(New Glarus, WI) – New Glarus Brewing has kept busy this summer; front-man, Dan Carey, posted an update for RateBeer folks a couple weeks ago:

“(1) Golden Ale [R&D Series beer #1] is in fact for sale now in our Gift Shop only. It’s an ale fermented with Brett Yeast and made with Maris Otter Malt and Styrian Golding Hops. I really hope you all like it! Why $8 for a 500 ml bottle? Those of you that know us know that we strive to be really fair with our pricing so I hope you understand …. the 500 ml Euro Bottles are expensive plus the beer was really difficult to make. We devoted a great deal of time to making it. Really a labor of love

(2) We did in fact make 160 bbls of it so don’t stress about it running out soon. Please come by for a visit when you can.

(3) Next in the Unplugged Series is an “Old English Porter“. It’s based on the writings of Wheeler about what the Entire Porter of 1870’s London tasted like. This beer is dark brown and slightly sour. It’s an Historical Recreation so I hope you all find it interesting! It is definitely not a modern style Porter. Think of a cross between a Belgian Sour Brown and an English Brown Porter. Did you know that the original London Porter was the original inspiration for the Belgian Sour Brown?

(4) Next Unplugged after that will be a “Wisconsin Cranberry Ale“. I know that sounds whimpy but it should be really good …. even for beer geeks! It’s a sour ale brewed with Brett, Acetic and Lactic Bacteria (some indigenous to our area …. I selected them from our environment!)and aged in Oak with cranberries. It was inspired by the fruit lambics of Belgium but, since I’m not in Belgium, it’s an American Beer.

(5) Next R&D Beer is going to be in the Lambic Style (but I won’t call it a Lambic out of respect for my friends in Belgium). I had hoped to have it done by end of Summer but I am not sure yet. Lambics are difficult to make and the bacteria really are in charge. When they say it’s ready we will bottle. I don’t know when they will be. I’m guessing you guys want it to be true to style (read “sour and Bretty”)so I need to wait until it’s right!”

“The fall Eisbock will be replaced by the Cranberry Ale. We have brewed an Eisbock a few times in the past and made the Iced Barley Wine earlier this year. So we figured that since there are already a bunch of brewers making really big beers, we should go our own way. Really, in the end, that’s the whole spirit of our Unplugged Series. Incidentally, that’s why I made a 12 deg Plato Pilsner part of the Unplugged Series … I hope to challenge people’s concept of extreme beer.”

A little more detail on the Old English Porter can be found on the New Glarus Brewing website.

Kudos to Madvike for pointing out an interview with Director of Quality Control at New Glarus, Randy Thiel, done with the Beer Talk Today crew late last month. Around the 3:45 mark, they start talking about the R&D Series. We find out that Golden Ale is an ode to Orval and that the R&D beers may be available at the Great Taste of the Midwest in early August.