Jesus M. Crow on Crutches that is an amazing beer. Cherry pie. Shared a four-year-old bottle with a friend last Sunday. Wow.
Glad you enjoyed it. I’m trying to get my hands on their Hefeweizen.
It is possibly one of my favorite beers. I pick up a couple bottles every time I’m in Wisconsin.
Even if you don’t like it, you can pick some up and make a good trade. People go nuts for it (rightly so).
I’m glad you guys posted on this today, reminded me I have a bottle of Enigma I need to drink 
Strange Brewing in Denver makes a beer that is about 80% of Wisconsin Belgian Red. They nail the major part of the character (unfermented high quality Montmorency juice) but I doubt the base beer is as good as Enigma.
They call it Cherry Creek. It is play on words but is named after the nearby geographical feature of the same name and is not a lambic style or even sour beyond the tartness from the cherry.
I am lucky to have several club members who go to Great Taste of the Midwest each year so probably average a glass of this every couple of months. If that dries up, I’ll start trading for it.
Drained the bottle of Enigma last night. Pretty darn tasty stuff.
What’s the Enigma like?
I had some of that at GABF several years ago. It was one of the few beers I went back for and had a second sample. Intensely sour as I recall. A subsequent trip to the brewery in Wisconsin led me to believe they only made it once. Is it a regular now?
I believe they have made it several times. They definitely made it last year.
The unverified rumor is that it is the base for Wisconsin Belgian Red.
I plan on visiting the brewery later this summer, so I’ll make it a point to look for it and ask how often they brew it.
and to ask for the Belgian Red recipe…
Never hurts to ask… ;D
Here’s a pretty good description from long ago (2005):
[quote]The beer poured into the chalice almost clear golden medium amber with an off-white head which rose tall and fell very slowly to lace the glass.
The aroma was a melding of oak aroma and bourbon. Neither aroma was overpowering and both worked well together. Behind that was a light fruitiness which was hard to distinguish between cherry or raspberry.
The flavor was fruity and slightly sour, or better termed as acidic. The flavor was distinctly cherry, but more subdued than say Cherry Tart (Wisconsin Belgian Red), much more. The cherry flavor was tempered with oak that finally finished out as a bourbon, but was only subtle, never overdone.
The finish was dry and crisp with lasting cherry which transformed on the palate in the finish to oak and later to light bourbon. The body was medium and the carbonation was spot on.
This beer, probably one of the few released from the brewery was worthy of asking about if you ever visit. Most bourbon beers are overdone and perhaps overrated, but this one is subtle and sublime. A mix of fruit beer and bourbon and a wonderful way.
Purchased for $10 in 2003 at the brewery on a private tour prior to Great Taste of the Midwest, unlabeled with only a gold crown cap on a green 750 ml bottle. At least 12 other people purchased a bottle(s). I wish I had another bottle, and had been waiting for the right moment to open this one. It should have been stored for even longer and a more special occasion, but today seemed like the day. The reason was GT tickets went on sale today even though I will not be able to attend this year.
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Note: the bottle I had last night was from the Unplugged series which IIRC I purchased in MadTown last year (2010).
Note: the bottle I had last night was from the Unplugged series which IIRC I purchased in MadTown last year (2010).
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Gives me an idea to do something with peaches and bourbon. Peach cobbler beer… mmmm…
Sounds like a Beer Advocate review. Anything that starts with how a beer pours.
It was, a very very old one