New Glarus Enigma

I hope you like the new look. I think the new skin is a bit more appealing to the eye and seems to be a bit cleaner to me. I also want to tell you that at the time I write this, I have an interview scheduled with Kirby Nelson from Capital Brewery in Middleton, Wisconsin for 5pm this Friday. As long as his schedule does not change, you can look forward to that interview soon.

Today though, I have a special treat. New Glarus Enigma. This beer has brewed before, it won some medals at the GABF in 2003 and World Beer Cup in ‘04, but the first I had it was in 2006, which was before I was blogging. It was also my first Unplugged beer, although I had all of the New Glarus offerings up till then, or so I thought. This will be the first review I have of this version of this beer in the Unplugged series. Enigma is a Fruit Beer which has a base style similar to the Flander’s Brown, which is a sour ale. 

Aroma: First thing you may notice is a musty and outdoorsy aroma. This is more than likely from the wild fermentation, which often gives you odd and interesting aromas and flavors. In this case, to me it is musty and outdoorsy and smells slightly like a damp forest and wet leaves. Others may notice the sour and over-ripe cherry aroma. Both are fairly equal in strength in this beer. Diving a bit deeper into the aroma you can catch some soft caramel and toasty barley notes A bit more subtle is a mild oakiness and soft vanilla tones which add to the rustic character of the beer. In all honesty this beer is a wonder and a treasure just in aroma alone. As it warms there is a bit more a slight vinegar aroma which can be inappropriate, but it is slight.  (9 points)

Appearance: A mid-amber hue with some excellent clarity and soft red highlights. It Pours a frothy khaki colored head which diminishes fairly quickly, but leaves a lasting layer throughout half of my pint. (3 points)

Flavor: The flavor is where this beer really shines. If you are not a fan of sour beers, you probably will not enjoy this beer very much, but it is not so sour as to turn most people off. Right up front you get an initial sour punch for just a second, then the cherries come through quite nicely. In the middle the malt and vanilla oaky tones take over for a short time before the woodsy funk and more sourness linger finish off the beer. There is some sweetness to the beer that helps to tame the sourness and funk. The malt in the beer comes across slightly biscuit-like and a bit of caramel and sweet toffee. Although the beer finishes a bit on the sweet side, it is sour enough to leave you refreshed and ready for another drink. If you are familiar with New Glarus’s other fruit beers, you will notice that although the fruit in this beer is quite evident, it is not as strong and dominant as the other beers. If you are seeking hops, you are looking to the wrong style. (18 points)

Mouthfeel: It is a medium bodied beer with a fair amount of carbonation. There is a slight dry presence to it, which comes off a bit astringent to me, but I suspect it may be from the oak. (4 points)

Overall: New Glarus does not disappoint with this fruited sour brown ale. It was brought back for a reason, not only because sour beers are becoming more and more appreciated, but because this is an easy drinking beer. As the beer warms, considerably more oak shines through in the flavor and the malt develops a bit more. At the cooler temps I was getting more a lot more cherry. In the end, the sourness is not overdone, the fruit is not over the top, the malt comes through nicely, and you get some oak. The beer savvy will recognize the difficulty in balancing such a complex beer. The not so savvy will love the easy drinkablilty and thirst quenching tartness “for such a dark beer”.  (9 points)

All in all I gave this beer a 42 out of 50 points (Per the BJCP scoresheet), which would be a solid A in my book. New Glarus never seems to disappoint, even though some of the beers may not be my favorite (only because of personal taste), you can’t argue with the top notch quality and willingness to go out on a limb and try somehthing new.