Unplugged Imperial Weizen - New Glarus Brewing Company

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.44/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I have to confess, this bottle was alleged to be 2 years old. I cant confirm that, but the expectation on my end here is that a fresh one of these would be wonderful (as the bottle itself suggests), but an older one just doesn't maintain. this one poured a really cloudy pale yellow color with an average white bubbly head. the nose is vanilla and cinnamon, with some honey sweetness and more alcohol than I am used to in wheat beer. my girlfriend loved the flavor, thought the spice and sweet combination was fantastic. I liked it less, with the spice being a little overdone, and the wheat malt sort of having a deteriorated flavor to it, not as fresh and clean as it might have been. it lost its ability to support the other flavors, which don't seem to have diminished at all. the feel came across a little thin, and the alcohol was piercing. new glarus does some wonderful stuff, and im sure a bottle right off the line of this would rectify that viewpoint, but this beer (however old it really was) just did not get it done. way out of balance, weird yeast properties, and just sort of all over the place. I will have to revisit this one when I can verify its source and birthday.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 20:21:01 | More by StonedTrippin

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle from jprime

Golden orange colour, about a finger of white head, a little bit of lace as well. Smell is quite hoppy, big pineapple and orangey citrus notes, malty and wheaty character, lots of hops in this one though. Taste has a wheaty character mixed with plenty of hops, orange, tangerine and pineapple, fairly bitter throughout, touches of honey, lightly sweet in the finish with a bit more wheat, hoppy aftertaste. Medium body, medium carbonation, lightly dry. A solid hoppy wheat beer and really drinkable despite this not being quite what I expected.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 19:34:57 | More by peensteen

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Pino, 12oz into a tulip.

Poured with the yeast, golden orange body with an offwhite head and light lacing + retention. Hoppy nose, wheat, citrus/grapefruit/pineapple and definite weizen yeast character. Taste is bitter, hoppy, yeasty, with more pineapple and tropical fruit notes. Some canned pineapple juice character comes to mind. Quite nice, would love to try this fresh on draught.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 15:00:14 | More by liamt07

Arbitrator

California

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Chilled bottle into a glass. Given to me by largadeer, the Beer Jesus. Thanks! From notes.

A: Pours a cloudy, glowing goldenrod body with long-retaining off-white head.

S: Tons of bubblegum, with banana and clove.

T: The taste also begins with bubblegum; it segues into a banana-earthy hop melange that leads into a straight clove finish. It's very interesting how powerful the flavors are, yet how distinct and phased they are. The exhalation is all banana. There's a bitterness and some rind-like quality throughout; I pick up the yeast as chalky residue in the aftertaste.

M: Great body; this is medium-plus bodied, with medium-plus carbonation. The effervescence helps it go down smoother.

O: This is good on the whole, but it needs some tweaks as far as the yeast is concerned.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 05:12:41 | More by Arbitrator

facundoCNB

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

a beautiful golden pour, clean but I threw in the bit of sediment at the bottom and made it cloudy. A nice 2 fingers of foamy head, excellent lacing.
lots of lemon scent coming off of this! Smells of alcohol, yeast, and lemon!
lemon zest, sweet malty backbone, slight pepper in the finish.. Bready yeast
medium body, high arbonation, nice creamy mouthfeel.. Very refreshing.
an excellent beer coming from someone who isn't all that crazy about wheat beers. Very citrusy, delicious and extremely refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 00:28:14 | More by facundoCNB

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a snifter

A: Pours a very hazy golden color with two fingers of pillowy foam. Retention is remarkable. So is the lacing.

S: Strong wheat starts off with toffee, clove, and banana. Clove is quite strong in this beer, but the toffee and banana help balance out the spice. The beer actually smells quite sweet.

T: Strong spices start this beer off - I get lots of clove here. Behind that, I get a strong wheat flavor with toffee sweetness along with mild banana.

M: Medium to thick mouthfeel with strong carbonation.

O: This was a pretty complex Imperial Weizen. Lots of spice from the yeast and a nice sweetness to balance. I really like this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 01:07:38 | More by coreyfmcdonald

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy golden straw color, thick and fluffy white head, long lasting. Scent brings a big whiff of lemon grass and orange rind along with big notes of banana bread, some bubblegum, black pepper and yeast. Taste is big and bold, nice hop notes combine with amped up wheat beer flavors, touch of alcohol. Medium bodied, light chunkiness, mostly dry and slightly warming. Really solid beer all around, nice touch of hops on nose and tongue. Amazed at the ABVs on this one, noticeable but still well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 04:43:22 | More by rfgetz

Florida9

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Very cloudy, dark, dirty yellow in color. Forms a small, but very stable, white head that leaves a moderate amount of lacing.

S: Nicely aromatic with an onslaught of sweet banana and syrup, citrus, mango, fruit salad rounded out by just a bit of yeastiness.

T: Very similar to the aroma. Rather sweet to the point of being almost sugary, then white bread, yeast, banana, ripe fruits, and a touch of lemony citrus. Finish is fairly alcoholic with a good dose of spice.

