Thumbprint Oud Bruin
New Glarus Brewing Company

 

 

Dusty old 2014, last one in March 2020. This one mellowed quite a bit, particularly the overbearing oak, but it never quite did it for me. Nose has chocolate and plum, flavor is more muted with red berries, dark caramel, and chocolate covered cherries. A bit thin. Overall good but not great.

 

Look: The beer pours murky, but translucent. Murky iced tea color. Amber - ruby brown. One finger of light khaki colored head settles to a thin layer across the top of the beer, with a thicker ring around the edge of the glass. No visible carbonation. A really beautiful looking beer in the natural light. Actually, quite stunning.

Smell: Sweet and sour. Red delicious apple, malt vinegar, brown raisin, fig, prune, brown sugar, rotting plum. The aroma on the beer is pretty nice, but the rotting fruit takes away a bit. There is some unpleasant aging coming through that leaves the aroma a bit stale and funky.

Taste: On the tip of the tongue some mild lemon acidity and white vinegar shifting to some sweet and sour cherry. Mid palate things sweeten up a bit to prune, rotting plum and watered down apple cider. The beer dries out quickly and nicely.

Feel: Very nice. Crisp and light on the palate with some prickly carbonation. A dry finish which I enjoy. No jowl hitting acidity.

Overall: I think this one suffers a bit from age. With that said, there are some wonderful elements present that I enjoy in the style. It’s still quite drinkable and overall enjoyable, but the acidity and tartness are a bit lacking for me, while the stale fruit flavor and aroma detracts from the bright and lively characteristic I enjoy in the style.

Bottled 1/22/16; drank 8/19/16 @ the Yarchives.

Opaque dark purple rust appearance.

A rough pour yielded a nice khaki head; decent, frothy lace.

Black cherry & tart raspberry notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Black cherry & raspberry flavors up front; refreshing soda water bite with a mildly tart edge on the finish.

Refreshing dark fruit soda vibes here; simple, clean & very well executed. I'd love another...

 

 

 

2016 vintage

A: Poured into a tulip glass to a deep mahogany topped by a finger of dense off white head which fades co a collar around the edge of the glass leaving some nice lacing.
S: Smells of leather, balsamic vinegar, caramel and stewed cherries. Probably one of the more interesting noses I've smelled in a long time
T: Taste is blasamic vinegar acidity with some savory notes, leather, and cherry fruit leather with a little strawberry. Slight vanilla and a hint of oak. Swallow is leather, caramel, and lingering savory notes with more rich cherry and strawberry fruit leather flavors.
M: This beer has a surprising amount of body at this abv with a mouthfeel that is on the heavy side of things. Very smooth and slightly viscous while carbonation is low but more than adequate. This beer has a drying finish from the acidity as well.
O: This beer is kind of a mind bender. I'm not sure what I'm drinking but I know that I like it. The fruity notes and the savory notes really make this one stand out as something truly different. I've honestly never had a beer quite like this one. Definitely worth a try if you can get your hands on it.

 

2016 bottle poured into a snifter. A muddy copper-rust color with a thin tan head. Tart cherries, apple cinnamon, toffee, and funk on the aroma. The taste reminds me of cinnamon apple pie with tart cherries and a slight funk. Faint caramel and toffee. Medium bodied with a high carbonation level consistent with the style. Very nice.

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: brown with ruby (claret) hues and some haze. A light tan 1/8-finger spritzes up and fades quickly.

Aroma: cherries and light oak with some mild must.

Flavor: sweet cherries with medium tartness. There is a distinct mineraliness. Sweet, a bit too much to drink more than one.

Mouthfeel: heavy-medium. I perceive this as perhaps heavier than it actually is due to NG’s typically sweet syrupy bodied beers. (Raspberry Tart, Cranbic).

Overall: a fine effort. A bit sweet, especially for the style, but is consistent with NG’s other offerings. Worthwhile, but NG’s Belgian Red still reigns supreme in the portfolio.

 

 

 

 

Hey check it out, I'm reviewing a beer from one of the best breweries in the world.

Pours a chesnut brown color, not thick or ruddy, this one has the most clarity you can have prolly for something of this color. Gleaming the cube. Nice lighter brown head in the 3/8" range. Aroma hits of brown malt, oak, mild tartness.

