Thumbprint Spotted Cow Grand Cru
New Glarus Brewing Company

Thumbprint Spotted Cow Grand CruThumbprint Spotted Cow Grand Cru
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From:
New Glarus Brewing Company
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
Saison
Ranked #363
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
90
Ranked #9,451
Avg:
4.03 | pDev: 7.2%
Reviews:
50
Ratings:
164
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 13, 2024
Added:
Oct 03, 2016
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  34
This boss Cow rules with 8.5% ABV and an Original Gravity of 18 degrees Plato. Fine Wisconsin and Czech malts step out with hand chosen Willamette and Yakima Valley hops joined up with French and German varieties. Fresh coriander and sweet orange peel kick up Dan’s special Farmhouse Ale. Bottle fermented and hazy as an early meadow morning, expect Spotted Cow Grand Cru to be an assertively quaffable Imperial edition of Wisconsin’s favorite local brew.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by dcotom:
Photo of dcotom
Reviewed by dcotom from Iowa

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from 12-ounce bottle into a stemmed goblet. Starting with a center pour yielded quite a bit of foam. Ever-so-slightly hazy amber color, with a full three fingers of white head that left some nice spotty lacing. Aromas and flavors of light bready malt, with notes of orange peel and coriander spice and a floral overtone. There is some nice yeast funk that complements the citrus and spice on the aroma. The alcohol becomes quite prominent as the beer nears room temperature. The finish is mostly dry, with a bit of astringence and a touch of lingering tartness. This would make a nice table beer, despite the high ABV. Proceed with caution!
Sep 29, 2019
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.03 by Zonian1 from Ohio

Mar 13, 2024
 
Rated: 3.79 by Jim_Roeber from Wisconsin

Jan 19, 2024
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Reviewed by cyclonece09 from Wisconsin

3.99/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Pours red orange with a small white head. Smells of fresh fruit, some nice fresh grain. Tastes of bright grain with deep fresh fruit notes. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, a very good beer.
Dec 27, 2023
Photo of ONUMello
Reviewed by ONUMello from Ohio

3.96/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottle poured into a tulip
A: Burnt Orange, thick head
S: Banana, wheat, cloves, orange
T: Quite malt-forward with the notes of the nose taking a back seat
M: Full-bodied, a touch sweet but the alcohol is hidden
O: Agree with others this seems like a nice saison/hefe mix and remains true to the original
Sep 17, 2023
 
Rated: 3.78 by einman from Minnesota

Aug 21, 2023
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Reviewed by DoctorZombies from Florida

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Deep gold pour with excellent clarity; three fingers of fluffy white foam; good cap retention; heavy ring, heavy minus lacing. Clove, banana and orange peel; fruity esters. Funky citrus and coriander; semi sweet base. Medium light body, moderate minus carbonation; no warmth from 9%abv. An enjoyable farmhouse style; served cold it is clean and fruity.
Aug 13, 2023
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Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.21/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I have long been a spotted cow truther here on BA. So you know I just had to get up beyond the cheddar curtain to pick up a four pack of this! Somewhat murky light goldenrod and orange mixed body with two fingers of cream colored foam, thick lacing everywhere. So basically this is just like the original but with a more elevated yeast and a higher gravity, more esters and lemon phenols results, especially in taste. Feels more belgian inspired as a result with the smooth and light yeast carrying the day. The orignal is your year round companion for relaxing. This is for more dressed up occasions that don't take themselves too seriously. Paired great with both charcuterie and wisconsin caviar (cheddar and summer sausage). The wife loved it. She quickly informed me that one four pack was not enough
Aug 09, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by OtisCampbell007 from Tennessee

Aug 07, 2023
 
Rated: 4.21 by Ocalafox from Florida

Aug 06, 2023
Photo of The_Kriek_Freak
Reviewed by The_Kriek_Freak from Pennsylvania

4.67/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
I don't even know where to start with this one. It's such an interesting mixture of styles. To me it tastes like a cross between a Saison and a hefeweizen. Insanely dense head that wants to hang out forever. Aromas of yeast, banana, candied fruit. The taste is sweet, fruity, with only the tiniest of bitterness at the end; just enough to round things up nicely and to invite the next sip. Pillowy mouthfeel with smooth carbonation. This is a beer that I need to get my hands on again.
May 05, 2023
Photo of hardy008
Reviewed by hardy008 from Minnesota