M: Medium bodied with a rather smooth, round mouthfeel on the front end, but then turns heavily alcoholic with a rather intense alcoholic burn to the tongue. Very mild bitterness.

O: This is a very nice beer that really turns up the volume. Intense, yet still enjoyable, though I do wish the alcohol was either toned down or better hidden.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 21:17:41 | More by Florida9

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a Dogfish snifter

A- pours an extremely cloudy shade of yellow with a two finger white head. The head is very puffy, sticks around for awhile. Nice.

S- it smells very astringent....very boozy. Lots of banana as well.

T- light banana, thankfully not much booze. But there *is* some heat in the back end

M- on the thick side. Bleh

O- not a huge fan of this one. Hefeweizen on steroids. Not my cup of tea

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 01:48:56 | More by bigfnjoe

GPHarris

Alabama

4.55/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

a - poured a two-fingers thick off-white head into a weizen glass that left great lacing and billowing throughout. the body was a slightly cloudy amber color.
s - big banana aromas with some clove.
t - spicy cinnamon, bananas, clove, bubblegum.
m - very creamy and coating.
o - damn, this is stupendous and incredibly dangerously drinkable. so complex and lip-smacking good.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 14:35:57 | More by GPHarris

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle opened on 6.10.12.

A - Pours a very cloudy, light orange with a one inch yellow-light tan head. Good retention.

S - Wheat hits you first, then some stong lemon.

T - Heavy wheat and some subtle lemon zest.

D - Good carbonation and a medium body.

O - Solid body makes the lemon more muted, but still keeps a good balance.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 00:11:09 | More by HuskyinPDX

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a weiss glass.

A- Pours a deep golden yellow with a fat fluffy thick white head. Very little light penetration.

S- The smell is rather hoppy for a weizenbock with strong sweet and spicy overtones. The scent of banana is present hidden underneath the light scents of orange nutmeg cinnamon and clove. Just a slight bit of maltiness to the whole ordeal.

T- The taste begins nice and sweet with the taste of slightly spicy bubblegum. It then moves into it's slightly wheatier weizenbock body. Mid taste is slightly deeper and maltier with slightly less spice. Finishes with a more spicier than bitter hop finish. This is a very delicious and complex beer.

M- Has a nice full body with a thicker mouth feel and a medium carbonation.

O- This is good although slightly more hoppy then I would really ever like a weizenbock to be, personally. The smell is phenomenal and deep down under the mask of the cascade dry hopping there really is a delicious weizenbock to be found. While I may not understand why it is that New Glarus has chosen to add hops to so many of their unplugged brews lately I can honestly say that this isn't the worst one. Definitely won't have any problem polishing this 4 pack off. The high ABV is also a real added bonus. Overall a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 22:36:00 | More by Zachtheporter

drabmuh

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Thorpe, thanks. At the time of this review, this is #6 on the "Top Beers - Weizenbock" list on beeradvocate.com. Beer served in a snifter.

Beer is yellow and hazy with a soft but lazy white head. Minimal lacing, moderate to low carbonation, looks good.

Aroma is sweet, estery, bananas. Smells like a big hefe, sweeter than normal but that is expected.

Beer is nice, medium to light in body, clean finish, overall a nice beer, nothing too exciting or surprising but it is a solid weizenbock, nice fruit flavors on the midpalate, a nice finish, a little bitter not overly so. I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 16:29:35 | More by drabmuh

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Big thanks to BeerFMAndy for getting a box of New Glarus out to me. Served in a New Glarus taster glass.

Pours a fairly-cloudy bright yellow-golden with a short white head and a spot or two of lacing on the way down. The nose has quite a bit of sweetness combined with some banana, clove, and a touch of spice. The flavor is fairly boozy with some spice and residual sweetness. Too much malt sugar remaining here, IMO. Body is a bit thicker than I'd like with some extra alcohol. I prefer NG's lower-abv German wheat offerings.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 10:08:30 | More by Thorpe429

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.25/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike.

The beer is cloudy and straw yellow hued with an inch of dense, white head. The aroma offers a healthy serving of banana, with some wheat And lemons coming in behind. The flavor does not live up to the promise of the aroma. A bit soapy, and alcohol presence, which was absent in the aroma, asserts itself in the flavor profile. Lemon zest and window cleaner. Not horrible, but also not a repeat for me. Medium bodied with an odd astringency. Aventinus is still the go to weizenbock for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 22:17:52 | More by Huhzubendah

birchstick

Missouri

3.73/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a nice hazy yellow color with a 2 finger head. I can't think of a better look for this beer

S - the nose is lemon, citrus, soft wheat malt, bubblegum

T - the taste is similar. Starts off with lemony flavors up front that are washed away by bubblegum yeast flavors. A modicum of clove is present, but not much. A little metallic on the finish with some nice spritzy hops. Nice.

M - soft and full, great body

D - another solid offering in the unplugged/thumbprint series. NG has a knack for killing German styles, and they delivered yet again.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 01:11:52 | More by birchstick

Onenote81

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Another treat sent down from BeerFMAndy. Thanks!

