Dancing Man Wheat - New Glarus Brewing Company

WankelEngine

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a weizen glass

A: There is a gigantic foamy white head of 3 fingers. It slowly decays, bubbling away to a small cap. The beer itself is a lightly hazy golden-orange color. Lacing is mild and spotty.

S: A fairly potent aroma. Very much classic clove and banana with a touch of fruitiness. Bubblegum? Some yeast and wheat in the background.

T: Fantastic! The clove flavor is even more prominent and complemented by some cinnamon. The banana flavor really comes into its own. Probably my favorite taste of banana I've ever had from a Belgian style beer ever. A little bit of lemon and apple in the background with wheat. There is a lightly bitter, clean, tart finish.

M: Medium bodied. Carbonation is moderate during the sip from the glass but can really foam up in the mouth (in a good way). Cannot taste the alcohol.

O: Probably my favorite hefeweizen I've ever had. The banana, clove and mild spices are just perfectly balanced. I also almost don't believe that it's 7.20% ABV; it drinks like it's 4.5! Simply wonderful.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 21:23:03 | More by WankelEngine

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

poured into glass stien due to not having a true wiezen glass.

Appearance: cloudy and pale straw yellow bodied beer with massive white head thats easily over 3 finger tall from a moderately aggressive pour. The head lasts forever and drops down to a small cap on top of the beer.

Smell: Its a clove bomb. I can smell cloves before I even put my nose to the glass. Soft wheat and straw notes. A touch of spiciness. It smell sweet and fruity with a touch of lemon.

Taste: The beer starts off fairly sweet with notes of wheat, honey, ripe fruit, and bananas. Mid palate the cloves start to show up, but they are not very heavy in the taste as you would expect them to be. In the finish the beer continues with the ripe bananas flavors with a touch of lemon, pepper, and wheat. The cloves to get much stronger as the beer warms up and i am not a fan of this at all, but it does take away the greatness of this beers' flavor profile.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with moderately high carbonation. This beer is rediculous its big flavors are formidable, but is still easy drinking and has this gentle and delicate carbonation to it thats taking this beer to a whole nother level. ABV is completely non-existant. Impressive. Dan Carey is a master when it comes to bottle conditioned beers and this shows off his brewing skills / experience.

Overall: I am not a huge fan of clove notes in any beer. Its probably by least favorite smell and taste in beer. I am not huge on the hefewiezen style either, but I thought that I would revisit this New Glarus beer because I enjoyed the Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier as much as I did recently. I am really glad that I did give this beer another shot; it has given me a new appreciation for another great beer style. Pick this beer up, especially if you are a fan of the hefewiezen beer style. You will not regret it! I love the fact that this is a local beer for me that I have easy access to!

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 13:07:07 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

mjwoolley33

Iowa

4.73/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hands down the best hefe....no...the best beer I've had in a very very long time.

Poured in to a very frosty mug circa 1970. Sits in the glass very colorful tan/orange with about an inch of head.

First impressions are bananas, cloves, citrus, and some pepper. Swallows very smoothly -- no over carbonation here. Very impressed by the balancing of flavors in this beer. I will not be adding a lemon/orange slice as it would be criminal to the quality of the beer.

This brew does not disappoint. I will be driving up to Wisconsin and pilfering every beer selling establishment of their stock, ripping off my shirt, jumping on the cashier's counter, and demanding MORE!

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 01:51:27 | More by mjwoolley33

axeman9182

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle courtesy of mtrutlin. It was poured into my petite Duvel tulip.

