Serendipity
New Glarus Brewing Company

(12 oz bottle, no date/code; purchased single off shelf at their Beer Depot this week... poured into a plastic cup)

Could just be me, but I feel like this is arguably the unsung masterwork of their celebrated fruit collection... compared to Tart and Red and Apfel and Rhubarb, this one has the most going on, the most interest, dynamics, and complexity... fruity, yet less near-dessert like compared to the others, cidery tart and funkier... the apple seems to cut through most vibrantly, of course accented, colored, and complimented by the cranberry and cherry... what a sublime blend of these fruit additions, not to mention the base beer sitting in perfect concert with it all... another beer I wish I bought more of, had I known it's glory... as good a reason as any to go back for another visit (2200)

 

 

 

 

 

Poured into a tulip.

Pours dark garnet but nearly crystal clear. Very limited head. No lacing. Looks like a fine red wine. Gorgeous.

Apple and cherry are the most prominent aromas, but there is a hint of cranberry there. Trace of oak.

Sweet cherry and apple on the tip of the tongue. Tart cherry, crabapple, and cranberry in midstream. The finish is acidic and lends some hidden cinnamon spice notes.

Medium light bodied, smooth, and drying.

I may have had a better wild ale, but I don't remember it. This is outstanding stuff.

 

 

A bottle from 2017 with a good five years on it, this beer illustrates why some brews are best with a bit of age on it.

A - A muddy brown body, with red highlights. Minimal head, light tan, fades to a thin line around the glass. No lacing to speak of. Visually, decent but this is not the attraction.

S - The nose is cherry first, with just a bit of berry and crabapple. Below is a fruit punch element, sweet fruitiness that comes across as almost artificial. Not that it is bad, just surprising. It smells delicious.

T - If the nose suggests child-like punch, the flavor is a shockingly bright mélange of fruit, melded into a delicious, deep experience. I cannot really express the surprise of how integrated and tight this brew lands. A sweet open, a mildly tart finish. Just so well built, I am in awe.

M - Slightly slick open, full and lush feel, and a clean, bright close. So full for 4%, so satisfying.

O - It does not surprise that this is a banger, but man, it is extraordinary. A brew I'm so glad I kept, and so glad I opened and enjoyed. One of the best fruit beers I've ever had. It makes me look for when I can next get to southern Wisconsin and pick up a few more bottles for me cellar.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a reddish brown with a tan head that dissipates very quickly. It smells like sour apples and cherries with no malt or hop character present. It tastes like tart cherries and apples that's finished off by a slightly acidic finish from the cranberries that keep it from being too sweet. It goes down more than easily without feeling like a sugary bomb and you'd probably even be able to drink the whole 4 pack if you really like it. Overall a very very good fruit beer.

 

Tart, sweet, an absolute treat.

 

Kind of an odd sour cranberry apple beer. But all the fruit works well together and it is really refreshing.