New Glarus Unplugged Smoked Rye Bock

Rich imported malts are dominated by our Bamberg smoked malted barley as well as Wisconsin rye. Special Bavarian Weiss beer yeast was imported to ferment this beer in the bottle. This is a big, dark beer appropriate for lying down or drinking immediately.

3.6

159 reviews

New Glarus, United States

Community reviews

3.3 12 oz. bottle shared by shigadeyo. Pours a mostly clear (with the exception of the plethora of chunks floating in it) honey color with a white ring around the edges. The aroma had a subtle malty sweetness, mild fruits and hints of the smoke that this beer was once about. The flavor has a little more smoke than the nose, a hint of the rye bite, moderate maltiness, and light ripe fruit. Medium bodied and no hint of the 12%. I may have been thrown off by the incredible amount of chunks floating in this, but it seemed way past its prime.

3.5 12oz Bottle. 2005. Flickr(http://www.flickr.com/photos/26049401@N08/3853541103/) A bit of dusty, old, vinous bacon shows in the first nosing. Damp, chilly, and restrained. Noticeably smoky, however. Flavor swells in a generic sugar rage, but then lets off a steam of smoked pork hock, a bit of wet charcoal, and some grill marks. Again, even warming in the mouth, the flavor seems awfully held back. Heady carbonation flushes out a really creamy and thick texture in the beer, with dense sugars and a light rye spritz. Well oxidized (somehow even moreso than the Triple three years this beer’s senior). Having trouble getting whooped up about this one. It gives the impression of a lightly smoked, lightly rye-d high gravity lager, but it doesn’t really excel in the any of these categorie. A good idea, but maybe on that doesn’t stand the test of time well.

4.0 Bottle on 07/18/2009. Clear dark amber body with a medium frothy off-white head. Good smoke aroma with some rye and floral hop notes. Sweet smoke flavor, light bacon, with floral hops and a rye background. Medium body with moderate carbonation.

3.8 Bottle courtesy of maniac at Immy’s Backyard Throwdown. Rusty amber pour. Aroma is smoky and sweet with hint of malt and caramel. Taste is smoke, smoldering wood, caramel, and spicy hops. Body is medium with a dense, soft carbonation. Ends with more smokiness, caramel, spicy hop notes and sweet malt. Yummy!

3.8 12 oz. bottle courtesy of maniac and shared at Immy’s Backyard Throwdown (big thanks to maniac for sharing this rare beer). Pours yellow/pale orange in color with an off-white head. Aroma of bubblegum, smoke, caramel, and spiciness. Interesting and complex flavor with some faint smoke. Not the most eloquent review ever written but not one that I could pass up. I really enjoyed this one.

3.6 BIG thanks to maniac for sharing this with me... a long retired beer from my all-time favorite brewery. So glad to have tried this. Shared at Immy’s Backyard Throwdown. Pours an amber color with a medium head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma is caramel and mild smoky notes. Taste is caramel, light smoke and faint hop bitterness. Medium bodied. Well balanced. Very nice beer.

4.0 This is testament to why Dan Carey is awesome. I recently had one of these and i swear it was smokier than it was when it was fresh (three or four years ago I think)! The alcohol is almost undetectable, and I can not believe it is at 12%! This has the body and mouth feel of a fantastic hefe weizen with plenty of smokiness of a rauch, which seems to balance well with the dryness of the rye and the fruitiness that is ever-present. Delicious!

3.4 Thanks to iowaherkeye for bringing this bottle to his ’farewell to Iowa’ tasting. Poured a slightly hazy medium orange color with an off white head. A good amount of chunky sediment was bouncing around on the CO2 bubbles. Smelled like a mix of toffee and a nice malt liquor (if there is such as thing). I didn’t smell any significant smoke. Full bodied and sweet with a warming alcohol effect and mild accompanying bitterness. Oily mouth feel with caramel, subdued buttery toffee, and light smoke flavors. Very smooth and slick. This was my first taste of this brew, but others at the tasting thought it was a bit beyond it’s prime.

3.7 Bottle from IowaHerkeye - thanks Joey. Bourbon aroma with notes of caramel, sugar, cheese and some yeast. Golden brown and a little chunky. Woody, yeasty, sweet caramel and smoky flavors. Creamy smooth palate.

3.6 Bottle from badbeer, thanks! Pours a hazy light orange color with no head. Thick and syrupy with sweet malty yeasty aroma. The taste was sweet with flavors of caramel,various spices. No smoke here y’all... Rick and thick mouthful.

3.8 12oz. bottle. Hazy orangeish color, not much of a head. Sweet yeasty aroma. Very smooth, slight smokiness, a little alcohol in the finish. really good.

3.7 12oz bottle from Badbeer. Pours a brown/orange color with a fizzy-ish white head. Smells a little smokey and malty, yeasty sweet. Tastes just faintly smokey. More sweet and sugary than anything alse. A little oxidation. A little on the syrupy side, good carbonation.