Dancing Man Wheat pours a dull orange, with zero visibility through the glass thanks to some haze. About three fingers of frothy white foam rise up to crown the beer. Head retention is just a bit brief, and there's not much lacing left behind at all. The nose has a ton of banana fruitiness to it, along with a bready aroma that's reminiscent of sourdough. The flavor is still centered around banana esters. There's a bit of clove present here though, providing a nice counterpoint. Wheaty- bread notes fill out the potent flavor profile. The mouthfeel is definitely the weak point here. The body is too full and chewy, and the carbonation is too dull by far. I guess that's the danger of making a hefeweizen that gets all the way up to over 7% ABV. Despite that, Dancing Man Wheat is one of the more flavorful, enjoyable weizens I've had from an American brewer.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 01:16:58 | More by axeman9182

eclipse54

Idaho

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - 4.0 - A gentle pour yields a hazy, golden, straw-colored body with a ton of frothy, pure-white head (two or three finger’s width). Certainly glad I didn’t pour this one whimsically, or I easily would have lost some to my desktop. Moderate retention and lacing for the style.

S - 4.0 - Aroma is of wheat, straw, a bit of grass, lemon citrus, clove, a hint of banana, and some orange. Not as much banana and/or clove than anticipated, but rather a bit more floral and citrusy. Not too shabby.

T - 4.5 - Taste is great, with a lot more banana and clove coming through here. Straw, wheat, orange, lemon and even a bit of sweet, candied mango come through. A good amount of fruity citrus and light grains are to be had.

M - 4.0 - Mouthfeel is light, crisp, and amply carbonated for a prickly and refreshing drink. Finish is on the dry side, with a bit of lingering clove.

O - 4.5 - Overall, this is a great, refreshing hef that I’ll gladly drink anytime. I drove ~40 min across the border into WI to pick up a sixer of this (and some other NG stuff) and I really wish I had grabbed more. Perhaps I’ll be making the drive again sooner than I thought.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 22:54:56 | More by eclipse54

DavoleBomb

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a weizen glass. 7.2% ABV? Imperial hefe perhaps.

3.0 A: This gave an unthinkable amount of head, but I've been there with my own wheats. Eventually I ended up with a full glass. Orange brown color. Four fingers of pillowy white head. Retention is about average, but not a lot of lacing is left.

4.5 S: Tons of clove foremost. Banana and some pepper after that. Plenty of wheat. Great, powerful nose on this.

4.5 T: Big intense flavors. Clove, banana, pepper, and what are all abundant. Not super complex, but it doesn't need to be.

4.5 M: Lighter medium body. Good active hefe carbonation.

4.0 D: Really tasty and powerful beer, but could be a touch cleaner. Still, great.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 21:01:29 | More by DavoleBomb

SafeAtFirst

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

very nice. pours like a heffe. golden straw. hazy. big fluffy white head.

lots of classic bannana & clove. perfectly mixed.

wheat, yeast good.

effervescent. excellent.

not sure if this is really 7.2%. tastes and feels like a normal hefeweizen. .

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 03:44:09 | More by SafeAtFirst

jokemon

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

pour into glass from bottle.

Huge white head very pretty ! dark orange in color slightly cloudy.

Smell is a very clean and crisp wheat orange.

Taste is STRONG orangy citrus wheat flavor, very nice!

overall this is a great beer, very good for the wheat category I love the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 21:16:40 | More by jokemon

pmarlowe

California

4.18/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Goblet.

A: Pours a light golden, perfect clarity, with three fingers of fizzy white head. Very good retention.

S: Sizeable dose of pepper and spice on the front of the nose, malt, and just a touch of citrus.

T: Lemony and orange and the requisite spicyness. It's got a little corn sweetness that somehow reminds me of Spotted Cow (?).

M: Nice crispness to balance kind of a creamy mouthfeel, medium-light body and medium carbonation.

