Twin Cities Beer Geek

This past Sunday, two partners-in-crime and I had agreed to make and dry-cure some salami. Ms. BeerGeek (a vegatarian) wasn’t too excited about sausage making happening in our kitchen. Circumstances necessitated it, however, so she agreed, with the caveat that we disinfect the kitchen when we were done. So, when we had our sausages linked, hung in the garage fridge and the kitchen clean and disinfected, we moved onto the enjoyment of some beer.

Knowing my friends would appreciate something special, I chilled a bottle of New Glarus’ Cherry Stout. We sampled it, struck by the sourness in the initial taste which was highlighted by cherry flavors. As the tartness subsided, a smooth vanilla oakiness followed. Finally, the chocolatie stoutness came in at the end for the finish. This is truly an elegant beer. We all agreed that this was a “sipping beer” to be enjoyed slowly and in small quantities.

If you’re not familiar with New Glarus, it may be because their beers are exclusively available in their home state of Wisconsin. Their beers are universally excellent, especially the famous Raspberry Tart and Belgian Red. These two are known nation-wide for their quality as fruit-flavor, sour beers (sort of like Lindeman’s Framboise). As a side note, I suspect the Cheery Stout endures a similar aging/fermentation process to these two fruit beers, giving it the subtle tartness.

I notice the Cherry Stout (part of the “Unplugged” series) isn’t listed on their website anymore, though mine was purchased recently. If you’re headed east, be sure to pick-up something from New Glarus, “unplugged” or not. I’ve found their beers to be worth the drive.