[1] 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.

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.

Today the company brews a variety of beers, with its Spotted Cow label leading in sales.

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

[14] 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.

[16] 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.

New Glarus actually pulled Spotted Cow from Illinois shelves in 2002 because the company was struggling to meet demand for it in Wisconsin.

[4] 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.

[21] Spotted Cow has won a variety of awards over the years, including Best Drink in Wisconsin in 2009 by Bon Appetit magazine.