New Glarus Brewing Company

New Glarus Brewing Co.
Independent
Industry Alcoholic beverage
Founded 1993
Headquarters New Glarus, Wisconsin, United States
Products Beer
Owner Dan and Deborah Carey
Website newglarusbrewing.com

The New Glarus Brewing Company is an American brewery founded in 1993. Located in New Glarus, Wisconsin, it is a small independently owned craft brewery. New Glarus Brewing Company is the 21st largest craft brewer and 32nd largest overall brewing company in the country.[1] The Green County, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation says the brewery has a direct and indirect economic impact of about $40 million a year.[2]

History

Deborah Carey, co-founder of the brewery, meets President Barack Obama in the White House, November 2012

The New Glarus Brewing Company was founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey as a gift for her husband, Daniel. Before starting the New Glarus Brewing Company, Dan Carey was an experienced diploma master brewer.[3] The brewery began in an abandoned warehouse with used brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey acquired the copper kettles from a brewery in Germany that was slated to be demolished. When the retiring German brewmaster learned that his kettles could be repurposed, he sold all of his equipment worth an estimated value of $1 million to the Careys for its scrap value of just over $24,000 US. New Glarus Brewing Company brewed its first beer in October of that year and began selling its product in December. Today the company brews a variety of beers, with its Spotted Cow label leading in sales. New Glarus brewing employs about 90 people today.[4]

In May 2006, New Glarus Brewing Company broke ground on a new $21 million facility on a hilltop on the south edge of the village of New Glarus. The facility was designed to look like a Bavarian village and has become a destination for tourists who visit New Glarus. The original facility drew an estimated 25,000 visitors annually, but the expanded facility likely will draw up to 150,000 people a year.[5] Production at the company's old facility had topped-out at over 65,000 barrels a year.[6] The new 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) facility was expected to increase production, and in 2014, New Glarus Brewing was on track to brew 165,000 barrels. A new cellar could give the facility the storage space to brew 300,000 barrels in a year.[4] The expansion will enable the company to increase production of its "Thumbprint", fruit, barrel-aged, and R&D beers. Construction was completed on schedule, and the Hilltop brewery opened in 2008.[7] In 2014, the brewery released its first beers from its wild fruit cave, a specialized addition to its original facility (commonly referred to as the Riverside Brewery) that incorporates wild yeasts and other microorganism used in brewing.[8]

Spotted Cow

The company's best-selling brand is Spotted Cow, first brewed in 1997,[9] Spotted Cow is a cask-conditioned farmhouse ale, sweetened with corn. New Glarus brews about 45,000 barrels of the beer a year, which accounts for about 40% of all the beer New Glarus makes a year.[10] Spotted Cow has been the best-selling draft beer in the state for a number of years [9] and is considered one of the most well-known beers in Wisconsin.[11]

Spotted Cow uses 100% natural ingredients. No high fructose corn syrup or any additives are used in the brewing process. It has a light amber color and a slightly cloudy appearance. Spotted Cow is one of New Glarus' unfiltered brews, meaning the brewer's yeast is still in it.[12] The brewer's yeast will sometimes settle at the bottom of bottles. Spotted Cow has a 4.8% ABV.[13]

New Glarus owners Deborah and Dan Carey said the name Spotted Cow was actually inspired by sheep on a trip to England.[14]

Other beers

The Wisconsin Belgian Red, a fruity Belgian lambic-style ale brewed with Montmorency cherries from Door County, Wisconsin, has won awards in beer competitions around the world, and has ranked in the 100th percentile (highest possible average rating) among the critical beer drinkers at RateBeer.com. The Uff-da Bock, which is a bit stronger than most bocks, is also popular.

New Glarus Brewing Company brews five beers that are available year-round.[15] In addition, the company produces seven seasonal varieties, including a winter Coffee Stout, lighter summer offerings like Dancing Man Wheat, and a fall Staghorn Oktoberfest. "Thumbprint Series" beers are released at the brewers discretion (usually 4 times per year). These are limited-release brews by owner/brewmaster Dan Carey. There are also limited brewery only releases called the "R&D Series" sold in 500 ml. bottles. Some of their beers have rather unusual names, like Stone Soup, and Pumpkin Pie Lust.

