Copper Kettle Weiss - New Glarus Brewing Company

EvilKeith

Alabama

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Copper Kettle poured a hazy copper, almost burnt orange in color. The head was rocky beige foam with the lace standing the test of time.
The bouquet was a real treat and then some. The expected smells of bananas and spicy cloves were augmented by a hint of bubblegum-like phenolics and a pleasant yeasty fruitiness.
The taste follows the smell pretty well with the addition of a mild citrus tanginess and the lightly roasted grain character being more pronounced.
The body was medium with a moderately active carbonation. This is obviously a well crafted beer, right on for the style. Highly drinkable and highly recommended.

Copper Kettle was a real treat. I almost hate to admit that this was the first New Glarus product I was able to get my hands on. If this is an example of the craftsmanship and the obvious pride they take in their brewing I am certain to enjoy all of their other offerings.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2006 23:57:23 | More by EvilKeith

Bowers-Brew

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

04-21-2013 22:13:56 | More by Bowers-Brew

cliff1066

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1.5%

12-22-2012 22:30:25 | More by cliff1066

Jerktookmyname

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -23.9%

12-18-2011 21:54:48 | More by Jerktookmyname

Beertracker

Oklahoma

5/5  rDev +26.9%

12-16-2011 19:41:24 | More by Beertracker

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

s hazy and full of suspension. Big, towering two inch plus head of foam on top nearly would not stay in the glass and really looked quite full. Tons of side glass lace and a great look. Smell was very nice as well, the main player here being a yeasty and wheat aroma, but the nicest blend of roasted malts and even a touch of some caramel or dark nuttiness mixed in really set it off. The flavor was fantastic. Such a smooth creamy feel, but then again such great carbonation that it did not feel too full or too dull. Flavors were all over, you could definitely tell it was a Hefe as the classic flavor was there, but there were definite hints of roasting, or smoked aromas which were also as big and served to not only darken up the flavor but also the color. Really quite rich, with a touch of sweetness in the middle, and a bite of bitter at the end.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 02:47:58 | More by mikesgroove

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Cloudy golden amber with a thick, fluffy white head.

S-Wheat malt and yeast (banana/clove/bubblegum)aroma. Very pleasant...kind of like fresh bread.

T-Very wheat forward with the yeast taking over later. Very good with a great finish and an aftertaste that is very crisp.

M-Medium-light body with a pleasant crispness.

D-Vey complex, for such a "simple" beer. Makes for a beer to come back to...very nice job.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2008 09:30:12 | More by Deuane

jeffmonarch

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle in a weizen glass.

A - Dark orange yellow color with a really thick white head that stays for a while.

S - This has to be wrong but i swear I smell peanut and orange. That's all I can get. While I was pouring it I smelled banana's.

T - Really light. Toasted malt and grains with a light caramel flavor.

M - Light bodied with good carbonation.

D - Great beer all around. I lucked out and a local beer store got these in somehow since they are not distributed in OH. If you get a chance to try this, get it.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2007 04:04:46 | More by jeffmonarch

orbitalr0x

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours into my glass a hazy golden copper with a healthy inch of bubbly white head on top. Lots of active carbonation. Aromas begin with big banana, clove and bubblegum. Caramelized malts with a spike of yeasty spiciness. Citrus rind and a subtle kiss of hops.

First sip brings a caramelly, grainy maltiness that is lightly toasted. It quickly gives way to a rush of banana, clove and a bit of a bubblegum afterthought. A light fruity quality with citrus zest and toffee flows into a earthy, yeasty spiciness. The brew finishes crisp with a touch of herbal hops. Tasty stuff.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a slight grainy aspect. A burst of carbonation with each sip gets to be a little too much and I wouldn't mind it keyed down a bit. Otherwise, this is a tasty, refreshing and easy drinking brew. I must say that New Glarus can do no wrong with wheat beers as every one I've tried has been incredibly tasty, this being no exception. Keep 'em coming!!