3.9 Fall 2005 bottle consumed January 2008. Poured very carefully so as to avoid the mountain of sediment at the bottom, but to no avail. The body is a hazy, glowing orange amber with alot of floating particulate and sediment. A small, foamy, off-white head settles quickly to a wispy film with a small edge. Nice micro-bubble carbonation is still showing, despite its age. Minimal, sudsy spots of lacing dot the glass. The aroma is rich and inviting, though not overly complex. Decadent caramel malts blend well with lightly smoked grains, and the unmistakable scent of still fresh rye. A bit of a boozy element is present, which caused me to look up the ABV.......12%! Wow, I am surprised by that. Moving on to the flavor, sweet caramel again shows strong, followed by increasingly strong smoked grains. That sharp rye component acts more as an overtone. There is a bit of oxidation showing, but not enough to significantly detract from the goodness of this brew. I’d bet that this was well cellared, as it has kept up nicely. The mouthfeel is medium in stature, silky smooth and still moderately lively. Finishes with medium duration, with rye being the primary lasting element. I would love to try a fresh example of this, and can only hope that Dan Carey will brew it again. For now, I am content to have sampled a truly unique, if not slightly past its prime, artistically molded brew.

2.2 12oz bottle. thanks to pantanap for saving some for me. pours lots of sediment light brown with thin white head. the aroma is pretty oxidized, a sour rye bread mostly with hint of smoke. flavor is much of the same, probably way past its prime.

3.3 bottle.....poured a lifeless apple cider brown with only off-white wisps that resembles any type of head.....aroma was sweet medicinal, very sugary, and some wheat/rye qualities (reminded me of batch 8k) and the slightest amount of roastiness....taste was sugary, malty, and lightly spiced. a little honey and a pervading alcohol presence. it was difficult to pick up any smoky undertones.....is this really a smoked?

3.2 From a 12oz Bottle. Mostly transparent, honey orange colored pour with a dissipating head of fizzy off-white. Aromas of light smoke and jewish rye bread. Some spicy bubblegum and clove yeast phenolic characters present as well as some fruity banana esters. Medium-full bodied, creamy mouthfeel. My initial impression was that this was way too sweet, but considering the 12% ABV, the weight isn’t surprising or unusual. Sweet malty beginning, saturated with sticky caramels and clover honey, and then transitions into a darker rye flavor. The smoke character really begins to pick up mid-palate, but gets swallowed up in the finish, which is too sweet to allow the pleasing rye or nutty malt tones too linger.

4.6 Review from Jan. 8, 2006 Pours a hazy golden orange color with a half inch of head that leaves excellant lacing. Smell is wonderful with banana, yeast, bread, bubblegum, and a very slight smokiness. Slight smokiness in the taste, banana, clove, and various breads finished with a bit of orange at the end. Mouthfeel is full bodied with little carbonation making this silky smooth. Drinkability, if I had more of this or better access my fridge would be full of this.

3.8 Badgerben’s Cellar Reduction night. Dark orange color with fain head. Rye with a faint smoked character on the nose. Sweet smoked malt with a definite rye character. Faint tartness as in all Unplugged beers I’ve tried.

3.0 12oz bottle, courtesy of Schutzenliesel. Thanks, Tom! Tons of flakey protein in this one (Mike got the first pour, which was much clearer); hazy, yellowish-orange color; small off-white head. Light smoke and overripe fruits in the aroma; an odd, grainy funkiness. Medium mouthfeel: light smokiness and rye at the front; funky, overripe fruits and a surprisingly large show of alcohol; muddle and past its prime. Medium, toasted grain and smoke in the finish; very light, spicy smoke presence.

4.0 Tawny orange colored body with a series of slow-crawling bubbles from the bottle of the glass. I got the first pour and mine was mostly clear, just a bit of chill haze, while others has some large protein globules. Sweet briny nose of honey, corn, malt liquor and chemical cleaner, and only a soft presence of the smoke grains (smoked rye?). The flavor is where it shows up, though, with smoky, sharp, biting corn and then a chewy and thick rye body. The rye presence is very heavy, but it’s actually really tasty, unlike most other rye beer. The smoke isn’t even a meaty smoke, it’s not like jerky, BBQ or smoked salmon, instead it’s distinguishable simply as smoked rye, which is nice to see. Interesting stuff. Weird but really good.

3.7 (bottle thanks Badgerben) Pours amber with little head. Aroma is quite smoky with a little tart apple too. Taste is very smoky, very reminiscent of smoked gouda cheese, with light tartness. Medium bodied, not too bad.

3.9 A nice smoke aroma and smoke in the flavor. Some wheat throughout. Minimal rye, but it is there. Cloudy brown appearance. A winner, like all unplugged beers.

3.6 From a 12-oz bottle shared by badgerben, pours a hazy dark amber brew with a thin off-white and fast dissolving head that leaves behind a film top and ring. Aroma of light multi-grain malt, some smoked wood, banana esters and a touch of yeast. Taste is medium bodied, hardly any carbonation with falvors of multi-grain malt, bubblegum, and some yeast. Finish is semi-dry, a little metalic and a slight banana aftertaste. Not as tart as the regular unplugged series beers but still quite drinkable for a two-year aged beer.