O: Superb wheat beer. Very quaffable, one of my least favorite wine descriptors, and refreshing for unusually hot days like these.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2012 03:03:15 | More by pmarlowe

rfgetz

New Jersey

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

Pours a golden amber color with full plume of dense, bone white bubbles, good retention. Scent and taste are made up of similar traits to other Hefes, most true to style - tangy wheat, banana, clove and spice, white bread, hints of bubblegum and a splash of citrus. What makes this beer special is the way they all blend and balance, not one component is more aggressive than the other. I've had Hefe's that are too bready, too banana-y and too lemony - this one is just right on all fronts. Suprisingly dense body, still smooth and lightly bubbly. Overall, quite the drinkable Hefe with nice layered flavor and scent.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 15:36:52 | More by rfgetz

mychalg9

Illinois

4.83/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured 12 oz bottle into DFH globe

Pours a hazy golden with a large white cap of foam. Smells of lemon, clove, banana, and yeast emanate from the glass; very appealing. Taste is a perfect blend of banana, clove, pepper, and yeast with a touch of lemon and a dry finish. Watch out for the hidden 7.2% ABV. One of the best hefe's I have tasted. Seek this one out.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 00:17:48 | More by mychalg9

sukwonee

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Cloudy light orange color with 3-4 finger frothy head.

S: Clove, banana, peppery, lemon.

T: Banana, wheat, clove with lots of spice (maybe too spicy for a Hefe?) Lemon, Orange, pepper.

M: Medium thickness, good amount of carbonation.

O: Excellent. I actually prefer this one over Live Oak. I have never had a bad beer from New Glarus yet. Another excellent brew! World class.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 00:56:47 | More by sukwonee

brystmar

New York

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cloudy, straw-colored body. Plenty of thick, white head leaves sticky lace all over my glass. Strong banana esters in the nose amidst the malt & wheat.

Much more bubblegum in this flavor profile than any other hef I've tasted. Sweet, wheaty, bananas, and lightly watery on the finish. Love that big, creamy body.

This was a long-time want of mine, and it didn't disappoint. Quite possibly the best bottled hef I've had; Live Oak's offering is still tops in my book. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 04:27:01 | More by brystmar

raveskdr

District of Columbia

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this in a Wisky box. Been on my top 25 wants for awhile. Poured into my FFF Teku glass.

A - Hazy golden huge with far too much carbonation. I'm not gonna hold that against the beer as I gave it a good hard pour.

S - A good amount of banana and slight bubblegum. The bubblegum comes out the warmer the beer gets. Clove is in there on the back end of the smell.

T - Extremely nice. A ton of banana and bubblegum in the flavor, but with a good amount of mint in the middle of the taste. No alcohol on the back end despite its elevated ABV.

M - A really nice bubbly effervecense that coats the entire tongue. Not nearly as heavy as the ABV, drinks like a 5% hefe.

O - After the pour and smell, I really had my doubts. But this is a really, really good Hefe. It's not Weihenstephan, but what actually is? Really wish this was available consistently to me. It really is crazy how the smell gets worse and worse (not bad, just keeps getting worse off), while the taste is just fantastic. So weird.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 03:00:45 | More by raveskdr

homebrew311

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. Appearance is a slightly hazy straw color with a generous 2 finger head, great retention and lacing. The nose is full of ripe banana, candied fruit, bubblegum, a touch of clove spice, and a bit of wheat. The taste is similar to the nose with things leaning heavily to the ripe banana character. The finish features spiciness. The mouthfeel is relatively light with moderate carbonation. Overall, this is exactly what a Hefeweizen should be. Heavy in the way of banana esters and a great balance make this is a great example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 03:09:49 | More by homebrew311

zeledonia

Minnesota

4.73/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Picked this up at my local Wisconsin shop, just across the border. First 90-degree day of the year seemed like the perfect time to break it out.

Pours a cloudy bright golden yellow. Very nice color. Two finger white head, but it's pretty bubbly, rather than foamy, and it fades fast, leaving little lacing. Looks good, but not in the upper tier of hefes on appearance.

Smell is outstanding. It's the perfect balance of banana sweetness and clove spice, but that description doesn't do it justice. Robust and fruity, but delicately complex at the same time. Wow.

Taste is, likewise, very impressive. Less fruity than in the nose, with a lot more wheat presence. Some delightful herbal hops in the back-end, providing just a shade, a very light touch, of bitterness that balances out the rich sweetness so well. Gentle spice rides the wave all the way through. Again, wow.

