Biertrinken ist Gesund

Last weekend I ventured to New Glarus. Being a huge fan of the precious beers brewed there, I wanted to visit the brewery and take some samples straight from the teat. It was a sweltering Saturday but my drive was made better by the fact that construction on Highway 69 was complete. It had been several years since I'd been to the brewery and, during the intervening time, their beer had grown immensely in popularity. How had the place changed? Would it be a mass of mechanization? Or would the small town Swiss feeling remain?



Walking in, one steps into the gift shop. A sly move. I, however, immediately made my way to the tasting center. For $3.50+ tax, I was treated to samples of three brews and even got to keep the glass.



There was Totally Naked, Fat Squirrel, and Belgian Red. While it was still morning, it's always noon somewhere. The woman pouring taps was extremely friendly and was very helpful in answering my queries about the future of the brewery. I asked about the expansion and was told that they hope to have the new joint up and running in about two years. She reiterated what the article linked above says – that it will resemble an Old World German village and triple the brewery's capacity. Despite the extra capacity, she assured me that they will not resume distribution in Illinois meaning that my ability to use NG in barter with friends in Chicago will be unhindered; Totally Naked will become a year-round beer; and the fruity beers – Belgian Red and Raspberry Tart – will continue to be produced at the old site while others will be brewed at the new one once it's up and running.

The tasting center had a display case with all the awards the brewery has garnered as well as various bit of beer memorabilia.





If I had not gone alone, my fellow drinkers and I would have no doubt holed-up in the seating area to savor our samples.



Tours are self-guided and you get this handset hoolie to help you through the joint with numbers posted on the walls at sites which the presentation explains. As an aspiring homebrewer, I eschewed the handsets and just wandered around on my own since I did not need an explanation of what I was seeing. With glass in hand, I went in reverse staring with the tasting area and then proceeding to the bottling area.



Now here's the lab where tests of all sorts happen. Miles of litmus paper are used, precious yeast spores are examined under a microscope, and gills of beer are given the centrifuge treatment all in pursuit of the perfect Spotted Cow. Quite a bit better than my lab which is basically my kitchen with beaker sitting next to the coffee maker.



In one hallway, there's a table with what looks like a setup from a science fair explaining the vital role of barley in our lives. Well, it's role in brewing, at least.



The hallway where the various offices are located had several ditties on the walls reflecting the brewing tradition.





Amonst the offices was that of Dan Carey, the brewmaster.



Finally I hit the copper kettles.





I rounded out the trip with a stop at the gift shop. Look for me out and about in my new Uff-Da Bock t-shirt. I can't recall the exact changes since my last visit but I do know that the self-guided tour now has an audio component. No doubt other things have changed in the 8 years since I was last there. I really dig the New Glarus Brewery. I mean, I feel at home in any brewery but what sets NG apart from others I've been to is the way the folks there deck the place out and reach back in brewing history and tradition. Not only does the brewery brew the beer using age-old methods, but the brewery itself looks like something hundreds of years old. Yeah, there's mechanization and modernity, but the Carey's go all-out in placing their operation in a long, glorious line of craftsmanship rather than just being an über-efficient assembly line. Perhaps part of the allure for me is that the place reminds me of the basement of my childhood home. The house was built in the 1920s or 30s by a German immigrant and he made the basement out to be a trinkhalle and the Carey's enjoy a similar aesthetic.

I was told that the new brewery was being built about 2 miles south of the current one, across from the state park. So I decided to go and find it.



I set out and found a couple different roads across from the park. Seeing a subdivided, vinyl-sided home on just the other side of a hill on one road, I opted to drive down the other. Driving around, I found no construction sites and instead saw only farms and trees and pastures. So I gave up. But I did find some nice scenery.







I then zipped back into town.



The town square had the obligatory gazebo. It being so hot, there was hardly anyone about and the area just seemed a bit bare with a few empty storefronts. I made my way to the New Glarus Primrose Winery where I was greeted with air conditioning and an array of wines. I chose the Summer Wine which is a wine infused with cherry juice. It was indeed a very refreshing drink.

With the early afternoon upon me, I started back to Madison to catch a matinee of A Scanner Darkly.