New Glarus - Laughing Fox
Beer Review
The Looks
When you see this beer you immediately recognize from the labels, packaging, and artwork that you are about to enjoy a delicious New Glarus beer. From the name of the beer, Laughing Fox, you expect some pretty playful and creative artwork, which is exactly what you get on the wrap. We see a very happy fox on the label and you can almost picture that this character was pulled from a Disney movie. From the first look on the outside of the bottle you have no choice but to smile and get excited for the beer you are about to drink!
Inside the bottle we get a beautiful amber-orange color, calling back to the label and the Fox. The beer is clear, which makes the light coming through the glass a masterpiece of art. Purely from a visual standpoint, this beer has almost nothing that you could dislike.
The Smell
As soon as you pop the top on the Laughing Fox, there will be a fruity and spice filled aroma. I personally got hints of banana right off of the bat, as well as various other fruits. It’s not very citrusy, and that’s odd because we typically find that note in numerous ales. You will also be hit with cinnamon and caramel which gives it that autumnal vibe, and will draw you to take that first sip.
The Taste
Laughing Fox is as smooth as beers come. With the creamy foam helping to bring the flavors out, you will taste a fruity, sweet, and rich beer. That being said it drinks very light and similar to a pilsner. When your visuals expect a rich medium bodied or heavy beer, you are almost fooled with how light the beer is. This in turn also reflects in the ABV content as some beers similar to this fall around the 7% range, this one sits at a cool 4.5%. This beer would pair well with a Packer or Badger tailgate brat on a cool fall day, or if you are classier than us three, you could pair it with a nice aged cheddar or gruyere, finish it off with a piece of carrot cake and you are going to go into a very pleasant food coma.
Final Thoughts
This beer was built for fall. All the flavors scream to be out in the leaves or sitting around a campfire. This is exactly what I am looking for at this time of year as it slowly eases me into the porter/stout season. My main issue with the beer however, is that it almost fools you too much. From the dark colors and spiced notes coming from the beer you expect one thing but taste another, and that can ruin your experience. While I was able to taste all the fruits and spices clearly in the beer my other two hosts were not, which may be why I rated the beer as high as I did. That being said with the weather sitting in the mid 40’s this week, I have a feeling it won’t last very long in my fridge at home.
For our full review of the beer, and our instant reactions to it, check out Episode 4 on the Cold Takes Colder Brews podcast!