Mouthfeel is perfect. Medium-bodied, but deliciously mouth-filling. Carbonation flares up, tickling the mouth and bringing all kinds of depth out of the flavors. And right when I want it to, it drops off, leaving a crisp dry finish. Awesome.

This beer is simply fantastic. About the only way I could imagine improving it is in the appearance. Definitely the best American hefeweizen I've ever had, and I actually like it better than the Weihenstephaner I had just a week ago. Absolutely delicious, and very worth seeking out. I may go back and buy a case of this (and I never, ever, buy that much of a single beer).

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 01:50:18 | More by zeledonia

dafla67

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle

A: hazy golden color. very large white head.

S: Strong aroma; sweet; yeast; spices.

T: starts with sweetness and a touch more than a hint of fruit; very crisp and ends with bananas.

M: heavy carbonation; smooth.

O: a very good beer. certainly holds it own with the popular hefeweizens. Gladly drink this on a hot summer night.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 20:45:17 | More by dafla67

jegross2

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewing the Dancing Man Wheat from New Glarus Brewing Company out of Wisconsin. This wheat beer, like Black Top, is one of New Glarus' most sought after seasonals, and several of friends have proclaimed this beer to be one of the best American-made wheat beers. Let's put that claim to the test!
Score: 95

Bottle stamp is "1042 11:53," meaning it was packaged on the 96th day of the year (April 12, 2012). This beer just hit shelves a week or two ago. Served in a 312 weizen glass and enjoyed on 05/05/12.

Appearance: Pours a golden wheat color with lots of visible effervescence. Very clean, transparent appearance. Four to five fingers of foamy white head at pour gradually settles into a decently sized layer that is thicker than what you would get hard pouring a Bourbon County Brand Stout. Minimal lacing, poor retention. 4/5

Smell: Pungent banana and lots of wheat. Phenolic Belgian yeast, fruity wheat, clove, coriander, doughy biscuit and malty banana bread. The aroma is flavorful, but on the "lighter" side. A pitch perfect smelling hefeweizen, honestly. 4.75/5

Taste: Ripe banana throughout. Fruity Belgian yeast, creamy wheat, clove, a little coriander and orange. There is a slightly, sweet doughy "Cheerios" flavor on the back half of a dry, cotton-mouthing finish. There's a faint hint of menthol present and a growing sweet fruitiness/spiciness on midpalate as the beer warms. A little orange and lemon flavor in the background too. Crisp with a residual fruitiness and refreshing. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied, higher carbonation. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel with a good prickliness from the carbonated wheat on the tongue. Very dry finish. 4/5

Overall: Knockout hefeweizen here. Very simplistic, traditional, drinkable and refreshing. On a hot summer day, this one would absolutely hit the spot.

Recommendation: Seek this beer out. This would be a great gateway beer into craft for casual beer drinkers.

Pairings: A garden omelet with cheese.

Cost: $9.99 for a six pack.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 22:23:57 | More by jegross2

williamjbauer

West Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap at the brewery on 4/28/12

A - Golden amber with 1.5 finger white head with good retention and abundant lacing.

S - Moderately strong clove phenols and low banana esters, wheat, biscuit.

T - Very wheaty hefe that follows the nose and has a nice citrus lemon character.

M - Light body, moderate carbonation, crisp.

O - An absolutely fantastic example of this great German style. So refreshing with a nice balance of clove, spice, fruit, and a lot of bready flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2012 01:06:05 | More by williamjbauer

yourefragile

District of Columbia

4.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Devil's Backbone weizen.

Pours a chilled golden orange with a massive foamy white head that has excellent retention and leaves abundant lacing. Rich banana aroma with mild clove and pepper with hints of orange throughout. Sweet bubblegum malt body with rich banana yeast and a soft clove finish. Slightly thicker than expected body, well cabonated and a soft, clean finish. A little high in ABV, but my favorite American Hefe regardless.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 00:32:46 | More by yourefragile

fvernon

Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Yet another great extra from Corbet - thanks again! Poured cold and hazy into a Portsmouth tulip. It's a dark straw yellow-orange with a good amount of haze and a beautiful thick head.

