Thumbprint Imperial Weizen
New Glarus Brewing Company

 

Poured into a pint glass. A slightly hazy golden color with a thick and long-lasting off-white head. Aroma was was expected with wheat, banana, clove, pine, and citrus. Taste followed for the most part. I was expecting a muddled mess but I enjoyed picking out each element. Bright carbonation per the style and a medium feel. Did not feel like a 9.6% beer. Overall an unusual beer but I found it interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the most disappointed I've been in a New Glarus beer. A Cascade dry hopped imperial hefeweizen? That doesn't sound very good and despite my desire to give NG the benefit of the doubt I have to give my opinion that it isn't. It is easy too boozy and the citrus/pine notes clash jarringly with the weissbier. This is unfortunately my least favorite NG beer to date and it's not even close.

 

 

 

 

Found this on one of my recent trips over the border to the Dairy State. Just reading at the NG website that this was distributed between April and June of this year -- could be good or bad news, let's see.

No real dating or ABV info on the bottle or at the web site, so I'm not sure where the 9.6% was found (I've contacted NG about the ABV in their beers and they always remain tight-lipped). I see the 20 O.P. (original Plato), but that would calculate to 8% (1° P = 0.4% alcohol -- give or take), not near 10%.

Poured into a tall Becher -- my usual Weizen glass being too large for a 12 ounce bottle.

L -- Hazy, deep golden-peach color with a dense, sticky white head that holds up very well and leaves great lacing.

S -- Bready malt, clove, light banana and citrus, peppery alcohol back.

T -- Very spicy hit of alcohol and/or hops up front. Sweetish, bready malt folds onto the palate with clove spices and peppery alcohol along with an underlying, light vanilla character. Finish and aftertaste is bitter to spicy hops with a touch of citrus cascade.

F -- Mouthfeel is soft to dry in the finish with a medium-robust body.

O -- I think I recall someone mentioning this beer when the Weihenstephaner-SN Braupakt Weizen collaboration was being discussed. The NG has a similar character, but I think the high alcohol skews the balance in this beer -- it's just not as easy to drink as the Braupakt was for me. Nevertheless, this is a well-brewed beer with an intriguing blend of styles.

I still have a Braupakt left in my stash -- maybe a side-by-side tasting is in order.

 

 

 

 

 

Got in a trade with GreenBayBA. 12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, best before 8/26/2018. Pours moderately hazy deep golden amber/light orange color with a 2 finger dense, creamy, and rocky off white head with amazing retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Insane appearance. Aromas of big lemon, orange, grapefruit, banana, bubblegum, peach, pear, pineapple, melon, red apple, peppercorn, clove, cinnamon, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus hops, and bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big lemon, orange, grapefruit, banana, bubblegum, peach, pear, pineapple, melon, red apple, peppercorn, clove, cinnamon, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast spiciness, herbal/floral/grassy bitterness; and slight wheat tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, orange, grapefruit, banana, bubblegum, peach, pear, pineapple, melon, red apple, peppercorn, clove, cinnamon, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus hops, and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness and carbonation. High carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, and fairly crisp/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.6%. Overall this is an amazing weizenbock! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus hops, and bready malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and pretty refreshing to drink for the big ABV, with the moderately bitter/spicy/drying finish. Easily one of the best Helles Weizenbocks I've ever had, though not traditional. Perfectly balanced citrusy Cascade hops, German weizen yeast, and pale/wheat malts. A highly amazing offering, and spot on style example; other than the citrusy American hop notes.

 

 

A weird weizenbock, but only in taste. The body is extra wheat forward by within parameters of style. The smell is slightly tart wheat with orange, clove and cinnamon. The taste though, has a weird coconut/pina collada finish that comes out of nowhere, just the oddest thing. Very bright for the style as well. Not a do over

 

I think this is my 3rd bottle. I've not been wowed by this yet.
Aroma is strong clove but also hopping. Wheat backing.
I poured aggressively so I have a huge head over and thicker looking body than typical hefe. Golden more than yellow.
Thick heavy hefe with a strong hop character. Nice earthy herbal hop flavor. Nice little bite in this too. Feels like sharp grain, bright hops and alcohol in that mix.
Fuller feel from a bigger beer than the fluffiness of a typical hefe.
I suspected this might be growing on me and I think it is.

Just an OK offering from NG. Here goes:

A: Cloudy orange. Does pour a massive head that leaves great lacing, though. Not as clear as other NG beers I've had.

S: Very...interesting. Can detect wheat, cereal grains, and biscuit with some lemon and lighter spices. However, the beer is quite boozy; I can definitely detect a lot of alcohol in the nose. There's also a fair bit of mustiness from the yeast that isn't particularly appealing.

T: Alright, not bad. But definitely not what I've come to expect from NG. Can detect lots of lemon and wheat - also a fair amount of grainy malt, and musty bread from the yeast. The beer is good, but it's quite boozy; there's definitely a lot of alcohol in the taste.

F: Good, as always.

O: A fairly good beer. Probably would not get again, though.