Review: New Glarus Spoted Cow Farmhouse Ale


My awesome buddy Brent was in Wisconsin a while back and asked me if I wanted to try New Glarus' Spotted Cow Farmhouse Ale, and since it's a beer I've only heard rave reviews of.. of course I did! He personally dropped off a case of the beer at my place a few months ago.. I was hoping just to try the beer, but nope... he made sure I got to reallllly try the beer! What an awesome guy, right?!

From the label: "Cask conditioned ale has been the popular choice among brews since long before prohibition. We continue this pioneer spirit with our Wisconsin farmhouse ale. Brewed with flaked barley and the finest Wisconsin malts. We even give a nod to our farmers with a little hint of corn. Naturally cloudy we allow the yeast to remain in the bottle to enhance fullness of flavors, which cannot be duplicated otherwise. Expect this ale to be fun, fruity and satisfying. You know you're in Wisconsin when you see the Spotted Cow."

I've had numerous friends go to Wisconsin over the years and even the non-beer geek friends were telling me to try this beer, especially since it's only available in Wisconsin. I absolutely enjoy farmhouse ales so I'm interested to check this out!

Appearance: Very cloudy/hazy with a right golden body to it, decent amount of carbonation in the body and starts off with a thick amount of snow white head that gradually diminishes to a webbing of foam on the side of the glass and a light amount of foam on top.

Aroma: Not quite what I was expecting when I saw Farmhouse ale. This reminds me a bit of a classic pale ale more than anything else. The beer has a hefty amount of wet barley to give it a fresh from the grainery sort of vibe to it. It has a bit of bubble gum, hint of lemon, grassy hops, a hint of woodiness and a bit of creamed corn at the end.

Taste: Moderately sweet and malty with a bit of a cereal vibe to it, notes of grassy hops, lemon, an ever so slight hint of tartness that hits the middle of the tongue and then disappears, a hint of bubble gum, subtle amount of corn and very light bitterness. Fairly light and a tad carbonated for mouthfeel, while the aftertaste is minimal.. a bit of lemon and light amount of graininess.

Overall Thoughts: Glad I finally got to try this beer, it was absolutely solid but I think that for all these years I was expecting more of a spiced, citrusy witbier/classic saison more than anything, but that said.. this is a very approachable ale that I definitely understand why both craft beer drinkers and people who tend to drink macro beers seem to enjoy it, it's easy to drink, shows off Wisconsin malts and it's something that would pair well with just about any sort of food... oh how I'd enjoy this with fried cheese curds (which are surprisingly not a thing in most of Canada). I have Wisconsin on my beer bucket list.. which I hope to cross off one day but who are we kidding? I'm broke as eff!

https://newglarusbrewing.com

No comments: