New Glarus Thumbprint Series Imperial Weizen
Do not waste time attempting to box this brew into some esoteric guide to styles. This is Dan’s bold creation. His passion for unfiltered Weiss collides with Cascade Hops inventing our Imperial Hefe-Weizen. Dry hopping boldly rules over Wisconsin red wheat and our special strain of Bavarian yeast. At almost 20 O.P. this is the super mac daddy of Weiss beers. Decoction mashing was followed by excessive dry hopping to create a fierce onslaught of clove, cinnamon and citrus all in this living beer. Don’t bother waiting to enjoy - the time is now.
3.9
467 reviews
New Glarus, United States
Community reviews
Bottle poured into a shaker. Pours a lightly hazy dark yellow with 3 fingers of thick white head that just lasts and lasts. Aroma of clove, dank wheat, citrus. Taste is light sweet and follows aroma. Good beer. Different, and not what I was expecting, but very good.
Big "fizz" when I opened the bottle...Way over-carbonated, waited 5 minutes for the head to dissipate. Although I have to say this pours a beautiful dark rich orange. Sunset in a glass, it is almost glowing. What a rich aroma, cinnamon spice, strawberries, fresh summer fruit, honeydew melon. The flavor is unfortunately not as rich as the aroma. Musty burlap bag and a strong vegetal bitterness paired with some apple tartness. Strangely incohesive. Nice effort but off the mark.
Clove, cinnamon, wheat, and floral notes from the hops are on the aroma. Citrusy and spicy on the palate. Nice mouthfeel to this one, chewy, yet smooth.
Bottle: Thanks, Ryan! Almost fully opaque, dense golden-orange body; super volatile, long-lasting, chunky eggshell cap rests on top for days & leaves generous lacing behind. You can definitely smell the hops in the aroma; big citrus peel & floral notes all over. Lots of hefe yeast, spiced & heavy with notes of sweet bubblegum, coriander, clove, rotten banana, melon, bread, & a light bit of pears & green apple in the finish. Taste is quite spicy & certainly yeast forward... Coriander, clove, lighter notes of cinnamon & white pepper, toasty malts, baked bread, banana & fruity esters with a semi-sweet back-end resembling salt water taffy. Hops are lighter but still give a floral & herbal flavor in the finish along with a mild note of tart apples. Big, chunky, relatively chewy body, the alcohol is hidden quite well here. Though I prefer Dancing Man, this is really a very nice "imperial hefeweizen".
Thanks tectactoe. Pours a golden orange color with a big fluffy head. Really good aroma of hops and zesty citrus with candy like smells. Big bubblegum flavor upfront and throughout. Hop tingle left on the tongue. Very carbonated. I liked it.
12oz bottle thanks to some joker. Note: this is the unplugged version, not the thumbprint version. Pours a very murky light amber with almost no head. Aromas of dirty rotten fruit, some spices. Taste is sweet and sticky. Flavors of rotten apple, hot garbage. Finishes on a note of sweet dumpster juice. This is among the worst beers I’ve ever had.
Bottle. Pours a clear golden with head for days. Aroma is a slightly caramel peach with a slight spice profile. Taste is again fruit forward with a lingering sweetness. Slight bubblegum in a good way and no hint of the 9+% alcohol. Great NG beer as usual.
Pour is hazed deep amber with a tight off white head leaving a thick lace. Nose is interesting, a lightly muddled wheat malt and spicy earthy yeast note give way to lemon and clove with a touch of candied lemon. There is a bit of an herbal back end. Taste has a lot happening, the wheat malt is up front, its earthy and musky. The yeast is quite spicy mingling with the candied lemon and some sweetness through the finish. Well carbonated, spice lingers, peppery. Body is full and creamy, faint dryness and a bit sweet through the finish.
Another great entry in the Thumbprint line from New Glarus. Strength is the predominant word here.
Pours a hazy golden with 4 finger head that lingers, but no lacing. Yeast and funk hit the nose up front. Hint of bubble gum and banana, but very subtle. Pine and grapfruit hops. Toasted malt. I can appreciate a little clove. Starts out thinking it wants to be sweet, but then turns moderately bitter. Long bitter finish. Full bodied and moderately carbonated. This is very good
Nice white foamy head and fairly clear wuth a bit of haziness. Nice hop presence with the base of a bready hefe. Really nice beer!
Bottle from a generous friend. Pours a hazy orange yellow with a massive creamy and fluffy white to off-white head. The head just won’t quit! Beautiful fruit medley of banana, pear, bright citrus, spicy earthy funky yeast, floral notes of hibiscus and jasmine, and even what smells like some dank hops. This is beautiful, really incredible nose. The flavor is big florals and zesty hops up front followed by sweet pears and orange citrus, then finishing with a funky banana yeasty ness. There is significant zest to this in front of what seems to be a nice hefe and the combination is both unique and deliciously refreshing. Medium body with medium high carbonation and loads of complex flavors. New Glarus does it again. I could drink this all day and there is no sign of the 9%+ ABV anywhere. This one could get dangerous.
01/07/14 trade from Jamil. Home on a snow day. Sour grapefruit scent with some malt. Beautiful cloudy copper pour with a big head. Medium feel. Sour hop citrus flavor to a tinge of funk quality and ending on a malt note. Delicious.
Hazy golden orange color with a sticky one finger head. Good soapy lacing with this.
