...as you may have guessed, New Glarus, Wisconsin. New Glarus is a town located not too far from the Illinois border in far southern Wisconsin. It's named after Glarus, which is a canton in Switzerland. New Glarus, WI, is the site of the Swiss Center of North America, a Swiss cultural institute.
Yep - home of Spotted Cow. What we have here is a cult-favorite cream ale that even makes the welcome sign! Spotted Cow, as a cult-favorite, also has limited availability and thus is apparently only able to be legally served on tap in Wisconsin. Earlier this week, a Minnesota bar was caught selling illegal Spotted Cow to undercover police officers. It's not illegal to possess it outside of Wisconsin, though.
I believe I have had a beer by New Glarus in the past - last year's Sierra Nevada Beer Camp featured a one-off English bitters by New Glarus. It was pretty good. Today's beer is a cream ale, however. A cream ale is a kind of American lager that's conditioned and refined, presenting a clean and lighter taste. I've had a few beers in this style or similar, like Rainier. And, like Rainier, many cream ales have adjuncts like rice or corn added to the barley or wheat used to make the beer. They're generally intended as session ales and are light enough to enjoy in quantity.
Candles a bright yellow. Looks like the typical bright lagers...with a taste to match. Taste is clean and straightforward with notes of corn and yeast. Nothing too fancy, but is refreshing and delicious. Some carbonation, but nothing obtrusive.
I like it, and it's definitely something I could enjoy on a daily basis. It's bright, clean, and refreshing with no acridity or tangy, sour taste. I'm liking how it's cask-conditioned as well. There's a hint of yeast in there which I really like. The Spotted Cow is a nice session ale to be enjoyed day-in and day-out, and I can totally see why it's a cult favorite! Unfortunately it's not available here in DC, but if you ever come across it, give it a try.
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