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Greetings my thirsty BAR members,
Been a long month has it? Died a couple of times? Well, forget about all that and crack a beer with me as I share my monthly beer review with you.
I am partial to American craft brewing, so I’m back on that this month. I promise to cross the Atlantic again next month.
For your late spring/earlier summer pleasure I have selected New Glarus Brewing Co.’s Spotted Cow. The brewery is located in New Glarus, Wisconsin, and they brew a good variety of beers. Sadly, they are only available in Wisconsin, so find a friend to send you some, order online, or make the drive.
Wisconsin is best known for its dairy production, but it is also well-known for the beer it produces. It was heavily settled by people from Germany and this has contributed to a strong brewing tradition. Miller, Pabst, and Schlitz are the best known national brands (and Pabst Blue Ribbon is a good beer and strangely trendy these days) and the craft breweries are outstanding. If you can procure some of these beers be sure to look for New Glarus, Tyranena, Sprecher, and Stevens Point (which used to have terrible beer, but has now truly gone the craft brewing direction). Leinenkugel’s is widely known but very hit-or-miss, and I have never had a good beer from City Brewing Company.
Spotted Cow is an American version of a saison farmhouse style. I’ve had many Belgian saisons, but I am sometimes disappointed in them. I think mainly because they are meant to be drunk fresh and by the time they got to me they were probably too old. Saison is originally Belgian and is meant to be a subtle, drinkable, lightly flavored beer. It is great on a summer’s day because it is light and simple, but it doesn’t age well. So, find a local version of it if you can.
While Spotted Cow doesn’t have that distinctive Belgian barley taste, it delivers an authentic saison experience. It is cask conditioned, which means it sits in barrels to finish it fermentation and is thus lightly and naturally carbonated. I really like this and it comes close to a homebrew in terms of carbonation level and has the smooth mouthfeel typical of homebrews.
Spotted Cow is lightly hopped and subtle. It has one quirk, and that is in its use of corn. While I have used it in homebrewing, I have never had a commercial brew that uses flaked corn. It gives the beer a lightness and smoothness that is very enjoyable. It also gives the beer a cloudiness that you often find in Hefeweizens, but without the pucker of wheat. It’s really unique. At 4.8% alcohol by volume, it is easy to have a few of these and be able to drive home after a summer barbecue.
As before, I rate my monthly brews as follows: 1 mug = bad, 2 mugs = drinkable, 3 mugs = good (recommended), 4 mugs = excellent (top choice in most establishments), 5 mugs = world class. I give Spotted Cow 4 mugs. I wish it were more widely available, but sometimes I suppose the rarity of things makes them more special. If you can get this beer, savor it and know that you are a lucky person.
Your friend in barley,
JS
New Glarus Brewery factoids:
1) The town of New Glarus was settled by Swiss settlers and has retained the Swiss architecture.
2) I called this beer a saison, but beeradvocate (the website) called it a cream ale. Who you gonna believe, a Regular? Or people who know what they're talking about?
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