Thumbprint Spiced Ale
New Glarus Brewing Company

Appearance is deep golden with a hint of orange, clear, with a thick white head. Aroma is an intense mix of oak, vanilla, citrus, cinnamon, ginger, and caramel. Taste starts with rich caramel and toffee and gives way to a woody, oak flavor with the addition of vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger. Mouthfeel is medium to heavy with a moderate carbonation and a strong alcohol warming. Finishes dry, with a lingering oak and vanilla flavor.

I bought a 4-pack almost 30 months ago and spaced out the tastings, in part hoping the alcohol would mellow and, also, that the spices and malts would mature together.
Only the latter happened. The spices are more subtle and the brew slightly sweeter.
But the alcohol, New Glarus needs to tame that.
Does Spiced Ale deserve to be on New Glarus' site page of "Beers We Have Known and Loved" ? Since I presume the "we" includes me, a devotee, my answer is a cautionary "yes"

 

Smells awesome. Vegetal, Fall warming spices of nugmeg, cinnamon and ginger. Not to sweet, semi dry finish. Great medium thick mouthfeel. Coats your pallet. This is up there with the best Fall beers I've ever had. Solid.

12oz bottle poured into a nonic.
(A)- Pours a deep and dark caramel colored amber. Produced a giant cap of frothy white with great retention and thick rings of lacing all the way down the glass as it slowly dissipated.
(S)- A rich and welcoming spice box. Clove, vanilla, toffee, caramel, nutmeg, and cinnamon on the make for one sexy aroma.
(T)- Quite similar to the smell. This lovely rich sweetness of caramel and toffee meets a very rustic but deep spice flavors that work very well together without it tasting muddled.
(M)- A good carbonation level meets a superb balance of spice and sweet richness without being too rich or heavy.
(O)- A wonderful beer. Everything works so well together. Not sure if an old ale, american strong, or winter warmer, but in any case this is superb and would be a great alternative to a pumpkin ale during the colder months

 

 

Good deal of cinnamon and nutmeg, almost like a winter warmer like beer.

Lightly hazed amber orange, plenty of foam initially, settles to a fingers width of skim and chunks of lace hanging around the edges of the glass.

Aroma is pleasant, caramelized plantains in syrup, toffee, nutmeg, cinnamon. Nicely complex and far better than the majority of Winter Warmers I've had.

Medium bodied with slightly low carb and packed with flavor. Banana esters, light buttery vanilla oak traces, nutmeg, cinnamony cassia that doesn't put off any heat. A little rum-like. Not overwhelming, an interesting unique mix of flavors. Can't say I've had an oak aged winter warmer before. Overall this isn't as bad as some have made it out to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is an interesting beer....would put it on par with most winter/Xmas ales. The beer pours a rich amber with white head that is leaving a nice lace. The scent is pine, nut meg and cinnamon. The taste follows the scent closely. Themouthfeel is medium in body with decent carbonation. Overall its good....but one is enough for me.