New Glarus Unplugged Eisbock

Brewed by New Glarus Brewing Company
Style: Eisbock
New Glarus, Wisconsin USA

kp’s Fest of 26. Pours clear deep amber with a fleeting head. Sweet complex malt aroma. Sweet, nicely balanced with a firm dryness in the finish.

12 oz bottle


Another Unplugged that I have now had the fortune to try, this one falls somewhere in the middle. Though it is still excellent and well done it comes just short of qualifying as one of the best beers in the series. It has held up well though and may even hold up for a few more years with the right conditions.

Aroma / Appearance - Cherries, vanilla, tanned leather, rose petals, caramel, Granny Smith apples and nectarines round out an interesting nose. It is diverse yet cohesive at the same time. None of them dominate the others to the point where it seems unbalanced. The lifeless body poured with a half-finger tan head before reducing to a dark brown core.

Flavor / Palate - There were many things going on, but despite this I still felt as if something was missing. It opened with a nice mix of caramel, roasted malts, oak, smoke and cherries that combined to form a creamy initial impression. It then unfolded to reveal the alcohol underneath; the next sensation was a hot burning in my throat. It closed with a combination of anise and mocha. In all it reminded me somewhat of a cross between the Sour Brown and Cherry Stout. I’m glad to have tried this; it was certainly a fun experience. However the slightly thin mouthfeel and alcoholic presence knock it down a few points.

thick foamy medium tan head. dark garnet/almost black color. aroma is sweet vermouth, a little vinuous, dark fruits, and a bit of molasses. flavor is ripe bananas in dark rum, blackstrap molasses, and licorice malt. dryish clean finish. kind of light mouthfeel for an eisbock. thanks BrewBlackHole for this in trade!

Bottle thanks to 1fasti: Purplish dark brown pour with very little light tan head. Aroma, deep dark fruits and dark malts. Flavor was malty, dark fruits, and seemed to almost have a smoky quality to it. I thought the mouthfeel was a little to thin, but it had a nice finish. Pretty damn good stuff.

Had this as a desert beer. Very sweet, with complements of sour cheries, figs, amaretto and oak. Lots of honey flavor and texture in the finish. Little head and low carbonation. Cherry and wood hues with mini tan bubbles. Palate is silky and chocolaty with some salty and sweet pricks. It would do better with some vanilla ice cream to acompany.

Aroma of cherry, fig, almond and malt. Appears a reddish-brown color with no head to speak of. Flavor is woody and intensely sweet, with cherry notes black licorice coming through. Palate is moderate in every way, with alcohol heat dominating. Overall, I found this beer to be less than the sum of its parts.

Sherry sweet, cherry chocolate alcohol nose. Spirited, winey and vodka, vast and wet, soggy. Little ring of foam, sat upon on a luscious ruby liquid. Drawn into the mouth a lack of flavor, though husky sweet almond lurks throughout. Coats the lips and throat, finishes brown, bitter, bent. Brawny yet controlled, restrained yet potent. Thanks for jcap for this fine brew.

Dark dark red color with only a ring of white bubbles. Huge aroma of sweet malt. Dark fruit and smoke. Flavor is very well blended. And the body is smooth. Very delicious.