New Glarus Enigma

This was actually just a random gift from my friend Matt when he was dropping off a different beer for me. I didn't even know what style it was when I opened it, but it turned out to be an Oud Bruin, possibly with cherries.

Since I didn't know what kind of beer this was, the nose was a huge surprise. Sort of sour cherry mixed with some caramel sweetness. The body was very similar with a lot of sour cherry and caramel with a little tartness in the finish. Very soft sweetness meant it wasn't cloying even though the caramel was a strong flavor and it continued that way throughout. My wife liked it quite a bit too. After discovering that it was an Oud Bruin, the flavors make a ton of sense too. This makes me wish I could try more of their sours as the softness made for a solid drinking experience and it was quite good. Unfortunately, the beers are brewery-only releases for the most part and I'm too lazy to try to trade for them. Oh well, still glad Matt gave me this. Thanks Matt!

New Glarus Raspberry Tart

I was sent this a while ago by a friend of mine and Jo and I finally opened it last night at a BYOB. New Glarus is a brewery out of Wisconsin and the Raspberry Tart is a fruit beer.

Bright raspberry nose with a little bit of caramel sweetness and some tart notes. The raspberry smelled incredibly real. Thick mouthfeel, thicker than you'd expect and it just coats your mouth. More sweet raspberry in the first sip with a smooth caramel finish. Continued along that path throughout the glass. It may have only been lightly tart but there was just enough to keep it from being too sweet.

Really enjoyable beer and if it was available around here I'd definitely buy it again. Too bad it's not. I actually disappointed the waitress last night since she asked me where I'd gotten it and the answer of Wisconsin wasn't terribly useful to her. Ah well.

Bed & Brews at the Inn at Cooperstown - Friday night

My wife and I recently traveled up to Cooperstown, NY to participate in the Bed & Brews weekend at The Inn at Cooperstown.  Besides the two awesome nights which I'll describe in detail later, you also get as part of the package:

• One rare commemorative Ommegang Abbey Ale jeroboam (3L bottle), signed by the Brew master - Limit 1 per reservation
• One Ommegang Abbey Ale Chalis per person
• One Brewery Ommegang sweatshirt or two t-shirts

The jeroboam is a giant 3L bottle of Abbey and the glasses are very nice chalices with an Ommegang logo and a nice gold rim.  On top of that, Friday night is a tasting where all the guests at the Inn share their favorite beers (or homebrew or whatever).  Saturday night is a private tour of Ommegang by one of their brewers plus a very delicious dinner with beer pairings at their new Cafe.  All in all an excellent package.  Check out some pictures on their website under the "Packages" tab.