New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red

Brewed by New Glarus Brewing Company
Style: Fruit Beer
New Glarus, Wisconsin USA

Thanks to NFLMVP for trading me this bottle. Thick and rich in the mouth, but light on the tongue as well with the carbonation. Not tart at all, but has a certain wild bite to it. Very nice sweetness enhanced by, and enhancing, the massively beautiful fresh cherry flavor. Still, despite the lack of tartness or sourness, it finishes dry. Also a good amount of a flavor of mulled spices. Reminds me a good bit of apple cider. What apple cider would taste like with a huge cherry addition. I actually expected it to be far more tart and/or sour. If it were, this would be one of my absolute favorite beers, but I am a huge sucker for flemish sours. As it is, other than KRE, a fruit beer can’t get much better. Complex, rich, tasty.

750ml bottle
Shares many characteristics with New Glarus Raspberry tart -- lively natural carbonation, predominant tart fruit character both in aroma and flavor (though obviously cherry versus raspberry), excellent integration of fruit and beer rather than just "beer with fruit flavor thrown in," smooth lively creamy palate, and exceptional overall craftsmanship. The Belgian Red has a more pleasant appearance (less muddy); and while the Raspberry Tart almost pushes the "tart" boundry too far, the Belgian Red strikes an absolutely perfect balance. Yes, this beer lives up to the hype, and at $7 per 750ml bottle, it’s the best quality-per-dollar beer on the market, bar none. Next time you find yourself in the southern half of Wisconsin, go out of your way to find a quality liquor store that carries it. You will not be disappointed. <P>On a side note, I notice the notes at the top of the page state that this beer is commonly on tap. After 10-plus years of Wisconsin pubcrawling (some of those years as an actual Wisconsin resident), I cannot recall ever seeing it on tap. If anyone knows of a place that regularly carries this on tap, please PM me. Thanks.

What an amazing surprise this beer is. Tarty, cherries all the way through the aroma and flavor. Its like liquid cheesecake. Thanks Dave!

Pure cherry aroma and flavor. Like a glass of cherry pie, with hints of the stone in the aroma. Pretty much just like delicious, delicious cherry juice.

this stuff is great. a bit on the thick side with just the right amount of carbonation. the flavor of sour cherry is prominent, but not overpowering at all. lives up to the hype. highly recommended

sample from bottle at DLD - Pours red with a thin head. It has a sweet cherry aroma that’s really nice and leads into an even better flavor. It’s fairly sweet with a great cherry flavor and mild spice. This medium bodied brew finishes tart and lingers a bit on the palate. This beer is to be savored and definitely lives up to the hype.

750 ml bottle

This is a revisit of an early rating that was really lacking. I am actually amazed it took this long but with something so plentiful as Belgian Red, there were always other things to try. This is New Glarus’ flagship beer for a reason - it is excellent in all aspects. If you need a good gateway beer, get a bottle and share it. Just stock up next time you drive through Wisconsin.

Aroma / Appearance - There was the obvious scent of tart cherry but along with it were doughy notes, as if someone had melted down a fresh hot cherry pie. I also got some background scents that reminded me of the smell of a fresh paperback novel. The body is a deep mahogany that leaves thin trails of clear lacing. The initial pour gave a pink head, which reminded me of the fizz from Cherry 7UP.

Flavor / Palate - This is where the beer truly shines. Several beers have a pleasant nose, but then follow it up with a taste that is either too one-dimensional or too mouth puckering sweet. This one is just as it advertises. It tastes like liquid cherry pie, hot from the oven with a dash of sugar glaze on top. It is slightly sweet but a nice tartness balances that well. Hiddden in the background are very faint peach notes which last for only a second before the cherry takes over again. If it were just a ’cherry beer’ this would be a 3 at best. It is the additional complexity which makes this one shine above the others.

hazy, kinda redish brown, with decent white foam, nose is cherry, almost fruit punchish. flavor is of sour cherry, nice tart flavor, really really nice, good one for 1000, thanx Hogtown Harry