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Wisconsin Belgian Red
New Glarus Brewing Company
- From:
- New Glarus Brewing Company
- Wisconsin, United States
- Style:
- Fruit and Field Beer
Ranked #1 - ABV:
- 4%
- Score:
- 97
Ranked #589 - Avg:
- 4.38 | pDev: 10.27%
- Reviews:
- 1,084
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 13, 2024
- Added:
- Sep 22, 2001
- Wants:
- 1,200
- Gots:
- 854
You hold the marriage of wine and beer. Belgian Red is a tapestry of flavor. This beer is brewed with whole Montmorency Cherries, Wisconsin Farmed Wheat and Belgian Roasted Barleys, lagered in oak tanks and balanced by Hallertau hops we aged in our brewery one full year.
Over a pound of Door County Cherries in every bottle makes this beer uniquely "Wisconsin." So unique, in fact, that we applied for a patent. Expect this beer to be ruby red, with a medium body that is highly carbonated and intense with cherry flavor and bouquet. Serve your friends Belgian Red in a brandy snifter or champagne flute and toast life with beer from the land of Wisconsin.
Over a pound of Door County Cherries in every bottle makes this beer uniquely "Wisconsin." So unique, in fact, that we applied for a patent. Expect this beer to be ruby red, with a medium body that is highly carbonated and intense with cherry flavor and bouquet. Serve your friends Belgian Red in a brandy snifter or champagne flute and toast life with beer from the land of Wisconsin.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Hojaminbag:
Reviewed by Hojaminbag from Colorado
4.46/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.46/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
One of the bottles provided to me by Hwwty4 in the 08 Secret Santa. Thanks for a chance to try this beer Bill.
A reddish colored body. From different angles of light I can see amber, copper, rust, a red wine color and just plain red. I'll settle on a heavy amber with red wine coloring mixed in. Small light red colored head that disappears quickly without leaving any lace to show that it was ever there in the first place.
Huge cherry aroma here. Sweet, tart, real-not-artificial cherry smell. A little bit of malt sweetness comes through, but only to be beat back again by more cherry. No sense in trying to get a lot of complexity out of this nose, it's almost all cherries and I like it. Wonderful in fact. The type of beer the entire room smells and for the most part appreciates.
Well, after the aroma there certainly isn't any surprise as to what the dominant flavor in this beer is...it's cherries. Once again big real-cherry notes dominates overwhelmingly,but this time in the flavor instead of the aroma. Of course the smell is still there with every sip you take, enhancing your taste of the beer. It fills your mouth with all sorts of sweet and tart notes. Underneath the cherry, if you care to investigate any farther, there are some other fruit notes. I notice some very faint mixed berry flavors in there (could be my imagination though, who knows?). Also a sweet backbone helps to balance this beer, keeping it from being cloying or overbearing. A tasty beer for sure.
The mouthfeel on this one is great. Light, thin body with a ton of carbonation. Makes it feel and even taste a little like a cherry soda or some sort of flavored champagne. Holding this beer and working it through your mouth wil also give you a slight puckering sensation.
Pretty drinkable beer, but something you will mostly sip because of the big flavor. I finished the whole bottle myself, but it didn't go quickly.
Dec 21, 2008A reddish colored body. From different angles of light I can see amber, copper, rust, a red wine color and just plain red. I'll settle on a heavy amber with red wine coloring mixed in. Small light red colored head that disappears quickly without leaving any lace to show that it was ever there in the first place.
Huge cherry aroma here. Sweet, tart, real-not-artificial cherry smell. A little bit of malt sweetness comes through, but only to be beat back again by more cherry. No sense in trying to get a lot of complexity out of this nose, it's almost all cherries and I like it. Wonderful in fact. The type of beer the entire room smells and for the most part appreciates.
Well, after the aroma there certainly isn't any surprise as to what the dominant flavor in this beer is...it's cherries. Once again big real-cherry notes dominates overwhelmingly,but this time in the flavor instead of the aroma. Of course the smell is still there with every sip you take, enhancing your taste of the beer. It fills your mouth with all sorts of sweet and tart notes. Underneath the cherry, if you care to investigate any farther, there are some other fruit notes. I notice some very faint mixed berry flavors in there (could be my imagination though, who knows?). Also a sweet backbone helps to balance this beer, keeping it from being cloying or overbearing. A tasty beer for sure.
The mouthfeel on this one is great. Light, thin body with a ton of carbonation. Makes it feel and even taste a little like a cherry soda or some sort of flavored champagne. Holding this beer and working it through your mouth wil also give you a slight puckering sensation.
Pretty drinkable beer, but something you will mostly sip because of the big flavor. I finished the whole bottle myself, but it didn't go quickly.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Old_Guy from Wisconsin
4.41/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.41/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This was the first beer that showed me how complex beers can, truly, be. Our local grocery store for a village of approximately 600 has an excellent beer and liquor department.
They have a dedicated section of just New Glarus Brewing Company beers. They have all of New Glarus’ regular offerings plus their seasonal offerings too. I’m always looking for new beers to try and came across this. I have always liked anything with cherries in it. So I bought a 4-pack to try. Wow! What a great beer. To me it’s almost sour at first, but just let it sit in your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing and all kinds of flavor and magic happens.
At the time I bought this, unbeknownst to me, it was only a Summertime seasonal offering. To my disappointment when I went back later in the Fall it was all sold out for the year. So I had to wait until the following Summer before I could get and enjoy some more. It has since become one of New Glarus’ regular offerings. Yeah! I can enjoy it anytime now.
I’m retired now and I have told my friends that along with my numerous hobbies I’m also on a couple of quests in retirement. They are:
#1. Find the perfect Beer
#2. Find the perfect Bourbon/Whisky.
We are truly living in the golden age for this quest. With all the micro breweries and distilleries. I figure that I can sample a different beer, bourbon or whisky each day from now until I die and never run out of new things to try. Is this what they mean by “the golden years” when one retires?
I have not completed my quest but will keep trying and enjoy myself as I continue on.
This beer is right up there as one of my favorites. But I will not call it the perfect beer as that would put an end to my quest and I’m not ready for that yet.
Cheers! Everybody!
Jan 11, 2024They have a dedicated section of just New Glarus Brewing Company beers. They have all of New Glarus’ regular offerings plus their seasonal offerings too. I’m always looking for new beers to try and came across this. I have always liked anything with cherries in it. So I bought a 4-pack to try. Wow! What a great beer. To me it’s almost sour at first, but just let it sit in your mouth for a few seconds before swallowing and all kinds of flavor and magic happens.
At the time I bought this, unbeknownst to me, it was only a Summertime seasonal offering. To my disappointment when I went back later in the Fall it was all sold out for the year. So I had to wait until the following Summer before I could get and enjoy some more. It has since become one of New Glarus’ regular offerings. Yeah! I can enjoy it anytime now.
I’m retired now and I have told my friends that along with my numerous hobbies I’m also on a couple of quests in retirement. They are:
#1. Find the perfect Beer
#2. Find the perfect Bourbon/Whisky.
We are truly living in the golden age for this quest. With all the micro breweries and distilleries. I figure that I can sample a different beer, bourbon or whisky each day from now until I die and never run out of new things to try. Is this what they mean by “the golden years” when one retires?
I have not completed my quest but will keep trying and enjoy myself as I continue on.
This beer is right up there as one of my favorites. But I will not call it the perfect beer as that would put an end to my quest and I’m not ready for that yet.
Cheers! Everybody!
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts
4.3/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.3/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
This is an ancient want of mine, as Imm pretty sure that for the longest time it’s stood as #1 in the very broad style of Fruot And Field Beer. I was never able to find this when I looked on MBC and then one day I just got lucky, because I found 5 New Glarus beers being sold together. All of the others have been pretty good to great, so I’m excited to dig into this legend
Pours a lightly cloudy reddish brown with 2 fingers of light beige head that quickly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing
I’m not gonna lie, the nose has an odd medicinal quality dragging it down just a bit, though it’s still mostly good. I’m picking up on aromas of tart cherry, brown sugar, jammy raspberry, bready malt, vanilla, lemon zest, and light cough syrup
Things improve significantly in taste, both amping up the tartness and making it feel like a cherry pie. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting tart cherry, lemon juice, brown sugar, dark bread, vanilla, tart raspberry, and light honey. The swallow brings notes of tart cherry, graham cracker, pie crust, lemon zest, raspberry candy, brown sugar, light pecan, and vanilla
A light medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a sharp beer. Finishes a tad sticky but is ultimately very refreshing
The aroma had me a bit worried, but this one redeemed itself in taste. I truly wish I had consistent access to this
Sep 27, 2023Pours a lightly cloudy reddish brown with 2 fingers of light beige head that quickly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing
I’m not gonna lie, the nose has an odd medicinal quality dragging it down just a bit, though it’s still mostly good. I’m picking up on aromas of tart cherry, brown sugar, jammy raspberry, bready malt, vanilla, lemon zest, and light cough syrup
Things improve significantly in taste, both amping up the tartness and making it feel like a cherry pie. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting tart cherry, lemon juice, brown sugar, dark bread, vanilla, tart raspberry, and light honey. The swallow brings notes of tart cherry, graham cracker, pie crust, lemon zest, raspberry candy, brown sugar, light pecan, and vanilla
A light medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a sharp beer. Finishes a tad sticky but is ultimately very refreshing
The aroma had me a bit worried, but this one redeemed itself in taste. I truly wish I had consistent access to this
Reviewed by Mdog from Minnesota
4.34/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.34/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Dark red, good sized pink head.
