R&D Vintage 2014
New Glarus Brewing Company

 

Bottle cellared 7.5 years. Clear amber body with a white bubble ring. Aromas of peach, horse blanket and barnyard funks, green apple, lime, oak, apricot and hay, pretty potent yet complex. Taste adds pear, lemon peel, and flower petals with a playful and sneaky juicy tartness underneath the dry funk and oak, the peach and apricot really sing as it warms. Feel is funky and dry before the patented new glarus wet sour juiciness kicks in, on the bright side but medium weight.

 

 

 

 

 

The beer pours a Clear yellow with a small white head that recedes immediately. It has high carbonation. The beer smells of Granny Smith apples, barnyard, damp funk, and hay. It tastes of green apples, barnyard, damp funk, and hay. The feel is medium. A great vintage sour from New Glarus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seems to have mellowed with times, that makes it a smooth drinker. A good spotferm with tastes farmhouse - geuze characteristics. Cheers to whoever sent me this gem. Good carbonation, still.

 

 

500ml Bottle

Vintage '14 is a blend of '11, '12, and '14 brewed beers. A vibrant beer. Bright polished golden with a surprisingly clear body. A few streams of carbonation rush to the surface but it's pretty calm overall. The pure white foam formed easily enough and grew to a finger in height on a soft pour. It showed decent staying power but did eventually fall to a skim coat. Better than expected for the style, actually.

The nose is stacked with mouthwatering depth. It kicks off with an orchard full of stone fruits. Bright peaches, nectarines, and apricots. Bosc pears as well. The middle flashes with both white and cider vinegars before segueing into a wet stone minerality. There's a play of sweet & sour with the acidity and Smarties. A touch of horse blanket funkiess rolls out on the periphery. This stuff smells great.

The flavor doesn't quite live up to the nose but that's a tall order. The orchard fruits again lead the way, a little tart in nature. While the vinegar acidity I mentioned above brings some more tartness it tends to be handled by that Smartie sweetness that I mentioned. A touch of both wet stone minerality and horse blanket funk wrap it up. This is a really well put together gueuze with good depth.

The mouthfeel is where it should be. It's light in body with a spritzy carbonation that brings with it a touch of frothiness. It's tart and softly acidic on the tip of the tongue through the swallow. A dry finish accentuates the tartness and leaves you wanting another drink. This beer leans toward tart but it's amazingly easy to put away. Really well done.

This is another really well crafted beer from New Glarus. It has great depth and brings all the aspects that you want in a quality gueuze. All those aspects play well together. Fruity, funky, acidic, and sour. I can't recommend this beer highly enough.

Bottle thanks to Steve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I let this one sit over the winter in the cellar. Very little head from a careful pour but tons of carbonation. Big bubbles (think 7up rather than champagne) that last throughout the entire glass. Nose is all aged calvados. A little of the lemon some others have noticed. All rustic apples up front. Taste follows perfectly. Incredibly thirst quenching. Dry finish true to the style. Alcohol is completely hidden. The perfect summer beer on the patio. Enjoyed this with smoked salmon and it was perfect. I wish I had a cellar full of this. I'm a big fan of sours and NG for sure but I'd be hard pressed to name another that was in the same league as this. Bravo!

Balanced sour, stone fruit sweetness, acidic, white grape, oak, apricot, very light lemon

Had this after Beatification and this seems to be a much better American interpretation of the gueuze style

 

 

 

 

500ml into snifter

pours golden and clear with slight head and beading carb
tart with a hint of funk on the nose. Hay and stone fruit
Same on the palate with a soft sour and a touch of funk
Bright easy drinking with sparkling carb

Definitely the best american gueuze style blended sour I have ever had. Not up to the Belgians, and epically overrated - no better than a cuvee rene (which is also extremely delicious) but you know - rarez bro...