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2007 01:05:50 | More by orbitalr0x

JanM

Sweden

3/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Got a bottle in a Swedish-Canadian BA trade. Poured hazy and in a honey yellow colour. Lots of foam. The smell was sweet, yeasty and with notes of bread spices. The smell of fruit filled the air of the room. The taste was bitter and of ... prorridge? Initially there was a strong note of metal but it disappeared after a few minutes. It was less sweet than an ordinary weissbier which appeals to my taste. Some licorice too. But the main drawback of the brew was its wateriness.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2007 12:17:26 | More by JanM

cdkrenz

Wisconsin

4.33/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

$1.49 / Bottle
JR Liquor
Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Appearance - Orange hazy body and it pours 2 inches of white head. A very good looking brew.

Smell - A firm, thick, malty scent with a clove overtone.

Taste - A fine well rounded malt flavor. One of the firmest and most delicious malts I've had the luxury to enjoy.

Mouthfeel - It has coarseness not normally found in a Weiss bier. I think the texture does allow for more flavors to come through which does help it. You'll have to try it to know what I mean.

~ I'd really like to pull a pint off a keg and get the real feel for this brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2007 21:57:39 | More by cdkrenz

getch

Wisconsin

2.95/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

a- nice color orange/red, too much foam, 4 fingers at least
s- herb smelling interesting mixture
t- gets better as it get warmer
d- can only take 1-2 of this beer at one sitting

This is one of my least fav. New Glarus beers to date and would not recommend the beer for a party if your going to have one

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2007 17:36:51 | More by getch

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Received as part of BC2. Thanks JeffKrenner!
This one poured a hazy amber with a light beige head that was pretty big initially, but quickly dissipated with little stickage. Nice aroma with a combination of bready malt, cloves, a bit of banana and citrus zest. The flavour was strongly bready with hints of yeast and a rich, chewy wheat and bread crust character. Some fruitiness with clove spiciness throughout. The carbonation was quite lively. Medium/light bodied and lightly palate coating. Overall, this was an easy drinking beer, but everything seemed a bit muted and dull.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2007 04:29:22 | More by DrJay

badbeer

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark orange color with a white head that does retain, but not as well as other wheat beers. Aroma of clove, spice, orange peel, and cardamom seed. Taste begins almost spicy and cola-like, followed up by wood-y clove flavors. Highly carbonated with a medium body. Drinkability is OK, perhaps this one is just past its prime, I'll try it again next time around.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2007 08:03:32 | More by badbeer

udubdawg

Kansas

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle
pours a murky-looking coppery color, with a nice white head and OK retention. Clove is strong - a bit stronger than expected, as is the citrus, but otherwise it has the usual banana bread aroma and flavor - Wheat, banana, vanilla, spiciness - you know the drill. The beer has some tartness that thankfully keeps the fruity sweetness in check.
A tad overcarbonated, but generally satisfying and easy-drinking. I think I'd tire of this after a while, but yeah, I'll have another. Good beer, and pretty refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2007 15:39:05 | More by udubdawg

ryantupy

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle served into a Weizen glass.

A - Careful the head develops quickly on this one. But a nice white firm head it is. Coincidentally enough it pours a copper hazy hue. Eventually the head dissolves but retains a moderatly good size and does not stick to the glass to much

A - This beer has very strong aromas. Starting with cloves, a mixture of bold hops and malts. A nice citrus wheat followed by mild yeast and a metallic finish.

T- Same as the scents. Hops and malts are bold but mixed splendidly. The clove and wheat with the metallic finish are also very prevelant. Yeast is present more towards the end.

M - Nice and smooth with a nice fitting high level carbonation. This one leaves a mark in your mouth.

