Since I spend most of my time drinking beer in bottles 22oz or greater, that comprises most of what I review as well. Last night instead of going for a gigantic experience from a big bottle, I wanted to take it a bit easier — so I drank 2 12oz bottles, both of which I got in trade.
New Glarus has a series of beers known as the “Unplugged Series” where the brewer can feel free to brew any styles that he is interested in exploring. It’s a common way for craft breweries to stay creative, to have an outlet beyond the beers they make which become popular and ostensibly kinda boring to brew. Troegs has its “Scratch Series,” Avery and Stone have their yearly contributions and anniversary beers, and many other breweries go this route. The “Unplugged” Series has a few entries so far, amongst them a favorite style for a couple brew dogs, the Imperial Weizen. Taking a normally mild-mannered beer, albeit a fragrant and spicy one, and amping it up is the obvious quality in American beers which people point to over and over again. New Glarus succeeds here big time, offering a beautiful take on the German Hefe style — a fuller bodied, spicier beer with a fuller hop presence. This beer pours a bit darker than a normal Hefe, with the characteristic huge white head in tact. The nose is incredibly spicy with only a small hint of the banana flavor that some Hefe Weizens are known for. This is more on the clove side of things, and also boasts a bready malt flavor, big German yeast smells, and a nice amount of carbonation to balance a heavier mouthfeel. Any beer that says “Thanks for Supporting the Arts” on the bottle, and maintains a breweries committments to exploration and creative expression is alright by me. New Glarus hasn’t failed me yet, and I’ve already put the feelers out there to get my hands on some of their Berliner Weiss. Got some?
The Dark Horse Brewing Company is one of the fabled breweries of Michigan who produce beers that sadly don’t make it to New York City. I haven’t sampled any of their beers yet so I was very excited when a trader threw this in as an “extra” in a trade — a common practice amongst beer traders, they’re a nice lot. Dark Horse has a few “special” series of beers as well, and this is from their Holiday Stout series — five stouts to help you “get through those tough Midwestern winters.” Well, this mid-atlantic summer didn’t do too poorly by this brew either. I’m not that familiar with the Cream Stout as a style, but after recently getting very excited by the Southern Tier Creme Brulee, I was stoked to give this one a shot. It delivered big time. A creamy, milky mouthfeel with low carbonation makes this beer pour more like a thick soda than a typical beer, but is typical for the stout style. Almost no head to speak of, but an awesome, sweet-forward aroma dominates along with a super dark brown color which is very appealing. The right amount of biterness from both the chocolatey malts and hops makes this an all around awesome beer. I’m not sure how strong this is, but if this was winter and I had a bunch of these around, I wouldn’t be mad.
