Deb and Dan Carey of New Glarus 30 years ago, with a can of new anniversary beer superimposed.
Has it been 30 years already? Deb (left) and Dan Carey shortly after founding the brewery, with a can of Dan's new anniversary brew.
New Glarus Brewing Company is turning 30 this year and to mark the occasion, it’s releasing a bold Belgian quadrupel. “We wanted something strong, notable, a celebration-worthy beer,” says brewmaster Dan Carey. New Glarus 30th Anniversary Ale has a deep Belgian personality with hints of dark fruits like raisin, grape and plum, alongside rich maltiness, body and warmth. Warmer cellar temps bring out even more of that flavor complexity from the Belgian yeast. Carey’s inspiration for the beer came from his appreciation of the well-known St. Bernardus Abt 12. “This is my take on a strong Belgian beer that is intended for sipping,” he says.
Hops are usually not a major player in the flavor of a quad, but Carey uses a blend of nine varieties from the brewery’s own hop garden. The quad is available in most craft beer stores ($12-$15/four-pack of 12-ounce cans).
Dan Carey and his wife, Deb Carey, opened the New Glarus Brewery in 1993. That year they sold just 199 barrels of beer. Now, the brewery turns out nearly 235,000 barrels a year. New Glarus is Wisconsin's largest craft brewery, consistently ranking in the Brewers Association's listing of top 20 regional brewing companies, and racking up numerous national and international awards for its beers. Carey points to the support of the village of New Glarus, the kindness of the community and quality employees for the brewery's achievements.
In addition to the quad and this year’s regular releases, New Glarus is featuring three additional beers just this spring. Berliner Apfel is a Berliner weisse made with apples from the Kickapoo Orchard of Gays Mills. For those familiar with the brewery’s longtime fall seasonal Apple Ale, this is a lighter beer, golden in color with the sharp tartness more reminiscent of Granny Smith apples ($12-$13/four-packs of 12-ounce bottles).
Another beer sure to generate a lot of buzz for summer is a new New Glarus pilsner based on last summer’s brewery-only beer called 22Pils. This traditional pilsner is made with American and European malts while showcasing a blend of German hops, in particular one called Diamant with citrus and floral notes. Carey selected the hop during field tours with growers in Germany.
Pilsners are challenging to make because of their delicate flavor and aroma profiles, and flaws are hard to hide. That’s one of the reasons Dan Carey enjoys making them and why I consider this a good one. It is crisp, not overly bitter, with an inviting malty backbone much like a Czech pilsner. New Glarus Pilsner finishes at 5% ABV and 35 IBUs ($15/12-pack of 12-ounce cans).
Vintage 22, a brewery-only release, is currently available in the Beer Depot (New Glarus follows the German brewery tradition of offering limited exclusive releases to those who make the pilgrimage to the brew house). Vintage 22 is the latest in the annual series from the brewery’s wild fruit cave (housed in its original Riverside Brewery). The beer ages in oak foeders, before it is blended by taste, and then bottle-conditioned. New Glarus has made one of these annual beers since 2014. “We make these in the lambic-style tradition using our coolship in our wild fruit cave, similar to what you find around Brussels,” says Carey. The date on the bottle is the packaging date, which means the vintage is the year before it becomes available. Vintage 22 is slightly sour, acidic, bubbly and crisp, finishing at 6.2% ABV. It is a must-try for lambic-style beer fans ($15/500mL bottle).
On May 10, Vintage 2022 was awarded a gold in the 2023 World Beer Cup. The World Beer Cup is among the most prestigious brewing awards, held annually in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference.
