New Glarus

Recently had the good fortune of obtaining a few of New Glarus's finest brews. Unfortunately, it's still only available in Wisconsin (unless you're willing to go through certain back channels).

Raspberry Tart


The bottle says to serve in a champagne flute, but I'm sadly lacking in the glassware department. Pours a beautiful deep red. A great framboise that leaves the tartness of the raspberries lingering in your mouth. I have to give a slight edge to the cherry as my favorite, but this will do in a pinch.

Enjoy!

I discovered Organic Revolution a few weeks ago, and I think I like it even better than Spotted Cow. The hops are more assertive, but it is still a well-balanced beer that screams for a warm, soft pretzel with mustard.

Thanks to recent Wisconsin trips by both my friends and myself I've been enjoying quite a few of their beers recently. A couple of favorites are their Stone Soup, a decent Belgian-style pale ale, and their Imperial Saison, a big tart fruity spicy mouthful of a beer

I have to say I was a little disappointed in the Stone Soup. I guess I was expecting more from the description. It's OK. It reminded me of Fat Tire. Nothing really terrible about it. Just isn't my cup o suds.

I'm a big fan of the Organic Revolution as well as the Dancing Man Wheat, a seasonal selection. We're down to our last 12-pack of New Glarus. Might be time for a trek north!

d4v3 wrote:I have to say I was a little disappointed in the Stone Soup. I guess I was expecting more from the description. It's OK. It reminded me of Fat Tire. Nothing really terrible about it. Just isn't my cup o suds.

I didn't have any expectations going in I guess, just somebody handed me a bottle, "Stone Soup? What could that be?" and it ended up being pretty good.

Dave, you still homebrewing? You seen the other thread where we're talking about getting together and swapping some beers?

I'm heading to the Dells Sunday for four nights and five days , and I planned to pick up some New Glarus while in-state to at least make the trip somewhat worthwhile. Where could one find New Glarus brews offered at retail (as opposed to on tap) in the Dells area? Is it sold at the larger grocery stores that have - ya gotta love Wisconsin for this - beverage centers?

Any info gratefully appreciated...

Davooda

Davooda wrote:I'm heading to the Dells Sunday for four nights and five days , and I planned to pick up some New Glarus while in-state to at least make the trip somewhat worthwhile. Where could one find New Glarus brews offered at retail (as opposed to on tap) in the Dells area? Is it sold at the larger grocery stores that have - ya gotta love Wisconsin for this - beverage centers?

Any info gratefully appreciated...

Davooda

I would imagine that you'll be able to find New Glarus at just about every liquor store and grocery store in that area. My go-to place is Woodman's because they have the largest selection and lowest prices. But I think the closest Woodman's to the Dells are in Madison. There is a Woodman's in Janesville and in Kenosha, which you may pass through on your way. See http://www.woodmans-food.com/

Also, I'd encourage you to try some other local Wisconsin beers. There are many Wisconsin beers that aren't available in Illinois. New Glarus seems to be the most popular, but I've been disappointed with most of their beers. I find that most have little to no aftertaste, and don't have the greatest forward taste either. My favorite Wisconsin beers are by Furthermore. I also like Central Waters.

I've bought them at Zinke's and at the big gas station/convenience store just east of the strip, don't remember the name. Both places had piles and piles of 12-packs for sale, but didn't have 12-packs of every individual variety, mostly it was sampler 12-packs and 12-packs of fat squirrel. Zinke's also had bombers of the Belgian Red, the Raspberry, and 4-packs of the Imperial Saison I mentioned earlier.

Darren72 wrote:I also like Central Waters.

Zinke's also carried 6-packs of Central Waters' Mudpuppy Porter, and it is a very nice porter

I knew I could count on my fellow LTH-ers! Zinke's sounds like my best bet. I will try to pick up some of the Central Waters Porter based on the rec here. Furthermore is totally new to me - hadn't heard of that one before. If I see it, a six-er will make the ride back home - that beer wasteland a/k/a central Illinois.

Thanks again,
Davooda

Davooda wrote:I knew I could count on my fellow LTH-ers! Zinke's sounds like my best bet. I will try to pick up some of the Central Waters Porter based on the rec here. Furthermore is totally new to me - hadn't heard of that one before. If I see it, a six-er will make the ride back home - that beer wasteland a/k/a central Illinois.