Distribution

New Glarus beers are distributed exclusively in Wisconsin[16] by 17 independent wholesalers. Many grocery and convenience stores in Wisconsin carry Spotted Cow and a few other varieties, and many Wisconsin bars have Spotted Cow on tap. Wisconsin Belgian Red and Raspberry Tart are available only in 750 mL bottles and quarter-barrels (29.3 L); the remaining brews are sold in standard 12-fl oz (U.S.) bottles, in six- and four-packs or cases, and in quarter- and half-barrels. From 1998 to 2002, the company's brews were also sold in Illinois, with a majority of its sales in greater Chicago. New Glarus actually pulled Spotted Cow from Illinois shelves in 2002 because the company was struggling to meet demand for it in Wisconsin.[17] Deborah Carey also said the often messy "pay to play" approach, sometimes the only route to get a beer on bar/restaurant taps in major U.S. markets, further supported the brewery's limited distribution.[4]

In 2009, a New York City bar was raided and fined for illegally selling Spotted Cow.[18] In 2015, a bar in Maple Grove, Minnesota, also was caught illegally selling Spotted Cow after the establishment's owner allegedly purchased kegs in Wisconsin and took them back to Minnesota for retail sale. [19]

Awards

New Glarus Brewing Company has been one of the most award-winning brewers of its size.[20] It won two bronze medals at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival in Denver.[21] Spotted Cow has won a variety of awards over the years, including Best Drink in Wisconsin in 2009 by Bon Appetit magazine.[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Brewers Association | 404". Beertown.org. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  2. ↑ "Best Small Town of New Glarus, Wisconsin History". Smalltowngems.com. 2008-11-15. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  3. ↑ "New Glarus Brewing". New Glarus Brewing. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  4. 1 2 3 Alex Gary Register Star Media (2014-08-31). "Distribution: The beer you can't get here - Special - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL". Rrstar.com. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  5. ↑ Daykin, Tom (2012-09-01). "New Glarus Brewing Co. attracts a crowd". Jsonline.com. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  6. ↑ Brew, Sconnie (2012-03-04). "What do A Spotted Cow, A Fat Squirrel and A Moon Man have in common? |". Sconniebrew.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  7. ↑ Shepard, Robin. "New Glarus Brewing marks its 20th anniversary with expansion, special Belgian Dubbel ale - Isthmus | Madison, Wisconsin". Isthmus. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  8. ↑ Shepard, Robin. "New Glarus Brewing debuts the first sour beers from its wild fruit cave - Isthmus | Madison, Wisconsin". Isthmus. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  9. 1 2 "New Glarus Brewing bottles love for Wisconsin". GazetteXtra. 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  10. ↑ "New Glarus tapped SBA resources from start - The Business Journals". Bizjournals.com. 2013-06-14. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  11. ↑ Robin Shepard. "New Glarus Brewing marks its 20th anniversary with expansion, special Belgian Dubbel ale - Isthmus". The Daily Page. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  12. ↑ "New Glarus Brewing". New Glarus Brewing. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  13. ↑ "Spotted Cow | New Glarus Brewing Company | New Glarus, WI". BeerAdvocate. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  14. ↑ ROB THOMAS (2011-06-16). "New Glarus Spotted Cow has won over beer snobs and newbies alike". The Capital Times. Host.madison.com. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  15. ↑ "New Glarus Brewing". New Glarus Brewing. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  16. ↑ "Beer Man: Clean, tad sweet Edel Pils satisfies". Usatoday.com. 2013-07-06. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  17. ↑ "Brewer's success to leave Illinois flat - Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. 2002-12-04. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  18. ↑ John Del Signore in Food on Nov 27, 2009 5:05 pm (2009-11-27). "SLA Raids Bar for Selling Wisconsin Beer". Gothamist. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  19. ↑ http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/28834180/spotted-cow-beer-sold-illegally-at-bar-in-maple-grove-minn
  20. ↑ "New Glarus Brewing". New Glarus Brewing. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  21. ↑ "Capital, New Glarus medal at Great American Beer Festival : Wsj". Host.madison.com. 2009-09-28. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  22. ↑ "New Glarus Brewing". New Glarus Brewing. Retrieved 2014-05-08.

Coordinates: 42°47′40.19″N 89°37′56.59″W / 42.7944972°N 89.6323861°W / 42.7944972; -89.6323861

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