[12/16 Update: It looks like the brewery has changed its mind on Crack’d Wheat being a seasonal and will once again offer it year-round – watch for updates on this page]
(New Glarus, WI) – Frank Beer Distributors, Inc. has posted up the 2010 schedule for the brewery online including changes to their existing year-round and seasonal rotations. The folks at Hudson, WI-based The Nova got some info of their own from Draft Specialist, Jeff Schaefer. Here are the details:
2010 Year-round beers:
Fat Squirrel, Stone Soup, Spotted Cow, Moon Man, Wisconsin Belgian Red, and Raspberry Tart
In: Moon Man is that “aromatic” beer that Dan Carey has been developing, dubbed a “No Coast Pale Ale.” The Nova reports that the beer will be out in March: “It’s a hoppy pale similar to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, with a bite up front but a smooth finish. It will contain an as yet unrevealed hop from New Zealand that has never been used by an American brewery.”
Out: Organic Revolution, Hop Hearty, and Crack’d Wheat (now a bottle-only seasonal, see below)
OR and HH were both ceremoniously voted out by fans of the brewery. Crack’d Wheat was more popular than Stone Soup in both the vote and in beer reviews at RateBeer.
2010 Seasonal beers:
Draught and bottles: Cabin Fever Bock (Wisconsin Honey Bock), Totally Naked, Staghorn, and Back Forty Bock
Bottles only: Road Slush, Crack’d Wheat, and Dancing Man Wheat
In: Cabin Fever Bock, Back Forty Bock, Road Slush
Bottles – This is the first year (in recent memory, at least) that the brewery is offering some seasonals only in bottle form. After disappearing in 2008, Road Slush will be one of three such styles, available from Feb – April. As mentioned Crack’d Wheat will now be a seasonal, available from April – July. Dancing Man Wheat moves from May – July availability in 2009 to July – Oct availability in 2010.
Bottles and Draft – The brewery is bringing back the Bock in a big way this year. Cabin Fever Bock will come out in January and stick around through April. Back Forty will end off the year in November and December. The Nova notes, “Jeff compared [Back Forty] to Native Ale, a beer made by New Glarus quite a few years ago.” Staghorn remains in the late summer-early fall slot. Totally Naked is still in the late spring-summer slot but can now be purchased beginning in April instead of May.
Out: Black Wheat, Coffee Stout, Yokel, and Snowshoe
Snowshoe and Yokel came out on the lower end of the vote amongst fans, all the more evidence that New Glarus treats its lineup as a democratic process.
2010 Unplugged beers:
The Nova implies that Schaefer confirmed the existing Unplugged rumors that circulated a while back. The only Unplugged said to have a set schedule is Apple Ale at the end of the year.