4.29/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours amber with a large 2+ finger white head with nice retention and lacing. Nice aroma with banana, cloves, coriander, orange, yeast, and sweet dough. Very nice. Tastes just like it smells with the addition of a pepper flavor that I did not get from the aroma alone. Well made and nicely balanced. Medium to full bodied with lively carbonation. Has a somewhat sweet and peppery aftertaste. well made.
May 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.04 by khargro2 from Tennessee

Apr 27, 2023
 
Rated: 4.19 by ahuey333 from Wisconsin

Mar 24, 2023
Photo of defunksta
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin

4.02/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a moderately hazy (60% clarity), beautiful, bright orange color with a massive white head. SRM of 9. (4.25)

Aroma: Moderate to strong aromas of fruity esters upfront. Some orange, pear, sweet esters. Also some Belgian spices of orange, bread spice, coriander. Some citrus and grass which is pleasant. (4.00)

Flavor: Moderate flavors of orange, Belgian spices underneath that. Bready, citrusy, with some spices. Hints of clove and banana. Strong and bready body. Sweetness is present and lingers. (4.00)

Feel: Heavier-bodied. Strong carbonation. Sweetness wins out here and lingers. (4.00)

Compared to Boulevard Tank 7 3/2023: Pours darker, milder head. Milder aromas. More sweet pear and Belgian phenols and esters.

Overall: Wow, a great beer here. Drinks like a Tripel. Orange, authentic Belgian spices, a fantastic bread malt and robust body. Leans sweet, but the body matches up for it. Hides the alcohol and could surely sneak up on you at 8.5%. Drinkable, but should probably be a sipper. I think that's the masterpiece here. (Rating: 4.02)
Aug 02, 2022
Photo of BalancingBrooms
Reviewed by BalancingBrooms from California

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
copper/orange with tight two finger white head. Nose is yeasty with some slight apple and spice notes. Taste follows the nose with balanced yeasty floral notes up front and some hint of spice, followed by some pale malt in the middle and ends with some dried fruit notes of apricots, and apple. Body is light to medium with medium carbonation. Ends bone dry with a lingering yeastiness. Overall solid, very easy to drink and very balanced. Like most New Glarus beers it’s not over the top but instead very balanced, and reliable.
May 26, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by smartassboiler from Illinois

May 11, 2022
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Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.96/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5
I like to think that I follow New Glarus's releases closely. (They are my #2 @ 64 unique beers on BA.) But, I missed Grand Cru's first two releases. Seeing the third coming, I just crossed the border to Kenosha's Woodmans and bought a 4 pack that will be appreciated and reviewed in depth later.

But my initial impression of Grand Cru is that world-class lager-makers rarely make world-class saisons. My main point being that making lager is about discipline and making saisons is about breaking rules. Spotted Cow is a great flagship without being a great saison (in part because it was a cream ale for the first half of its life.) Cow's Grand Cru is a very good table ale, but pedigree is not enough and Grand Cru's ABV is a bit too noticeable to let the food work. Grand Cru's yeast seems as much lager-like as it it is saison-like; the fruit is restrained.

My high Overall ratings reflects all the Great Hugs I have for New Glarus as a crafter of beers and life.

5/19/22 Had a second Grand Cru next to its original namesake. While we can write exegeses on the differences, they are similar enough to be close kin. Cousin Cru's alcohol is well-concealed and does not obscure the similarities. My bottom-line comparison is they both follow what NG does best: produce high-quality brews that don't try to entice the drinker with extremes and, instead, give us subtleties. Grand Cru is not yet a rival for the fruity complexities of the Belgian masters. And Spotted Cow will not be in my top five saisons that I repeat again and again during the 200+ saisons I drink a year. But these are both very good beers that I hope to have both throughout life.
Apr 30, 2022
 
Rated: 4.64 by SeymourDunn from Wisconsin

Apr 29, 2022
 
Rated: 4.24 by LeeryLeprechaun from Colorado

Apr 28, 2022
Thumbprint Spotted Cow Grand Cru from New Glarus Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 164 ratings