Massive amount of fruit. Yeah the usual clove and banana but add in stone fruit pits and pineapple. Really impressive nose with this.
Sharp tropical fruit bite in the taste. Off the bat hoppy. Backing of clove and banana with stone fruits.
Medium bodied, medium carbonation. Slightly sweet and sticky. Has the body of an IPA but the feel of a wheat. Lovely beer
Watch out for the nigh-unstoppable head. Look is a swampy dull-orange with lots of bubbles. Taste is sweet, fizzy, fruity and floral. Love this stuff.
Pours cloudy golden yellow with a white head. The nose mostly sweet with notes of banana and clove. The flavor is fairly boozy with some spice and residual sweetness.
Bottle - gift from friend. Sour wheat malt, spice, and alcohol aroma. Hazy honey gold with a large off-white head. Banana, clove, slightly sour wheat, and alcohol flavor. Medium body, soft carbonation. I suspect this bottle was past it’s prime, but it was still way too boozy for my personal taste.
Bottle (12 oz). Extra from Mark, thanks! Hazy golden/amber with a huge fully lasting frothy white head and good lacing. Aroma is of spices (mostly cloves and cinnamon), banana, alcohol, bubblegum and herbal notes. Taste is moderately sweet with cloves, cinnamon, alcohol, wheat, banana and herbal notes. Alcohol is not hidden. Full bodied. Moderate carbonation. Spicy/dry mouthfeel. I think this is too much. Quite complex, but too heavy, not easily drinkable and with too much alcohol presence.
Hazy Amber Orange Color, Huge Long Lasting Foamy Head, Lots Of Thick Lacing. Nice Mild Floral Hop Aroma. Floral Pine Hop Bite Up Front, Fruity, Sweet Malt, Resin Finish. Medium Body, Creamy, Smooth. Since I did Not Get any Wheat, It Reminds Me of A Double IPA. Nice. Really Easy To Drink, Would Never Guess this packs 9.25% Punch. Enjoyed. Good Stuff. Recommended...
Bottled August 15, 2013.
Appearance: The body is completely hazy with an golden-amber hue. The head erupts from the body to form a tall and dense white head that maintains its shape for a long time.
Aroma: The aroma is fruity with a grapefruit presence that has a sweet edge to it, straw and lemon come to mind after with a clean floral presence and a sweet banana backing. The aroma leans a tad sweet and is far more complex than I am giving it credit for. Good strength as well. Edit: Perhaps some pineapple here.
Taste: The intro is an odd mix of mildly bitter grapefruit and sweet banana. The two flavors clash, slightly, through into the mid-taste where straw and lemon come to mind. The finish become a bit floral, a tad chalky, and a bit clovey. The finish lingers of chalk, grapefruit and floral dryness. The finish is semi-dry.
Palate: Full-bodied, creamy and mildly carbonated.
Overall: This is an odd assortment of flavors, but I enjoy it. I have drank almost the whole bottle while writing this review, it is immensely drinkable especially at 9.25% abv. This is a great beer, well done.
Pours medium cloudy, pale yellow. Not much head. Very strong hops aroma. Texture is rich, round. There’s a lot of burn from the alcohol, quite warming going down. Not sweet, not bitter. Lots of citrus flavor.
Dull orange/amber color; minimal creamy head. Lively carbonation. Aroma of citrus and hops. Alcoholic taste with lots of fruity body. A bit sharp on the aftertaste.
Bottle with thanks to RobertDale! Pours cloudy orange amber with a huge puffy off-white head that lasts forever and leaves a lot of clumpy lacing. Aroma is wheat, lemon, pine, clove, citrus. Flavor is dry and strong, almost vinous with wheat, lemon, lemon zest, a bit of pine sol, just a tiny bit of clove. Lingering zesty bitterness, and almost gets a little sweeter on the finish. Mouthfeel is rich and heavily carbonated, with some ABV burn action going on, but not too bad. Definitely scores some points for originality!
Bottle pours hazy orange with thick massive head. Aroma is clove and spices, taste is thick slightly sweet body and spicy, nice beer
Spicy clove smell with a hint of cherry. Lots of aroma. Poured cloudy with a lot of head. Very flavorful beer. I don?t like clove in my beers, but oddly I do here. This beer is vert tart, but I think the clove and hints of cinnamon spice balance it out nicely. I’m very impressed by this beer. Wow!
Bottle. Spice and alcohol on the nose and some doughines. Cloudy yellow with a pillowy white head. A lot of lace. Tastes like a big weizen. Clove, banana and other spices with a bready, yeasty flavor and some alcohol. Medium to heavy body. A great beer.
12 ounce bottle Pours a cloudy golden orange with a nice white head. Aroma of yeast, spice, and fruit. Taste is yeast, banana, citrus, clove, cinnamon, and wheat. Very good.
23rd June 2013
Cloudy gold beer with a tidy off white head. Palate is crisp and semi dry. Smooth malt, not particularly wheaty. Smooth orange and a touch of lemon. Malt cream with a touch of peppery spice. A pleasant mellow brandy tone. Finishes dry. Hangs together well, very drinkable.
Great example of an Impy Weisen. Clove and a hint of pineapple maybe a bit of corriander. Very good brew!
Bottle. Gold with an enormous off white head. Boozy clove and fruit aromas. Fruity and astringent.