I scored a batch of beers from New Glarus Brewing Company, perhaps Wisconsin’s most notable Brewery, and one who creates beers so rarefied and craft intensive that they’ve chosen to not even try to make enough beer to make it out of Wisconsin. If you want some, you can go to the brewery and buy some. Or you can trade for it.
Beer trading is the source of a lot of the beers I review on here, and has often become a “necessity” for people who are interested in drinking beer not produced in their geographical region. It should be noted that it’s not just the geographical boundaries which separate us, or even the great distances that span our country which keep good beer from getting out of it’s immediate vicinity in many cases. It’s also the laws, and the influence of larger breweries who control distribution. A while back I posted a plea that was sent from the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company of Pleasantville, NY, one of my favorite local breweries. Check it out and you’ll see one side of the multi-faceted beauracracy that controls who gets to drink what beer. Reminds me of that quote from King of New York… “If a Nickel Bag is sold in the park, I want in…”
Regardless, New Glarus is one of the cases of a brewery who has chosen to limit their distribution because of the high quality and indigenously concentrated character of their ingredients — they simply can’t produce enough. So I’ve decided to circumvent the system a bit, and trade with someone who lives where they can get it, in exchange for some local favorites that aren’t available where he lives — good deal.
Raspberry Tart is an ale based fruit beer that is very overwhelming in its fruit forwardness. It pours a dark, deep red color, like pureed raspberries, and in all respects, that’s what this beer brings to the table. Not much malt, not much hops, but an enormous amount of magically fermented fruit flavor that is so clean and forward that it’s a marvel that it’s beer at all — which is not a problem for me, of course. The fruit flavor coats every corner of your mouth, smelling very strongly and sweetly. I saw the New Glarus folks in a video segment from a documentary the other week. In talking about their Wisconsin Belgian Red, a similar beer brewed with cherries, they said that there was over 1.5 pounds of cherries in each 750ml bottle. It tastes like there’s at least that much pure raspberry in each bottle of this Raspberry Tart as well.
It is a real treat to behold this beer, and it makes me feel good to know that I can participate in a network of people who are dedicated to helping each other sample good regional product. The geniuses at New Glarus are obviously very serious about the beers that they make, and they are not afraid to go crazy with styles, ingredients, and processes. I will be writing about the 3 or 4 other beers I have from them on the blog as well, which I’m really looking forward to. It feels good to know that I have so many local breweries to rely on to supply trading fodder for more love from Wisconsin — I’m gonna be addicted soon.
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