Anniversary Strong Ale
New Glarus Brewing Company

Anniversary Strong AleAnniversary Strong Ale
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From:
New Glarus Brewing Company
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
7%
Score:
89
Avg:
3.96 | pDev: 10.35%
Reviews:
82
Ratings:
409
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 17, 2022
Added:
May 18, 2013
Wants:
  19
Gots:
  81
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tempest:
Photo of tempest
Reviewed by tempest from New York

4.12/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Got a bottle from a friend. Thanks to Mike. The beer poured brown with ruby highlights and thick white lacing. The aroma has a sweet doughy caramel character with touches of spice that reminds me of St. Bernardus 12. The body is a medium weight, not dry, but not heavy. And there's a peppery, bitter finish, which again reminds me of SB12, but when it's really fresh. There are mild dark fruits in the flavor, a bit of plum and berry, but they're backed by though slightly chewy (again, not thick) dark, toasted barley. Overall this is an excellent take on a strong, dark Belgian. I feel like it benefits, compared to native Belgians, from a shorter travel. It's hard find a big Belgian this fresh and sharp tasting. Pick up a bottle.
Feb 15, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.57 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Feb 17, 2022
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle.

Khaki head. Caramel copper brown color

Raisins, figs, molasses, toffee, caramel, light cinnamon, cocoa, other spices, clove, nutmeg. Smooth. Medium bodied. A lot of nice flavors.
May 08, 2021
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.33/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Another review from March Madness 2017. Should be interesting to see where this goes, its another entry in the series "beer styles I don't like from breweries I love".

Pours a brown mahogany like appearance, chestnut like, thin lighter brown head 1/5". Claims of long lasting head looked at suspiciously. Aroma of dark bread, dark fruit and alcohol. Noticeably, the yeast is not dominating the aroma like it can with some bdsas.

Taste, still not my cup of tea, but also appreciative that it isn't trying to be the biggest, baddest bdsa out there, sometimes I think they're made intentionally to be rationed out Chicago pour style, but this was more approachable. Cola like notes and a nuttiness produce a beer that is more like a hybrid winter welcome ale and bdsa. Light raisin and red grape vinous like impression. Bit of a metallic twang to it. New Glarus makes practically every style of beer. I'm not a huge fan of their (like every brewery in WI practically) hoppy stuff, and I guess we can add this to the list (along with Spotted Cow) of the ones that I just kind of shoulder shrug at.
Oct 13, 2020
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.19/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
Bought this at a rural Wisconsin gas station in 2013--proof that making beers available to the masses hurts your BA scores. But anyway, I had a couple bottles when it was new but never reviewed it, so here's a review for an aged bottle.

Half of a bottle poured into a gold-rimmed semi-stemmed New Glarus glass. The pour looks like like a thick dark Belgian ale: dark red, nice head, visible sediment floating about.

Aroma is candied fruit and light, zippy booze, with some slight vinous nodes. Impressive, but perhaps a bit too delicate to warrant aging.

Flavor is very complex but surprisingly delicate. It was even its day a bit thin, but while aging has mellowed the fruit nodes wonderfully it's also deadened what hops there were and made it a bit thinner overall. It's still enjoyable, but I wish I had reviewed it a few years ago.

Belgian yeast and raisins up front, some plums in the middle, candy sugar and bready yeast in the back end. Very nice and complex the whole way through, but, like, I said, a bit thin. If you're sitting on one of these, now is the time to drink it.
Jul 08, 2020
Photo of cyclonece09
Reviewed by cyclonece09 from Wisconsin

3.79/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Pours reddish brown with a fluffy off white head. Smells of grapes with just hints of grain. Tastes of darker grain with slight grapes and very slight citrus. Beer is full bodied and a sipper, but has good carbonation and still goes down fairly easy. Overall, a very good beer.
Feb 20, 2019
 
Rated: 3.9 by rab53 from Washington

Nov 19, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by NickThePyro from Washington

Oct 09, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Sweffin from Wisconsin

Dec 04, 2016
Photo of PHBoiler
Reviewed by PHBoiler from Illinois

3.34/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Not aged particularly well. Fairly thin body. Some raisin and oxidized fruit notes. Not sure what the base really was in terms of style. Mouthfeel doesn't carry the flavors.
Aug 29, 2016
 
Rated: 3.59 by hilgart1 from Illinois

Apr 10, 2016
 
Rated: 4.02 by mcrawford from Michigan

Jan 16, 2016
 
Rated: 4.15 by MDDMD from Pennsylvania

Dec 06, 2015
Photo of fredmugs
Reviewed by fredmugs from Indiana

4.19/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
In my opinion this is just a tiny notch below the great beers of it's style (Westy, Chimay, Rochefort, and St Bernardus). Fromthe aroma to overall mouthfeel everything about this reminds reminds me of the classics.
Nov 11, 2015
 
Rated: 3.23 by ricoslim from Florida

Sep 20, 2015
Photo of Jason
Reviewed by Jason from Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
500ml brown bottle, sample from the brewery.

Epic lacing from a head that does not want to go away. Big malt-bomb of a nose, creamy with a hint of alcohol. Super smooth, lush full body. Dark sugars, toasted bread, grape skin, and figgy. Modest hopping balances. Warming and drinkable for a thick bodied brew.
Sep 17, 2015
 
Rated: 3.39 by Raziel313 from California

Aug 11, 2015
 
Rated: 3.43 by kidzord from Illinois

Aug 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by threedaggers from Kentucky

Jun 14, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by bespin15 from Washington

Jun 04, 2015
Anniversary Strong Ale from New Glarus Brewing Company
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 409 ratings