Spotted Cow

Picked up a six pack from the gas station Saturday morning before our race in Oshkosh. New Glarus is primarily only sold in Wisconsin so this was one of my only opportunities to obtain it. I had one other, but the team was there and I did not want to give the wrong impression or disgruntle the coach.

Appearance: Straw pale yellow with an amber tint. Mostly clear, but still retains a turbidity possibly from chill haze or corn adjuncts. Strong foam profile that slowly dissipates into a soapy film. Carbonation is glowingly visible.

Aroma: Smells yeasty and like straw, with somewhat of a lagered character probably from the addition of extra sugar. Crispy to the finish.

Taste: Very sweet and clean with a simple flavor profile, perhaps indicating this beer is more than the 4 ingredients that the Europeans push to maintain. It's quite noticeable, label description aside, that this beer has had a generous addition of corn starch/sugar or cane sugar added as adjunct to it, revealing a strong corn/lagered, econ-beer taste with undertones of crisp wheat and phenolic fruit/apple characteristics. Finishes primarily bitter free, but with a permeating rice/grain hull aftertaste that is slightly annoying. Slight brediness with an apple diacetyl taste intertwined.
Mouthfeel: Light and buttery, with the body maintaining a thicker tacky profile (extra sugar?!). Leaves a film in the back of the mouth that contributes to a stick annoying aftertaste.
Overall Impression: An overwhelming non-descript sweetness dominates this beer and makes it resemble a beer for the Milwaukee-Anhauser light graduate. Far from a complex ale worthy of tasting.


64/100