Unplugged Cranbic Ale
12 oz. bottle from a huge box of New Glarus love, courtesy of duffcalifornia. Reviewed from notes. Pours a very deep red, almost brown. Quite translucent. A half-finger white head doesn't last terribly long, and leaves only minimal lacing. Say what you will about the style classification of this beer, but the aroma is quite lambic-like. Tart, sour and vinous, though balanced with quite a lot of fruity sweetness. There's a bready, biscuit aroma as well. Given the "wild" smell, this reminds me quite a bit of a framboise, and I'm not sure I'd necessarily call this a cranberry-flavored beer from the aroma alone. Cranberries come through more strongly in the taste. This is quite tart (if not quite mouth-puckering), with much more funk that I was anticipating. Bready, malty aftertaste. Overall though, the sweetness from the fruit exercises a huge influence over the beer's flavor. As I worked my way through the bottle and became slightly inured to the sourness, it took on a lot of juice-like qualities. The mouthfeel is very solid, medium-bodied and rich. Carbonation is on the high side. A totally passable American Wild Ale, though not a New Glarus beer I'd seek out again - I'd rather focus on their regular fruit beers, which are outstanding. Perhaps this will become more sour over time, but at this point it lacks a certain element of complexity.