D - Defiantly a great beer. Good for sipping not really a session beer at all.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2007 22:13:28 | More by ryantupy

Windigstadt

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Copper (go figure!), cloudy, lots of carbonation with a rocky head.
S: Banana on top with phenolic clove bite, yeasty, a hint of whiskey.
T: Surprisingly clean up front; caramel and honey sweetness on your tongue until yeast, banana and citrus notes take over; just enough bitterness in the finish to keep things together; clove aftertaste lingers.
M: Full carbonation, but still refreshing.
D: At 5.5%, this definitely qualifies as a session beer.
Overall: Belgian Wits (or poor domestic interpretations thereof) maybe the summer beer du jour right now, but this is a wonderful beer to enjoy on a hot day. The dark malt additions give the beer just enough depth to make it interesting for those that find Hefeweizens too pedestrian. At a time where many brewers think bigger is better, New Glarus continues to impress me with wonderful session beers such as this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2007 23:41:08 | More by Windigstadt

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to JeffKrenner for hooking me up with this for BC2!

Pours a slightly hazed copper/orange, huge thick white head forms, settles down to a thin layer, some lacing. Smell is neat, very malty, banana/clove, vanilla, alcohol, hint of dates or dark fruits, nice. Taste is very grainy, bready, bit of yeast, roast, bit of a sweet banana/vanilla flavour, quite dry in the finish, bit of a citrus kick to it. Mouthfeel is light bodied with high carbonation. Different take on the style, I enjoyed this one. Thanks Jeff!

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2007 04:02:57 | More by Viggo

Metalmonk

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Color is lighter than many a German dunkel weizen I've seen, being a coppery tan with plenty of haze. Even without agitation of the yeast it was hazy, and with the yeast poured in it becomes a cloudy miasma that is absolutely entrancing. All this underneath a huge bumpy head that looks like snow drifts.

Banana bread and yeasty funk hit the nose in a big way, with an interesting spice layer coming in (nutmeg, clove, allspice).

Flavor is not far off from the aromas. Everything is well-balanced, none of the flavors spiking out too much. A gentle spiciness carries everything else, even into the finish where I'm reminded of those dessert-y spices again. Some fluffy, almost nutty wheat comes through too, but it's all about balance with this one. Perhaps a tad too much carbonation for the style, but otherwise no real complaints.

Very nice. Not a mindblower, but a very solid U.S. wheat beer, obviously made with some love and not just tossed off like some other US microbreweries are doing with the weizen style. What else would you expect from New Glarus?

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2007 22:32:17 | More by Metalmonk

benito

Oregon

2.63/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From a bottle, with no freshness date.

This is a handsome looking, lightish dunkelweizen with (as the name would suggest) a beautiful copper color and a persistent head. For a true weizen, the phenols are disappointingly light in the bouquet, and the flavor too lacks the heavy, banana bread flavors and feel of a great beer in this style. Perhaps it was brewed to be a lighter version of a German dunkelweizen, but from the yeast aromas and flavors, I was left wondering whether that had used an American hefeweizen yeast strain!

It is still refreshing and fairly smooth going down; not complex or challenging in any way. Again, a "light" dunkelweizen in style?

This was one of the only times I've been disappointed with a New Glarus beer; fortunately, there are many others out there for me to drink and love. Take a pass and stick with their other brews.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2007 13:17:48 | More by benito

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of Demcorhip: Poured a cloudy brown color ale with a nice big thick foamy head with great retention and some lacing. Aroma dominated by malt with lots of banana and some caramel malt characteristics. Taste is very malty with some great banana and some light ester notes. Body was full and definitely above average for the style with great carbonation. Great take on a style that I don’t have the chance to experience that often.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2007 19:19:18 | More by Phyl21ca

joe1510

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. Bottle
$7.59 6-Pack
Steve's Liquor Madison

Copper Kettle Weiss poured into my weizen glass and immediately filled half the glass with a firm off white head. The body is the color of brightly polished copper although slightly hazy which it should be. Glassful of carbonation bubbles rise to that mammoth head. Head leaves meringue like lacing down the glass that eventually rejoins the body..

Aromas of mild banana and slightly stronger clove rise immediately to my nose. A solid wheat twang comes through as the canvas. Yeast spiciness and a mild metallic aroma come through as well.