The smell is of bubblegum and wheat, the taste is a great balance of sweet and just the right hint of citrus bitter - orange and lemon. The mouthfeel is spot-on as clean with just a bit of residual tartness. There are plenty of wheat ales out there, but this is the standard to hit. Love it!

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 22:52:48 | More by fvernon

hopfacebrew

Colorado

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Yet another beer my man GDBEERMAN hooked up in our trade! Thanks Rob!

Poured from brown 12oz bottle to NBB globe as I have no weizen glasses.

A - The bee pours a hazy gold color with a huge 2.5 bubbly white head. Excellent retention and lacing.

S - Hefeweizen! Lots of nice aroma: the nice hefeweizen yeast character in your nose immediately: clove, banana, fruit. Light malt character in the sweetness.

T - Very fruity and sweet immediately. Nice hints of banana, apples, citrus meld well with the toasted malt sweetness. A hint of honey. The yeast flavor isn't as pronounced as I expected which is nice. Mild bitterness. Finishes fruity and crisp. Very good.

M - Good carbonation and medium bodied.

O - While Hefeweizens aren't my favorite this is an excellent beer! Top Hefeweizen I've had so it's a nice treat. Not too overpowering on the flavors and very well balanced. Extremely refreshing! Thanks Rob!

Note: This review was a re-post from my former account, jmkratt, which was hacked and I lost all my reviews...sorry for the redundancy.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-19-2011 20:24:15

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 22:44:57 | More by hopfacebrew

Spider889

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Clint for this sixer in our trade at JO's. This is a style is usually avoid, but this proved to be a really amazing beer.

Poured into a Duvel tulip. Produced a tall dense white meringue of head, with excellent staying power. The beer appears appropriately unfiltered, though not overly cloudy either.

The aroma is everything you'd expect out of a good hefeweizen: clove and ripe banana, moderate sweetness tempered by light doughy wheat malt.

The flavor is surprisingly clean and smooth. Normally the estery quality of wheat beers turns me off quickly, but Dancing Man just keeps cruising, and I keep drinking.

Coating mouthfeel, full bodied for the style. This brew's a mouthful in the best ways possible.

Overall this is just one more example of how solid a brewery New Glarus is.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 05:38:38 | More by Spider889

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

First had: bottle thrown as part of a trade/buy from Brian/Beerisheaven. Thanks!

I poured this one into my Zero Gravity tumbler. A pale, golden yellow liquid, clear but for a little bit of yeast sediment. Poured with an initial huge mass of foamy white head that almost filled the glass, but soon calmed down to a thin layer. Champagne-like carbonation. Aroma of grains and spicy wheat, light banana esters. Taste is very nice, with notes of grains, typical wheat profile, but with the banana noted in the nose coming to prominence mid-palate, leaving no doubt that this is a hefeweizen. Breadiness and light spice also noticed. Medium in body, a bit sticky at first, but overall smooth, crisp and flavorful. Goes great with food, and is generally an extremely drinkable brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2012 23:33:40 | More by Rifugium

BrewerB

California

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Grabbed this in early summer 2011 during a Great Lakes region beer tour.

Poured into a 0.5L Staropramen glass. This is a pale, light gold color. Foam formation was massive, off-white and slightly rocky. Retention is good.

Freshly peeled banana features prominently in the nose, as one might expect from this style. Classic bubble gum noted underneath. Hops hard to detect but this is ok.

Flavor includes another nod to the banana but an equally present, balanced clove is here, too. Bready malt. Bitterness is rather low. Finishing dry.

Medium in body with a moderate/moderate high level of carbonation.

Though this beer has been in my fridge for roughly half a year, I'm very impressed with the subtle and balanced flavor profile it offers. The banana/clove/bready malt balance is well done leading to well rounded profile that makes for an enjoyable session.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 03:06:57 | More by BrewerB