3.8 An attractive white foam sits atop the almond-brown body crowded with particles of yeast. Esters are vibrant on the nose, promulgating ample banana, bubble gum, pineapple and mango. Smoky apricots and hints of honey glazed ham provide a fairly subtle play on the rauchbier theme, though the tease is a bit overdressed. Clove, black pepper, hints of caramelized grains and a vegetal, almost artichoke-like odor add to the rich complexity. The rye is revealed in the flavor more than the aroma, and is accompanied by a smoky honey aspect that once again isn’t as ambitious as I would have liked. Fortunately the strong variety of flavors and textures is welcome and well executed. Orange, mango and passion fruit provide a tropical balance to the austerity of a working man’s grain, though offset by more conventional combinations of vanilla and apple sauce, pumpkin and cinammon, as well as toffee and ham. Soft, easy to drink, but rich and buttery all the same. The alcohol is impalpable – an impressive feat at an alleged 12% by volume. A small project that yields a memorable brew, it’s again the talent of New Glarus’ brewers.

3.6 Date: 05/05/2005 Mode: Bottle Source: Ale Atlanta dark amber, whispy head, big rich sweet malt aroma, rich sweet malt flavor, just enought bitterness to stay invisable but keep it from being too sweet, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 06/17/2005 floral hop aroma, big hop flavor, a touch of alcohol -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 03/10/2006 Words: Bottle Words: Trade clear copper with lots of yeast floaties, thin off white head, sweet smoked aroma, big body, rich malty flavor, nice carmel sweetness, light smoked character, light bitterness, a wonderful malty sweet bock with the addition of a nice smoked character that is primarily aroma but adds a slight bitter edge to the flavor Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20 Rating: 3.6/5.0 Drinkability: 7/10 Score: ***/4

3.2 12oz bottle via trade, with KingpinIPA, thanks dude. Pours orange with a thin ring of white. The nose is very smoky with a touch of citrus. The taste is smoky a bit brash with some citrus in there as well. The smoke is pretty present which I would guess makes sense with the style. Overall interesting and pretty balanced.

3.3 Recived two bottles from my buddy Adam. Cloudy, orange, amber color with particals floating around. Smell of smoke, rye, malt, oranges, sour milk and burnt leaves. It almost smells like a fall day and your a$$ hole of a neighbor is burning his leaves and all the smoke is going into your house. Taste of smoke, yeast, sugar, malt, oranges, lemons, rye, cigaretts, Kodiack chewing tobacco, wood, sweet and very thick and chewey. I am glad I had this again and this time rating it. Very different!

3.9 The greatest thing to come out of a deli is a fresh slice of rye bread slathered with good mustard. The meat and cheese is inconsequential by the time the spreading knife hits the grain. A simple slice of bread and that golden paste would be enough for me to survive on for years to come. Good to know should I ever get dumped on a deserted island with a decade’s worth of bread and mustard. When it came to my attention that there was a beer that took on the wondrous qualities of rye I was ecstatic and demanded it post-haste. Via trade, Kepano delivered with all speed, and the tasting was arranged and executed. The head is a basic spongiferous texture, with spheres of all sizes composing a greater convex lens of suds. Sadly this lasts only a moment before fizzling down to nothing. The body is brown yet brass, with a dirty shine like a mud spattered weapon of war. The smell of rye gambols out of the glass with alacrity, just as promised, but other interesting smells accompany it too. Dry hay and grains help me imagine I’m drinking this on a local farm, while other smells of pumpkin, toasted sesame seeds and yam support the food leitmotif. Talcum powder and Elmer’s glue are also present, but are more strange than bad. Also as I had hoped, the taste is richly savory, beginning with sudsy carbonation and a tepid hop character in the initial bitter stage, and then gushing with hunger inducing flavors of rye, yeast, lemon and caramel. Slight woody notes and a panegyric to apple sauce and boiled carrots make up the fine details of the rye bock, finishing off an artless dedication to the deli rye bread before delving into the aftertaste. Everything but the pure, unadulterated rye flavor peels away, leaving the aftertaste a deserving farewell of flavor and an apposite finish to a beer that prides itself on its likeness to the taste of good rye. All of this combined with a spritely, light than expected mouth feel makes for an extremely drinkable beer, and one I may sooner pick up than trudging to the nearest chain deli were it not retired.

2.3 This baby is way past its prime. Aroma of yeast, smoke, and butter. Tons of suspened sediment in the pour, and a crazy-huge head. Creamy palate. Taste is buttered bacon with some rye malt. Hard to finish at this point.

3.2 golden, orange body with small off-white head...aroma of bread, wheat, soggy socks, and butterscotch..flavor iis a like eating a sour, funky, sweaty, soggy piece of bread...diacetyl present...like smoke in finish...it also has lemon and herbal hints...very bizarre