Flavor has the same elements as the aroma, some more subdued and some bolder. More banana than clove in the flavor which differs from the aroma. The solid wheat twang is there but accompanied by a doughy malt characteristic. Finishes with a pleasant spiciness from the yeast.

Medium smooth body, especially considering the higher than average carbonation. Tickles the tongue on the finish.

Easy sipper with an excellent and pleasurable combonation of flavors.

This is a good solid dunkel that I could enjoy one after the other. Another winner from New Glarus. Every New Glarus offering I've sampled has been from good quality to outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2007 21:35:48 | More by joe1510

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

There's a subtle smokiness to the almost bock-like maltiness of New Glarus' Copper Kettle that distinuishes it from other dunkel weizens. It's actually lighter in color than most dunkels as well, and in fact, quite a few examples of the standard weizen are just as dark or darker; but the maltiness is still there. It starts in the nose, rich and full, loaded with notes of bread and wheat and caramel, and carries straight through into the finish. Now, it may be due to a smoky phenolic from the yeast, or it may be from an addition of smoked malt, but there's certainly a touch of it in play amidst the clove and spice and green banana of the yeast. The dextrinous medium body and (restrained for a weizen) median carbonation add to its maltiness; as does its less than solid bitterness... leaving it a touch sweet. The balance between malt and yeast character is perfect though, with just enough fruitiness and spicy-clovey phenolic making its way through the caramel and dough to off-set it and clearly display it as a "weizen". It looses a bit of drinkability due to its sweetness, but overall it's very nicely done! Rich and satisfying!

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2007 00:26:29 | More by NeroFiddled

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Generously bubbled kumquat that has generated a massive head of orange creamsicle foam despite the gentlest of pours. As so often happens (in a non-Belgian ale at least), beer this carbonated isn't blessed with a very attractive head. The cap of airy foam falls relatively quickly and doesn't look very good while doing so. Minimal watery lace spatters the glass.

The nose is at least as much hefe weizen as dunkel weizen. Tangy wheat leads the way, with little or no 'darkness' in the form of cocoa or even toasted grain. Clove is much more prominent than banana and gives the beer a hint of Germanic authenticity.

Copper Kettle Weiss is pretty good beer that falls well short of inspired beer. I never know how much over-carbonation affects the flavor profile, but I have to believe it does to some extent. Not to start any unsubstantiated rumors, but CKW isn't listed on the New Glarus website. A beer known as Bavarian Weiss is scheduled to be released this summer. I wonder if the brewery simply couldn't get a handle on the quality control of this one.

The beer is still tart and tangy, but it's equally bitter, thanks to what strikes me as a more than respectable amount of Hallertau hops. It's a bit on the phenolic side as well, something I never mind as long as it isn't overdone. Banana esters make a valiant effort to pull even with clove, but don't quite make it. I'll give Copper Kettle a 3.0/5.0 on my (hefe) weizen banan-o-meter. It might even be a 3.5 by the bottom of the bottle.

In spite of all the bubbles, which are running out of steam at this point, the mouthfeel isn't all that chaotic after the first few ounces. At the midway point of each mouthful, things becomes slick and clingy, allowing the flavor to linger a bit.

New Glarus's version of a dunkel weizen is a better than decent effort that would probably earn bumps in each of the above scores if my bottle was as the brewers intended. In other words, if it was properly carbonated. I hope I'm wrong about it being given the brewer's axe. With a little spit and polish, this Copper Kettle would probably gleam more brightly than most domestic versions.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2007 20:02:29 | More by BuckeyeNation

Erdinger2003

Iowa

3.73/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice big head that pours like a hefeweizen and is hard to control. The color is very dark weizen brown. The lacingis good and sticks around quite nice. Aroma is nice with banana, a slight aging has given it some more gum quality which is less desirable in my opinion. The flavor is very nice, but still has that gummy quality which I would like less of. Still a lot of banana which keeps me drinking. Overall, nice, I should have had more when it was fresher.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2007 06:51:56 | More by Erdinger2003