Thanks again,
Davooda

I just finished off a six of Central Waters Happy Heron Pale Ale (not all at once). I thought it was excellent. I also got a six of some English Ale called Proper from Furthermore in Black River Falls. It had a really cool label and benefited some theater group in Spring Green. It was very well balanced with an unusual hop flavor and not much of an alcohol kick. Very drinkable. Woodman's is the place to go for a good selection of Wisconsin beer both regional and micro. They also have Point and Huber in bar bottles. If you are passing by Janesville, Woodman's Liquor Store is huge and very close to the Interstate, but they only take cash or debit cards. There is also an excellent Liquor store in Elkhorn, if you are going that way.

BTW, I just opened a Stone Soup, and take back what I said about Fat Tire. It is a similar brew but executed much better. I put some lemon in it, and it works quite well. Refreshing.

Thanks d4v3 - we will be going right past Janesville on I-90 and it would be a logical stop on the way up or back. I'll lobby Mrs. Davooda for the opportunity. I imagine the price point will be more competitive compared to a Dells location. Always great to have experienced folks share their local info!

Much appreciated,
Davooda

Bumping this thread to confirm that Woodman's in Janesville is an easy on-and-off from I-90 to service one's New Glarus jones. However, know that the liquor portion of the store is on the NW side, so you don't have to walk both ways through this behemoth of a bodega as I did! There is no sign on the main (south) face of the store indicating where the beverage center is located.

And, to boot, they stack their New Glarus stock right by the checkout lane! Since we were returning from a Dells vacation, I filled the remaining space in the back of the Suburban with one six-pack of every available style, plus two bottles each of the raspberry and cherry brews - and a 12-pack sampler for my pal in the beer wasteland that is central Illinois. I thought $6.99 per six-pack was fair and $12.99 for the sampler a good buy as well.

Thanks again, LTH-ers, for letting me know about this place. I never would have found it otherwise.

Cheers,
Davooda

Davooda wrote:Bumping this thread to confirm that Woodman's in Janesville is an easy on-and-off from I-90 to service one's New Glarus jones. However, know that the liquor portion of the store is on the NW side, so you don't have to walk both ways through this behemoth of a bodega as I did! There is no sign on the main (south) face of the store indicating where the beverage center is located.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that the liquor store is around in back of the supermarket. I made that same trek several times myself, before I wised up. It is a gigantic Woodman's, too.

It's unfortunate that there aren't better (more accessible) Wisconsin liquor stores closer to the Illinois border. We were in Lake Geneva a few weeks back and there really isn't much there. The best option we had -- and it's an excellent one - was Frank's in Elkhorn (about 20 minutes drive). It's the only place I've found with a good representation of Wisconsin beer and wine (as well as some other beers that aren't distributed down here - such as the excellent Moose Drool from Montana).

spinynorman99 wrote: beers that aren't distributed down here - such as the excellent Moose Drool from Montana

I've bought Moose Drool at Binny's FYI

"I've bought Moose Drool at Binny's FYI"

Live and learn. I stopped looking for it a while ago, and have pretty much given up on Binny's for beer. Frank's in Elkhorn must have a great buyer because aside from the Wisconsin-centric offerings they have a nice, eclectic mix.

Moose Drool is on special at Quencher's fairly often. Never a bad place to start if you're looking for obscure beer - of course, you can't take it to go.
There are some bars that've made keg runs to WI for Spotted Cow, and sold it under false names, but these establishments shall not be mentioned, of course.

The Brat Stop is my go-to place for New Glarus. I find it much less hectic than Woodman’s if all I want to do is run in for some beer. They always have a huge selection AND they will let you mix and match among any New Glarus brews. Spotted Cow and Stone Soup are my staples, so I usually get a twelver or case of each. Then, I will put together a mixed sixer or two of any of the other New Glarus brews that I want to try out. It’s nice to be able to try just a bottle or two, in case you find a particular brew is not to your taste.

I’m looking forward to checking out the brewery soon.

The Brat Stop
12304 75Tth STREET
(Hwy 50 & I 94)
Kenosha, WI 53142

is New Glarus $9 per six pack @ The Brat Stop? it was the last time I bought any there.

I have found it better to ask my boss to bring some back with them from further north, I think they pay about $6 per six pack away from the border.

New Glarus was $6.99/6 at Woodman's this weekend. That's a great deal for their beer. They had 4 packs of 3 of the Unplugged including Imperial Saison, Berliner Weiss (a great beer that has gotten much more sour since it was first released) and the Cran-bic which I absolutely love. There's a great presence of the wood aging to go along with the tart cranberry flavor. Definitely one of my favorite fruit beers. Think the 4 packs were either $8 or $9, but they've almost all been fantastic.