Smell: Cherries, tartness.
Taste: Nice sweet cherry flavor with a bit of tartness, a little syrupy feel.
Overall: Picked up at the source in New Glarus, I'm not a fruit beer guy, but this was quite tasty. The cherry flavor was more on the sweet side than tart or sour, so that was a plus in my book. Might even have to get a 4 pack sometime!
Sep 10, 2023Smell: Cherries, tartness.
Taste: Nice sweet cherry flavor with a bit of tartness, a little syrupy feel.
Overall: Picked up at the source in New Glarus, I'm not a fruit beer guy, but this was quite tasty. The cherry flavor was more on the sweet side than tart or sour, so that was a plus in my book. Might even have to get a 4 pack sometime!
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey
4.65/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.65/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
(12 oz bottle, obtained at the brewery two days ago... poured into a clear, plastic cup)
Compared to the Raspberry Tart, I found much more clarity and brightness in this liquid; foam built on the pour, but didn't persist long... on the nose: cherry cordial, pie cherries; bold and in 3D... on the palate: pie-cherry Heering, but not syrupy sweet; a Flanders red character slowly creeps up in the aftertaste over each sip, never subtly malty, but the dominant flavor is otherwise pie cherries... the balance this maintains in drinkability is remarkable; clean and almost crisp despite suggesting syrupy residuals; its body sports a lithe, drawn out curvature... another spectacular acheivement on their part, mesmerizing and moreish; another I haven't had in 9 years - glad I have some left! (2187)
Aug 23, 2023Compared to the Raspberry Tart, I found much more clarity and brightness in this liquid; foam built on the pour, but didn't persist long... on the nose: cherry cordial, pie cherries; bold and in 3D... on the palate: pie-cherry Heering, but not syrupy sweet; a Flanders red character slowly creeps up in the aftertaste over each sip, never subtly malty, but the dominant flavor is otherwise pie cherries... the balance this maintains in drinkability is remarkable; clean and almost crisp despite suggesting syrupy residuals; its body sports a lithe, drawn out curvature... another spectacular acheivement on their part, mesmerizing and moreish; another I haven't had in 9 years - glad I have some left! (2187)
Rated by Wiskeytango from Pennsylvania
4.79/5 rDev +9.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.79/5 rDev +9.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Drink it and you can see it’s world class ranking. Perfect cherry brew exploding with taste
Aug 14, 2023Reviewed by OldManBrodie from California
5/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
As perfect a beer as you could find. The Door County cherries are as delicious in alcoholic form as they are in pies or raw. The deep red color mirrors the incredible aroma and full flavor of this champion.
Aug 06, 2023Reviewed by BigFur_4S from Wisconsin
5/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
I might be biased since a won a Beer vs Wine dinner with this beer on my dessert course. You can tell they somehow get 16 cherries into this bottle, and not in a bad way. Its a little fizzy on your lips during the entire experience from the carbonation. This is the most unique tasting "Beer" I've had the chance to drink. Its thickness is enjoyable since it doesn't stick to the inside of your mouth. Everyone should make the drive to Wisconsin to enjoy this beer.
Jan 23, 2023Rated by Eddie_Kobane from Illinois
3.5/5 rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.5/5 rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Good beer but too sweet, needs a higher ABV than 4% for the 4pk price. A little to cough medicine taste.
Jan 17, 2023Rated by JamesPatty
4.84/5 rDev +10.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
4.84/5 rDev +10.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
The perfect mix of sweet and tart! It’s way better than Sam Adams Cherry Wheat
Dec 31, 2022
Wisconsin Belgian Red from New Glarus Brewing Company
Beer rating:
97 out of
100 with
3843 ratings
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