Session # 183
New Glarus | Wisconsin Belgian Red
Fruit Beer | New Glarus, Wisconsin | 4% ABV

One year ago: Three Floyds Moloko Plus Milk Stout

How soon into a beer can one recognize that they’ve just had one of the best beers made? For me, it was pretty damn quick after I took my first sip of the New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red. At 4% ABV, there was so much sexy in this beer that I almost couldn’t believe it. As I poured this lovely ruby red and brown colored beer from the waxed 750ml bottle into my champagne tulip, I knew I was in for a treat. But when I smelled the beautiful blast of spiced cherry I began to realize there was more in store than I thought. The taste was transcendent and reminded me of places from my past. To put it plainly, this was the true essence of cherries. The execution here was superb and the roughly two years of aging just sent this one over the edge. Absolutely stunning beer. Get one and trust me! Rating: 98/100

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can only be purchased in Wisconsin.
Listening To: Bon Iver “Holocene”



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Session # 156 | Short’s | PB&J | Unknown ABV
Fruit/Vegetable Beer | Bellaire, Michigan | Rating: 72/100
One year ago: Haandbryggeriet Norwegian Wood

Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches are still a favorite of mine. My daughters eat them at least once a week and I always try to make myself one, too. So yeah, I was really anxious to try this PB&J beer by Short’s Brewing when it arrived in the mail not long ago. These guys are notorious for creating some of the most adventurous “food” beers on the market. They have the Key Lime Pie, Strawberry Short’s Cake, and S’More Stout just to name a few. So how did this one pan out? Well… It was definitely interesting. It poured as dark as a stout might, but there was a light bit of raisin color around the edges. The aroma (though very strange) did smell like peanut butter and jelly. The malts created an odd aroma when mixed with the beer. The taste was more tart than bitter. The fruits (strawberries and raspberries) were the most prominent, followed by a bit of bitterness and a touch of peanut butter. If I wasn’t looking for the peanut butter I might have had a bit of trouble finding it. Overall, just a very different beer. I believe form over function applied here for sure.

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in Michigan only.
Listening To: Kurt Vile “Jesus Fever”



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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Michigan makes some of the best beer in the world. The number of great breweries in that state is just staggering. I won’t list them all, but chances are you know of at least three that you enjoy. Kuhnhenn Brewing Company is another Michigan brewery (Warren, MI), but it’s one I have not had anything from until now. I was lucky enough to have a few different beers from Kuhnhenn brought back to me and I’ve been anxious to try them ever since. The fact that their Raspberry Eisbock contains raspberries…well…you get where I’m going with this. Here we are with the third and final beer in “Raspberry Week” on The Hopry. I saved the biggest and baddest for last. Biggest and baddest because many claim this is like drinking a desert wine. Well that’s exactly what it’s like. I’m reminded mostly of Port wine, which is a very sweet desert wine. While I am a HUGE fan of Port, I wasn’t such a big fan of this beer. The word cloying is all I can bring to mind. It’s abundantly sweet (too sweet actually) for my taste. While some may ask me how it compares to others in its style, I can’t lie I haven’t had many. But even at only 6.3 ounces, I could just barely make my way through this beer.

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Hank Williams, Sr. “If You’ve Got the Money I’ve Got the Time”



Brewery: Kuhnhenn
Beer: Raspberry Eisbock
Style: Eisbock
Location: Warren, Michigan
ABV: 13.5%
Rating: 76/100

If there is one American craft brewery that knows a thing or two about fruit beer, it would definitely be New Glarus Brewing Company out of (you guessed it) New Glarus, Wisconsin. They have two of the most celebrated fruit beers in their line up: Raspberry Tart and Wisconsin Belgian Red. Both are highly sought after beers in the trading world; Lord knows I’ve traded for them several times already. With the Raspberry Tart in particular, I can tell you that this is an insanely enjoyable beer – even with the very low ABV percentage. You would almost expect it to be a one dimensional beer with raspberry being the only aroma and flavor, but that’s just not the case. The nose, in fact, smells almost different than you’d expect. There is some winter spice and some maple syrup that almost masks the raspberries. When you take the first sip, however, the raspberries take center stage – and how utterly glorious they are in this beer. Wow! Additionally, there are the same winter spices and maple syrup that makes me reminisce of driving down a two-lane highway in autumn. Not a whole lot else to say except that it’s worth the work it takes to get one.

