New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red

Aroma: Tart, crisp, and irresistibly appetizing, but rather one-dimensional. I smell cherries and that’s about it. Appearance: A warm, sumptuous burgundy-fuschia rouge. No head to speak of, but what an interesting color. Flavor: When my brother first told me about this beer, he said it tastes just like cherry pie, and man, he wasn’t kidding. Sweet, tart, very natural-tasting cherries, a touch of cinnamon spice, and some doughy notes, most likely from the wheat and roasted malts. Such a festive ale! I don’t usually like sweet beers, but this is just plain delicious. Not artificial or syrupy in the least. Finish is clean and sour. Palate: Sparkly and light, matches the tartness perfectly. Overall: Since it is so sweet, I don’t think I could handle more than a few glasses of this... but what a pleasure to savor slowly after dinner. I will definitely buy more when I return to Wisconsin for the holidays.

A cloudy, ruby red body foreshadows the explosion of cherries that is to come. A foamy, cream colored head is quickly fleeting, leaving virtually no lacing in its wake. The nose is a virtual cherry bomb, fresh, red, ripe and juicy. It smells intensely sweet, with just a touch of oak there to lend it some edge. The flavor is downright magnificent. The cherries seem so fresh and juice, its almost unbelievable. Surprisingly, the oaky vanilla asserts itself quite a bit, as does a somewhat lactic creaminess. Its almost unfathomable that this is actually a beer, as it drinks more like a cream soda blended with fresh cherry juice. Medium bodied and sweet, this one sports a fine but lively carbonation. This could definitely be an excellent gateway beer, as its appeal would certainly be broad. For what it is, this is excellent.

Pours dark red with little to no head. Aroma is what you would imagine, cherries. The flavor profiles the cherries very well. There is tartness and bitterness from the tannins of the cherry skins. Glad I was able to get two bottles. The next one will be for a special occasion.

Bottle, thanks to Brandon Orr. Orange-red with a thin but full head. Wow -- this exudes a full-on sweet cherry aroma. It drinks extremely sweet-tart, like cherry juice or cherry jelly. Ultimately I decide this is no kidding cherry pie in a glass. Like my wife’s Aunt Janet’s cherry pie. This would go great with a big gooey chocolate dessert. (#3446, 5/3/2008)

Could drink this all day. Just plain delicious. Initially sweet then smooths into a tartness that’s as crisp and clean as anything I’ve ever had.

Bottle, courtesy Ughsmash. Pours a dark red color, with peach highlights. Small, creamy tan head, and decent wet lacing. Aroma has a few bushels of cherries, with some strawberry and pineapple thrown in the mix. Has an exotic fruit punch feel. Flavor is full of cherries, and strong on delicious fruit. Spicy, too; cinnamon, nutmeg...basically just delicious cherry pie. Well-carbonated, very refreshing. Simply awesome. Could see myself drinking this all day, every day.

Tasted twice at DLD 2008. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to whoever brought that. Nice tart cherries as you would expect. Good god if i could find these in my gas station i’d just walk around with one every day. A real treat that was amazing. Thanks again!

Sampled a 750 at Dark Lord day at FFF 2008. Left me speechless. A dessert beer for the kings. Sweet, tart, strong. Incredible. I need to find another one of these.