Robin Shepard
There’s a traditional German custom of inviting friends into the brewmaster’s cellars to serve a beer unfiltered, directly from the lager tanks, poured from a spigot called a zwickel. New Glarus Brewing’s take on the beer has been offered only a handful times over the years (most recently in 2009).
New Glarus does not serve its zwickelbier directly from the tanks but sells it as a limited-release unfiltered lager, bottled in four-packs and available only in the brewery’s own beer depot at the Hilltop Brewery, 2400 Hwy 69 just south of New Glarus (it’s well worth the trip). It’s made with a blend of Wisconsin, Czech and English malts, and hopped with German, Czech and French varieties.
Four more to watch for:
1. New Glarus has also announced a new summer seasonal hefeweizen called Bubbler, featuring Wisconsin wheat, European pilsner malt and a blend of American and European hops. The beer has recently been on tap in the New Glarus gift shop; six-packs are expected this June.
2. Next Door Brewing has a Berliner weisse on tap with a choice of flavored syrups that can be added to take the edge off this sour style. Current choices include blood orange, mango and raspberry.
3. The Stevens Point Brewery says its summer seasonal will be a pale ale made with Australian hops called Vic Secret and Florida grapefruit juice. Siesta Key Citrus Pale Ale is available in bottles, cans and select draught accounts from now through August.
4. Ale Asylum is out with a new IPA called High Coup that features the tropical aromas and flavors of Equinox, Southern Cross and Citra hops.
