Crossing State Lines

Last weekend Joe went to Wisconsin with a group of guys for an ice fishing trip. While no fish were actually caught, it sounds like the guys still had a lot of fun hanging out in the great outdoors. Joe came back with two six packs from New Glarus, a craft brewery in Wisconsin. They are #21 on the list of the top 50 craft breweries in the country, but you can only get their beer in the state of Wisconsin! So anytime we head north, we try to bring some home with us.

We got two varieties to try: Spotted Cow and Stone Soup.


According to their website, here's how the beers are described.

Spotted Cow: Cask conditioned ale has been the popular choice among brews since long before prohibition. We continue this pioneer spirit with our Wisconsin farmhouse ale. Brewed with flaked barley and the finest Wisconsin malts. We even give a nod to our farmers with a little hint of corn.

Naturally cloudy we allow the yeast to remain in the bottle to enhance fullness of flavors, which cannot be duplicated otherwise.

Expect this ale to be fun, fruity and satisfying. You know you're in Wisconsin when you see the Spotted Cow.


Stone Soup: Who is qualified to judge one's contribution? Is it the pure Wisconsin barley malt or shall credit be given to traditional German and English hops? Maybe it is the Belgian Monastic yeast or the Brewer's tender care? Combined, this is a sophisticated Abbey style ale. Both elegant and drinkable this ale is cleanly aromatic with spicy notes of clove and ginger. Crisp and fragrant up front while gracefully sliding into warm malt notes at the finish.

Fermented naturally in this bottle, the beer in your hand is a living testament to the value of many working together to create something bigger than the individual parts. Moving a mountain begins with a single stone.


Also, this is an amusing shot of the far (aka hidden) side of the bed in our guest bedroom. This has become the spot where we store our beer and empty bottles. Right now we have the IPA we just finished bottling, which I'm going to force Joe to blog about really soon. We also have about 65 empty bottles, which is a sign we need to start brewing another batch really soon. Thankfully, the IPA is about ready, so we can stop buying beer and accumulating bottles. I think we'll try a spiced winter white beer next, but we still need to pick out a recipe. We'll keep you posted!