Thumbprint Apple Ale
New Glarus Brewing Company

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Pours light red with a small off white head. Smells of apple and other sour fruit. Tastes of apple, tart with just enough sweetness. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, a very good beer.

 

I enjoyed this beer; were extremely strong and very sweet. It almost felt like drinking an apple juice or an apple cider. Very fresh and vibrant feel!

A - A hazy copper orange body, a bit muddy, with a short white head that faded to a drift of small bubbles over the top and a thin white rim. Extensive fine line, bubbly lacing across the glass.

S - Strong hit of apple skin and juice, with a bit of greenery that comes across like celery, but not unpleasantly so. But mostly juice.

T - Straight ahead open of juicy goodness, a cider like attack. The middle brings an apple sauce aspect, and the finish has skin bitterness. The apple flavors ride over the beer core, and dominate, but the result is delicious nevertheless.

M - Moderate weight for the ABV, some mild texture on the tongue, but not particularly structured, followed by a bit of dryness on the tongue that keeps this highly drinkable.

O - I have been a fan of New Glarus, so I was not surprised by how well-developed and fully articulated this beer is. If there weren't ciders to explore apple notes in such range and depth, this might be more of a revelation, but as it is, this is a deeply satisfying fruit beer that deserves the accolades it gets.

12oz can "I144 08:35"
Poured into a pint glass shows a headless, cloudy, orangish - yellow body that leaves the glass clean.

Apple fruit, peel, and core aroma exudes from the glass, but the taste is not as sexy. Maybe I was fooled into imagining a cider, but the flavor pales in comparison to the aroma.
Likely the malts drag it down, but it still retains the right acidity.

Feel is light and nearly crisp.

Overall a pleasant fruit beer.

 

Poured and enjoyed at fridge temperature from a tulip glass. Murky dark copper color, with a soap-sudsy looking thin white head. Straight-up fresh-pressed apple cider, with a light malty backbone and notes of tart apple lingering on the finish. The apple provides a beautiful complement to the base brown ale. Good balance, not too sweet, just an outstanding beer.

 

Poured at 57°. Apple juice copper amber color; excellent clarity; tight white head; ok cap retention leaves small island of micro dots; thin ring; spots of lace on agitation. Apple juice nose. Taste follows, minimal sweetness with just a wee bit of sourness. Medium minus carbonation, light crisp body. Outstanding fruited ale; like drinking adult apple juice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a dark coppery color with a fluffy tan head that dissipates very quickly. It smells like sweet apples with hints of "funk" and a slight sourness to it. The taste is like fresh apple juice with little malt presence and just enough hoppy bitterness to keep it from being sweet. It's less sweet than a cider but it's not dry like a wine. Overall a very very good fruit beer.

12oz bottle, no date (but I was told this was the 2021 bottling by the friend who picked it up in WI for me). Served in a Libby globe porter stemmed glass.

Appearance: Clear amber color - initial white head died back quite quickly to leave no head or lacing at all.

Smell: Pleasant amount of apples with a bit of honey underneath it.

Taste: Definite apple flavor, with a bit of bready malt backbone, and then some tart/mildly sour apple at the finish.

Mouthfeel: Nicely thick, good carbonation, crisp and dry finish.

Overall / Drinkability: A very well done fruit-based beer. This would be perfect in the fall, but is quite pleasant and tasty/refreshing as well at the end of a summer evening.