Dry lacquered pumpkin pie surety magnifies cinnamon-draped baked apple seduction, autumnal allspice-nutmeg-clove-coriander spicing and wintry gingerbread tease. Juniper-hopped bittering and barren herbal seasoning counter sweet pastry-like malting. Goes well with creamy New York-style cheesecake.
NEW HOLLAND FULL CIRCLE SINGLE MALT LAGER
Quick hop hit gets sunny sour lemon twist and peppery accent for summery light-bodied tranquility, but initial fizzy briskness lost in dreary dry wheat simmer by slightly acidic finish.
NEW HOLLAND DRAGON’S MILK ALE
Majestic oak-barreled ruddy maroon-hazed strong ale sustains durable burgundy-doused milk stout opulence. Hickory-smoked bourbon-sherry-port licks saturate lactose-frothed cocoa buttering, dark chocolate syruping and toffee molasses portal to rum-soaked raisin finish, gaining cherry puree souring along the way. Hop-charred maple-molasses density tweaks tertiary French vanilla, hazelnut, cola nut, plum wine, dark whiskey and Amaretto sassafras. Chewy slow sipper perfect as wintry nightcap.
NEW HOLLAND BLUE GOAT DOPPELBOCK
Fab Michigan brewer turns to Rogue-like embossed label with Stone-y side parable for busy ruby chestnut-hued full body. Though only its minor sugarplum sweetness and stewed prune seduction seem specifically bock-like, there’s no denying thick chocolate-y vanilla incline and fitting hazelnut-almond influence. Caramelized barleymalt base deepens butterscotch-maple trench guarding fruitcake-like fig-date finish.
NEW HOLLAND BLACK TULIP TRIPPEL ALE
Glowing yellow-hazed Belgian-styled ale integrates lemon-peeled orange rind souring with floral clove-coriander spicing as herbal hop persuasion increases. Concealed tangerine-pineapple-mango tang scurries above tart cranberry, green apple, and dried banana midst. Peppery ‘tulip pedal’ dusting and white grape tannins leave oaken resin atop pungent bitterness.
NEW GLARUS ZWICKEL BEER
Dubious bronze-clouded Bavarian-styled brew with bruised cherry tang, cracked wheat sweetness and decent hop bite seemingly lacks stylistic direction. Inconsequential caramel malting at murky finish tames its initial promise.
NEW GLARUS WISCONSIN BELGIAN RED
Epicurean ruby red Kriek-styled ale registers mightily with coarsely addictive oak-casked Montmorency cherry tartness above fizzy soda flow. Lemon-candied apple cider sourness and dry sparkling champagne wining galvanize cherry rhubarb pie theme. Acidic grape esters wield into serene barley-wheat base. Dramatic cherrystone finish sustains intriguing succulence. At Great America Beer Fest ’02, many admirers attended only for the chance to try this cherished stone-fruited knockout. Re-tasting twelve years hence: high quality was sustained.
NEW GLARUS UFF-DA (BOCK)
Original ’03 sampling found mahogany-hued porter-like bock bending distant mocha and roasted hops into fizzy off-dry peat malt finish. But better ’05 tasting brought bittersweet prune-raisin liveliness to bruised cherry, brown chocolate, and macadamia resilience, impacting fine barleywine continuance.
NEW GLARUS SPOTTED COW ALE
Friendly yellow-cleared cask-conditioned light-body too mainstream and soapy despite zesty lemon tagline. Aromatic wheat straw wisp penetrates pallid corn-sugared cotton candy sweetness, mild perfumed fruitiness, and illuminating coriander seduction to soft biscuit-y recession. Closer to a white ale, but labeled a cream ale.
NEW GLARUS SOLSTICE WEISS
Satisfactory pale-hazed German-styled wheat beer brings sweet banana permanence to grassy-hopped pineapple-grapefruit tang and clove-coriander spicing. Bubbly champagne flow restrains vanilla-butterscotch snip.
NEW GLARUS RASPBERRY TART
Truly utopian Framboise-styled fruit ale with deep purple hue, bright magenta head and juicy aperitif design accrues rapturous ripe raspberry resonance. Musty rhubarb-pied red cherry souring, vinous dry-hopped yellow grape tannins, tart berry-cherry pucker and effervescent lemon-limed prickle pick up oak-vat acridity below syrupy raspberry-pureed slurp for uncanny sorbet likeness. 2014 re-tasting: voluminous candied raspberry tartness and soda pop fizzle accrued the same sweet-tart buoyancy.
NEW GLARUS NATIVE ALE
Silken prune-y copper ale opens with mellow chocolate malt waft, then balances red grape skin frontage with neutralized coffee roast, mild cocoa drift, dry fig-date fade, and prickly hop toasting. Bold finish depletes initial mocha sourness while retaining surprisingly accessible nature.