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in Wisconsin only.
On the iPod: Sun Kil Moon “Australian Winter”



Brewery: New Glarus
Beer: Raspberry Tart
Style: Fruit Beer
Location: New Glarus, Wisconsin
ABV: 4%
Rating: 96/100

Welcome back peoples! This week we will be focusing on one of my favorite berries – the raspberry. As I was looking at my beer collection one night trying to come up with a new idea for this week, I noticed that I had a few beers that had raspberry in them. Seemed like a pretty fun thing to have on the show, mainly because the three I’ve chosen are all very different in style and flavor (though all have a raspberry focus). I’m also excited about the next three sessions because the weather has just been phenomenal, and what better time to celebrate raspberries? First up is a Fruit Lambic called Rosé De Gambrinus from the one and only Cantillon. They are probably the most recognizable brewery making Lambic beers today. I also seem to get requests to review them fairly regularly. So here it is — a beautiful beer with an even more amazing label. Yes I’m a sucker for labels and packaging. As soon as the first drop hits the glass you are met with the most beautiful raspberry color and very nice light pink head. But what you don’t know is that it smells nothing like what you’d expect. This one is Cantillon through and through. It’s tart, funky, and has only a faint touch of raspberry. The flavor is also exactly as you’d expect. In fact, this tastes a lot like the other Cantillon beers. What you’re not going to find, however, is a bunch of sugary sweetness. This is not a Lindeman’s Framboise or raspberry wheat beer meant to be consumed by the masses; it’s definitely for the diehard Lambic folks. In the end I feel this is a very strong way to start raspberry week on The Hopry. My advice on this one is to buy a couple and hide one in the basement for a few years to see what happens. That’s what I’ll be doing…

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Wilco “Country Disappeared”



Brewery: Cantillon
Beer: Rosé de Gambrinus
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Location: Brussels, Belgium
ABV: 5%
Rating: 94/100

New Glarus Brewing has to be one of the hardest breweries to get beer from. This is because they only distribute within the confines of their own state: Wisconsin. So with that said, it really pays to know someone who lives there or will be making a trip there sometime soon. I’ve received beer both ways and both times have been a great payoff. Big shout out to Kelly from The Beer Bitch for making this session of The Hopry possible. New Glarus is known far and wide for their fruit beers (mainly the Raspberry Tart and Wisconsin Belgian Red), but they also make a mean cream ale called the Spotted Cow. This beer, the Cran-bic, is part of their Unplugged Series but once again shows that they know how to make a fine fruit beer. Though I enjoyed this one a little late in the year, I will tell you that no other beer would taste as good with Thanksgiving as this one. The cranberry taste is just as it should be – slightly tart with good flavor. And the light crisp taste would really go well with some turkey and stuffing. Not a whole lot to complain about with this beer. New Glarus continues to delight with their fruit beer offerings. I’m looking forward to reviewing the Raspberry Tart and Wisconsin Belgian Red soon, too.

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This beer can be found in Wisconsin only.
On the iPod: M83

Brewery: New Glarus
Beer: Cran-bic
Style: Lambic / Fruit Beer
Location: New Glarus, Wisconsin
ABV: 6%
Rating: 92/100

Founders Brewing Co. is one of the most reliable breweries out there. It’s true when I say I’ve yet to have a beer from them that isn’t remarkable. Only recently have we been able to purchase Founders in Missouri, and I can tell you we are all the better for it here in Kansas City. No more drives to Illinois to pick up four-packs from this brewery. As far as the Cerise itself is concerned, no other beer (except maybe Southern Tier’s Pumking) exemplifies what Fall should taste like in a beer. With its cherry pie and cinnamon crust beauty, Cerise is one to hold onto for a nice chilly evening by the fire. And you might want to consider setting a few of these aside for Thanksgiving. You might just strike up a great conversation with your family at the dinner table when they taste this with their turkey and stuffing.

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This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Alela Diane

Brewery: Founders
Beer: Cerise
Style: Fruit Beer
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
ABV: 6.5%
Rating: 92/100