Taste has more brown malt, oak, toffee, dark cherry note to it. Carbonation is right where it should be. Tannins for days from the oak? Sourness is in that mild and to style range. When I have these oud bruins, it feels like you're getting whisked into a time machine to drink some 19th century beer. That's cool.

2016 vintage 12 oz bottle.

Pours a slightly hazy dark ruby. Has a 1.5 finger tan head. Great lacing.

Aroma emerges as soon as the beer is open. Tart cherries and apples with an oaky smokey undertone. Lots of funk.

Taste packs a sour punch. Loads of apples and oak. Honestly the oak is insane on this one.

Feel Is medium to light body. Good carbonation. Drier finish.

Overall another fantastic beer from New Glarus. Age treated this one kindly. Hope I can find a few more... I would strongly recommend Enigma by NG if you enjoy this beer.

 

 

 

Got in a trade with The-Adjunct-Hippie. 12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 1/22/2016. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red/light copper/brown color with a 2 finger dense light khaki head with great retention that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of big tart cherry, cranberry, raisin, plum, currant, lemon, green apple, red grape, caramel, brown sugar, toasted oak, brown bread, hay, and straw; with lighter notes of vanilla, leathery funk, red wine vinegar, pepper, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak barrel, and dark/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tart cherry, cranberry, raisin, plum, currant, lemon, green apple, red grape, caramel, brown sugar, toasted oak, brown bread, hay, and straw; with lighter notes of vanilla, leathery funk, red wine vinegar, pepper, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness and light yeast/tannic oak spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of tart cherry, cranberry, raisin, plum, currant, lemon, green apple, red grape, caramel, brown sugar, toasted oak, brown bread, light vanilla/nuttiness, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak barrel, and dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/tartness balance, with zero puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light dryness from tartness/acidity, lightly increasing through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy/acidic, and lightly tannic balanced mouthfeel that is awesome. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.6%. Overall this is a fantastic Flanders brown ale! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak barrel, and dark/bready malt flavors; very smooth and refreshing to drink, thanks to the mellow tartness/acidity. Amazing yeast/malt complexity and balance; with nice oak presence. A highly enjoyable offering.

 

 

 

 

2016 vintage poured into a snifter at cellar temperature.

The appearance is a beautiful dark reddish brown with a murky haze making it pretty much opaque.

The aroma is tart cherry, slight acetic notes, oak woodiness, green apple, and red wine.

The tastes follow the nose with tart cherry, green apple, some acidity, red wine and some oak. Also a nice nutty and bready malt presence.

The palate is nice and light with a good zing of carbonation. Dry and tannin like as well which is reminiscent of red wine.

Overall this is another great beer from New Glarus that is good bang for your buck in terms of oak aged sours. Definitely tart but not too overpowering.

Thanks to dmbforever for sending this as part of our trade! Reviewed from (long-standing) notes. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into an unmarked snifter glass.

A: Dark hazy gold, with a good amount of visible carbonation and a finger of off-white head with average retention.

S: Acetic acid tang, tart cherries, and some bready malt in the background.

T: This is acetic up front, but less sour and in-your-face than the smell suggested. More vinous and vinegar, some tart cherries and the lightly toasted bready malts. A citric lemony bite, and it finishes with a lingering acetic acidity.

M: Light-bodied, but it comes across as a bit watery. Carbonation sensation on the low side, and has very low alcohol.

O: I feel like this missed the mark a bit, especially in the acetic/tang character. Perhaps appropriate for someone’s first foray into oud bruin territory? Not great, but certainly drinkable.

 

 

Cloudy burgundy nearing dark purple at times, with a frothy, soft, light tan head leaving some clingy lace.

Smell is spiced and slightly acetic balsamic vinegar, yet lactic too, with nutty, woody, oaky fig, cherry, raspberry gummies, and a little roasted malt, turning to dry Merlot after a bit of sniffing.

Taste is green and red apple, slightly tart cherry, not the acidic sour I was thinking it might be. Nicely balanced between tart, sour and smooth, soft and frothy with some grape and a hint of red wine.

Wow this beer is way better than the average rating listed here. I guess it's not rare enough.