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500ml
$8
New Glarus Brewery

Brewed: 3/23/09
Bottled: 6/18/09

New Glarus's first in the R&D Series, Golden Ale, pours from the German imported bottle with a hazy golden body that takes on the appearance of peach flesh when backlit. The haziness is enough to keep me from seeing through the body. Carbonation runs up the surface of the glass to keep the two finger dirty white head in place throughout the entire session while large bubbled lacing gets left behind after each swig.

Musty, horsey, bretty funk has its fingers all over this brew. Damp horsehair, cobweb infested attic, some pig slop, decaying wood and bright lemon all come along thanks to the dosage of brett. Each h swirl of the glass brings forward soft floral notes with a touch of pine sap in the background. Dried apricots add some peppery spice while the malt base is earthy with a touch of sugar cookie sweetness.

This beer is excellent as is but the critters could still develop a lot more over time. With that said there's a nice quick flash of lemon drop tartness before the earthy, barnyard qualities come into play; horse blanket and musty attic being the most noticeable in the ever so funky barnyard analogies. Sugar cookie sweetness brings up the rear and tries to balance out some of the funk but falls short. The finish dries out quickly and keeps the brett presence in the forefront.

The body is on the lighter side of things with a nice Belgian-esque airy carbonation hitting mid palate and working the rest of the way through. A quick flash of sweetness hits before the bone dry finish kicks in leaving me thirsting for more.

The light body, refreshing characteristics, and bone dry finish have me drinking this beer a lot quicker than I should be. The mild tartness keeps me refreshed with each drink.

This is another gem from the Dan Carey and crew. As good as this beer is right now with a year or two of age the brett will have done magical things. A nice tartness and good funky qualities already exist but I could see this one becoming super funky over time.

Reviewed: 8/19/09

Price: $8.00 Served In: Tulip

Got a couple of these at the brewery on our trip up for Darkness Day ’09. This is not my first sample but is the first bottle I’ve drank by myself. Poured from a 500mL bottle into a Surly imperial pint glass.

A: Pours out a gently hazed golden/marmalade-orange color with a fluffy and frothy 2 finger dirty white head that has good retention but only leaves minor streaks of lacing on the side of the glass. Maybe a tulip would’ve been a better glass choice, but I wanted to fit it all in one pour and don’t have any large tulips.

S: The smell is really quite incredible and most likely my favorite aspect of this beer. It’s so vibrant and bright with so many different aspects blending together to form a harmonious union; plenty of grassy and orange-marmalade/citrus hops marry with a soft layer of minerally wet rock and funky barnyard Brett. Soft pale malt sweetness with hints of underlying fruity esters add some balance to the sharp hops and funk. Almost reminds me of a funky two hearted in the nose, the hoppiness is sublime.

T: The taste is almost right in step with the aroma, only with an even stronger funky brett presence. Wet rock and dusty barnyard horseblanket rule upfront before the orangey and grassy hops back them up with some intensity of their own (and a pretty good amount of accompanying bitterness). A light grainy, sugary pale malt aspect backs things up with a dose of sweetness and some minor spicy/fruity yeasty notes are also noticeable. Very complex and very tasty.

M: The mouthfeel is also quite good, with a medium body and a soft but tingly and effervescent level of backing carbonation. The consistency starts a touch sticky to aid in the coating of the tongue but finishes very dry with a quick hit of a bitter bite. Alcohol heat only pokes through minorly on the throat but it’s warming and a touch spicy, never harsh. Goes down way easy and smoothly.

D: I was most impressed with this offering from New Glarus, and in fact each subsequent time I’ve had it I’ve enjoyed it even more. The hops and funk form a near perfect unison and the subtle sweetness and generally dry nature of this brew makes it a real winner for me. I enjoy very much now when fresh-ish because of the hops, but I can see it aging beautifully into a funk bomb within a few years.

Another homerun for Dan and co. at New Glarus, if their R&D series continues to be of such a high caliber as the golden ale I’ll be making regular trips up the the brewery in the coming years. Very highly recommended.

Served In: Pint Glass

Pours hazy gold with a frothy head that quickly dropped with so-so lacing. Aromas of brett, Belgian spice and some fruit. The brett isn't too pronounced on the palate like a lot of Russian River beers which makes this a bit more refreshing. There is some oakiness on the palate and decent carbonation. Very crisp with green apple tartness.

Think of this as an Orval Jr.

Served In: Snifter