Today I went to the store to get some 400 pound monkey from Left Hand Brewing and saw New Glarus’ new thumbprint beer hit our shelves, so of course I had to pick it up. This is billed as a Belgian Dubbel with Chocolate, so technically this would fall under category 21a, Vegetable/Spice/Herb beer. It could also fall under category 23 as well. I will be judging it as category 21a since they did list the base style as a Belgian Dubbel.
Aroma: If there one thing New Glarus does well…..very well actually, it’s aroma’s in beer. Dan Carey really has a knack for adding that little extra. I didn’t even have to bring this beer to my nose, I could smell the chocolate off the pour while the glass was sitting on counter. It was the smell of rich couverture chocolate. But things don’t end there. Digging a bit deeper there is some fig and spiced raisins as well. As the beer releases some of the pent up chocolate energy, the fig and spiced raisins play so nicely with the chocolate, it borders on obscene. The spice notes (I get a touch of nutmeg) are probably derived from the yeast. (10 points)
Appearance: The beer is a deep amber with some great clarity. The tan foamy head is fairly thick and reduces to a thin layer as you drink the beer down. (3 points)
Flavor: The flavor is bit more subdued than the aroma, but the same elements seem to come to the table. There is a graham cracker-like undertone to the malt base that I did not get in the aroma. The chocolate flavor is not as pronounced as the aroma, but plays just as well with the dark fruity fig and spice. They used an interesting variety of hops I have not had, but I really don’t get anI have no real way of knowing, but I am guessing this beer at about 7% alcohol based on the fact I get a bit of alcohol in the flavor, but not a lot. If this beer is bigger than that, it hides if very well. (16 points)
Mouthfeel: For a dubbel, it feels a bit thin on the palette. The carbonation is nice and spikey. I don’t get any astringency. (3 points)
Overall: Overall, this is an outstanding beer. This beer would pair great with wild game or lamb, but would also do justice to a grilled steak. Pair it with some chocolate or fruit (cherry, fig, dates) desserts as well and you can’t go wrong. Rich and bold with not much in the way of being overly sweet. There is some sweetness in the front end, but it finishes dry and fairly spicy. The bitterness from the hops balances things quite well, I just wish I knew how much spice was coming from the yeast and how much (if any) from the hops. I may have to look up Segal Ranch hops. Not sure what they bring to the table. This is probably my favorite Thumbprint beer for the winter months. This beer just screams winter warmer to me. (8 points)
Score: 40 points out of 50, which is an A in my book.
Great review, sir! I have also just reviewed this and found the aroma to be one of the best parts of the beer. What a knockout, huh?
Thanks, Yes, the aroma is the first thing I fell in love with! But the rest of the beer was great as well. They always seem to pump out great beers at New Glarus, it’s great living in Wisconsin. I’m interested in checking out your review as well.
I love the pictures, I have to do better in that aspect myself. One of these days I’ll get around to making a photobox…..one of these days. LOL.
Why not score as a 16E?
No reason at all. A person could enter it as Belgian Specialty as well. This beer could fit into any of three categories easily, to be honest, I usually don’t think of 16E first with the addition of spice or fruit, I usually am thinking things along the lines of Belgian IPA, Quads, or different yeast variants. But your right, 16E would work too.
Just tried this past weekend. Did anyone else notice the bubble gum taste? I agree the aroma was fantastic but something about the chocolate bubble gum was a bit of a let-down.
I just had another bottle today and I don’t get that. Doesn’t mean it’s not there or that you don’t get it. I just don’t get any bubblegum in the flavor. Everyone’s taste and perceptions are different so I don’t doubt you are getting something along those lines. The closest I get is some dark fruit, I still get a lot of fig, and some plum. No bubble gum for me though.
I think you are right. The batch I had at home that I bought from the liquor store did not have this, however I just had a bottle at a local bar that had it in bottles and it did in fact have a pronounced bubblegum flavor and aroma. Maybe there is a batch that had a rough trip, or something. I had my fourth bottle yesterday when I was thinking about it, and it is not there. Strange.
I love the NG brewery… I can’t wait to make it back to Wisconsin for the Holidays and give it a shot. Is is a fall seasonal? Sounds like a winter.
It should still be around….hopefully. It is a thumbprint beer, not really a seasonal. It’s just like their unplugged series. They brew the beer once with no promise of ever doing it again. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Generally, here you can still find a few 4 packs of the older release when the new one comes out. IIPA was hard to get a few times though.
Does it have another flavor? Trust me I am a very big fan of chocolate(who doesn’t) but for me, chocolate is very strong for beer. How about brew something refreshing like strawberries or pineapple. Does it have these flavors? or at least one of ‘em.
Cheers!
Chocolate is the theme for this beer, and while I do get some plum and fig, I do not get, any strawberry or pineapple. However, if you are looking for fruit notes of pineapple for a beer from New Glarus, sadly you are a bit too late. Cracked Wheat had a distinct pineapple character for me. If you are looking for beers with light fruit notes, it would probably be best to look in the lighter styles or Pale ales or IPA’s with Amarillo. Then of course you always have fruit beers. 21A has a watermelon wheat. As a rule of thumb the dark roasted beers will have flavors of coffee, chocolate, dark or dried fruits, roast, and sometimes nuts. But rarely light or citrus fruits.