New Glarus Things to Do

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Dan Carey is brewing here all sorts of wonderful beers.Deb Carey is the charming director of the(now 2 breweries)Take a tour at the brewery and enjoy real brewing.The guys at the brewery take pride at their profession and their product.Well,the result is that we can enjoy brands like ,,Spotted cow``.I highly recommend a visit to the brewery,you will enjoy it!

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During spring, the annuals are planted, and the wildflowers begin to thrive in the countryside. New Glarus has a paved nature walk which is used by cyclists. At the entrance to town, the two intersect at the emblem of New Glarus.

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New Glarus settlers had an ample supply of forest from which to build their homes. The lumberyard, still in business, is reminiscent of the retail value of this lumber, now long since deforested. Similarly, the defunct railroad depot, adjacent to the highway and a nature trail, reminds one of a bygone era.

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These are among the oldest buildings in town. The church was actually moved from its former location outside of town to this hilltop location. The Town Hall served as a display of military collectibles on Memorial Day. New Glarus was well represented in the USA armed forces during WWII, a few of whom served as German language translators and decoders.

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Because this small town is so notable as a center of Swiss culture in the USA, there is a whole village museum devoted to telling the story of the founding of New Glarus and the culture of the settlers who arrived here. Unfortunately, the museum was closed on Memorial Day weekend, but here's a photo and a weblink. Visitors can expect to see how cheese is made and other such daily life activities among the settlers.

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There's a substantial cathedral on a hill that's central to New Glarus. Although the large building is well kept, I understand that the congregation has reduced to about 400 members. This building is certainly the most visible landmark in town, the New Glarus Swiss United Church of Christ website dates the congregation back to the very founding of the New World colony. Out front is the monument dedicated to the original settlers of New Glarus.

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New Glarus is very small and downtown can be walked in just a few minutes. The earliest commercial buildings date to the nineteen century, but the more notable quality of the architecture is the Swiss influence.

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Although the day was slightly overcast, it was otherwise beautiful for a small town parade. The New Glarus high school band played familiar John Philip Souza music and marched, while WWII either walked or rode. Fire Trucks and police escorted the parade while villagers and tourists lined the several block route. It doesn't last long, but in the afternoon the beer and wine producers, as well as farmers and restaurants fill up a downtown area for a feast.

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New Glarus is not a cute made for tourist Swiss town which is what you might think at first glance. Though indeed tourist do flock here to soak in the Swiss ambiance, it is such due to the high concentration of Swiss people who immigrated here and founded the town in 1845, naming it after the Canton of Glarus in their home country.

With most hotels and restaurants in the chalet style, flower beds the norm and the Swiss flag as popular as the US one, it is no wonder so many people fall in love with the place on first visit. Toss in some very authentic Swiss food, a bakery or two and one of the finest breweries in the region, and it's surprising that even more people don't pay it a visit.

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The New Glarus Brewery has been going strong since 1993 but despite its many awards, it has remained small and their beers are not available outside of its home state of Wisconsin. They brew some Germanic type beers which is understandable considering the make-up off the people of the town, largely descendants of that part of Europe. But their true claim to fame are their two fruit beers which use spontaneous fermentation as well as ample additions of fresh fruit to make some of the tastiest fruit beers in the world. Their Belgian Red has won a few Platinum medals at the World Beer Championships and it is largely regarded in the Top 10 Fruit beers in the world. If you do not like beer, this may be the one that changes your mind as long as you enjoy tart and refreshing beverages.

The have free self-guided tours and you can have three 3 oz tasters for $3.50. Please note, they only serve their tap beers in the brewery and the fruit beers are not generally on tap aside from the peak summer season.

A small gift shop sells glassware and clothes with their logos as well as all their beers in bottle form. The fruit beers come in 750 ml bottles and are not cheap though certainly not over-priced when you consider the Belgian Red has a pound of cherries in each bottle!

I paid $72 for a mixed six-pack and I believe six large bottles of the fruit beer.