive.

09-19-2011 20:26:09 | More by sonoma01

cradke

Texas

4.8/5  rDev +8.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $

I had a fantastic time visiting the New Glarus brewery.

The atmosphere was laid back and nice. There were several people talking in the tap room and the staff were very personable to talk about the beer. Many of the people there were friendly and we ended up talking to several of them for quite a while!

The quality and service were top notch. Everything was clean, the beer was out of this world as usual and the self guided tour was nice. Would a guided tour have been better? Sure. But they offer those and we didn't make reservations. For a show yourself around tour, the people were more than personable and very friendly and knowledgeable.

The selection was good but not great. They had 5 or 6 beers on tap which was nice. Wish they had more on tap (I've gone twice and they have only had 1 of the Belgian Red or Raspberry tart on tap) but still a decent amount. And for the price, it was pretty hard to beat considering that you get to keep the NG glass. The depot in the basement was also great and had a great assortment and the ability to buy everything in nearly every amount you could desire.

I really enjoyed visiting New Glarus and will be back the next time I can.

03-06-2012 06:06:25 | More by cradke

guityler83

Wisconsin

4.73/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.75 | $$

After signing the list for the Hard Hat tour a few months prior, I was reminded that my ticket date was coming up the Monday before.. best way I can think of to get you through a work week.

The tour started out at the old brew house on the bottom of the hill with a small group (20 if I recall). The guide was a brewer in this facility, which he explained the ins and outs of answered any and all questions ranging from "what are hops" to what mash efficiency are you pulling from these copper mash and lauter tuns.

After we were finished in the old facility (every nook and crany) we went to the behemoth brewery up the road, which is the cleanest place I've been in that makes beer. Deb Carry greeted us (the owner!) and fielded a few questions, then we toured the big plant.
The final stage was the beer tasting and cheese pairing the the upstairs dining room. Anything from spotted cow to moon man to three different sours where available along with exotic WI cheeses.

We did get rushed through the last part 'slighly' to go through the gift shop/cellar but overall it was a brewery tour I'd recommend to anyone... beer drinker or not. Awesome.

05-07-2013 17:58:41 | More by guityler83

1Nrwyscotch

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev -12.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $

I visited the New Glarus Brewery on 9/28/12 and the brewery is on a hillside outside of the small town of New Glarus WI. It was a sunny 80 degree day and the place was packed with visitors. This was likely because of the unseasonably good weather and the Octoberfest celebration going on in town.

The selection of beers on this day was somewhat limited, the Staghorn Octoberfest, Fat Squirel, Rasberry Tart, Spotted Cow and Two Women.

There is an indoor tasting room but it was mainly empty. A wood stove pizza maker, La Fortuna was on site and was cooking pies. We tried one and it was enjoyed by all.

They have a decent size gift shop and the Brewery was built with an enclosed hallway so you could tour the brewery by your self, though one employee was around to answer any questions you may have. They have a seperate area to buy beer to go but I did not vehture in that shop.

A great experience and we will defintely return.

11-08-2012 00:43:35 | More by 1Nrwyscotch

Bowers-Brew

Illinois

4.58/5  rDev +3.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.25 | $$

I can't go more than a few months without a visit to the brewery/town.

New Glarus is my everyday beer of choice. I drink, dabble, and am always looking for a great new beer, but I keep New Glarus beers in stock at all times.

If you love beer New Glarus is somewhere that you must visit/drink/enjoy.

Only in Wisconsin!!!!

05-10-2013 22:09:53 | More by Bowers-Brew

mrelizabeth

California

4.45/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | $

We have been wanting to visit New Glarus for quite awhile. Couldn't make it on a Friday for the "hard-hat" tours. If you are planning on booking one, do so months in advance, for they sell out quickly!

Amazing location. About an hour from Madison in the middle of some really beautiful rolling farmlands.

Facilities are top-notch. A self-guided tour lets you wander the brewery. You will be amazed at the organization of this brewery. Great engineering.

Decent selection of merchandise. 6-8 beers on top for tasting. Would have liked a few more "rare" beers on tap. Good selection in bottle shop, but would have loved one or two more incredibly rare beers to bring home to Cali.

Bottom line- do NOT skip this brewery. If you are anywhere in the Chicago/Milwaukee/Madison area, make it a priority. If you love beer and find yourself a little further away (Minneapolis, Urbana, etc) plan a visit.

06-05-2012 18:19:53 | More by mrelizabeth

FakeDeniro

5/5  rDev +12.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

A great town to visit with an amazing brewing Company! You will love the town. You will really love the beer and you will miss the beer once you are not in Wisconsin. I have family in wisconsin to keep me stocked up!

Each beer they make you can tell is made with love and art! They make more lagers then Ales so that may throw some people off. But its Wisconsin so it makes sense.

Dan knows and loves beer and he shows it with each beer that comes out. Even the beers you may not like you enjoy trying them becuase how well made they are!

05-29-2012 15:28:53 | More by FakeDeniro