12oz bottle, poured into a tall weizen glass. From scanning the reviews, this one looks like it's at least 8 months old.

Pours a cloudy amber-tinted dark gold. A huge frothy white head tops 'er off. The first aroma that hits me is a big smack of floral hops. Wow. That was unexpected. [After reading the label on the bottle, I now see this was a dry-hopped weizen - very cool]. The more I pull at this one, the expected aromas creep through - clove, banana bread, cinnamon.

The body is on the scant side, as it goes down quite slick. The massive head scored some of the carbonation away, no doubt. Alcohol, though higher, is barely detected in the flavor. Subtle hints of ethanol on the back end. Mild citrus flavors meld well with the faint hoppiness, and lightly-tart sourdough bread quality.

A decent brew that I would like to have again, but it'd need to be in a much fresher form for sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 16:54:02 | More by Onenote81

beergod1

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy golden/Amber color with a tight fizzy white head. Has excellent lacing. Aroma is mostly citrus and Clove. Tastes of Banana, little bit of hops, citrus fruit, with some sort of funkiness. That must be the "Imperial" part of the beer. Sweet throughout with a little resiny aftertaste. Smells and tastes even more like bubblegum as it warms, crazy. Very good, very complex, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 01:40:43 | More by beergod1

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From notes... My mom picked up a mixer pack from Wisconsin and I was lucky enough to get a chance to try this gem.

A - Pours a hazy golden colour, finger of soapy head, solid retention and lacing.

S - Musty citrus, hints of cloves, honey, wet cardboard, chalky malts and grassy hop notes.

T - What a fantastic combination of flavours with hints of citrus and pine hops, undertones of cloves, wheat, grassy flavours, buttered bread and bubble gum.

M - Medium, smooth and wet. ABV is nearly undetectable.

O - This stuff is unreal and if ever presented the opportunity, you best not hesitate. A dangerously drinkable ale, full flavoured and scrumptious.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 03:38:11 | More by andrenaline

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured out of 12 oz bottle into a snifter.

A) Hazy looking light orange. It started with around a finger of creamy looking white head. This settled down to a dusting. Not much lacing at all.

S) There was a lot going on here. It started out pretty sweet. There was yeast, wheat, banana and spice, mainly clove. As it warmed up, I was picking up other fruit aromas, tropical and a little apple.

T) The malt and yeast create a light bread flavor. Then some booze hits you. It's pretty close to the nose, but not as much fruit was present in the taste. The finish had a boozy tingle.

M) A medium body with a good jolt of carbonation. This started out creamy, but unfortunately that faded to a mostly unsatisfying and prickly ending.

O) This was pretty good overall, but as far as NG beers go, I'll stick to Dancing Man, if I'm looking for something in and or around the weizen style.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 03:34:56 | More by RoamingGnome

Ratman197

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of adneilsen (thanks Aron) poured a cloudy gold with a lasting creamy white head. Aromas of wheast, yeast, banana, light bubblegum and a hint of clove. Mouthfeel was medium bodied and crisp. Flavors of wheat, yeast, banana, light clove and light alcohol with a crisp warming lingering banana finish.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 17:21:37 | More by Ratman197

Prostman81

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Beer pours your traditional German hefe hazy golden with a nice, but not too billowy head. Smell has hints of banana/clove, but I also get some hop character as well. I picked up this four pack in July, and just sampled this month (December) so I'm wondering if I had cracked one openn when I first bought if both aromas would be more present.

Taste is very nice. Again, it's like a more subtle hefe, but also the hop character is present to balance it out. Initial sips bring a lot of alcohol, but that quickly fades and doesn't remain overpowering to the rest of the flavors. This is where the mouthfeel comes in. It's by no means a heavy beer, but the body definitley has plenty going on to keep the alcohol at bay, while still allowing the esthers and hop aroma come through. Nice.

I'd call it a higher strength version of Dancing Man. Very good overall, but I might just stick with the D.M. in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 16:55:57 | More by Prostman81

jegross2

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewing the Unplugged Imperial Weizen from New Glarus Brewing Company.
Score: 87

2011 bottle poured in a 312 glass (no, the picture is not mine).

Appearance: Pours a hazy, golden yellow-orange color with three fingers of soapy head that settled pretty quickly into a ring around the glass and bubbly clumping in the middle. Excellent lacing. Foam returns when you swirl. 4.5/5

Smell: Bananas, oranges and Belgium yeast. Some light spices, cinnamon, plum, wheat and grainy. Sugary apple juice. Lightly toasted bread, touches of orange peel. 4/5

Taste: Bananas, Belgium yeast, cloves, cinnamon and pepper hit upfront. Very sweet, sugary apples on the mid-palate. Quite juicy. Finish is Unibroue Ephemere-like, but mixed with bananas. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, slightly spritzy medium-high carbonated. Not crisp, because of the sugary linger, but very palate cleansing otherwise. Finishes dry, sweet and slightly sticky. 3.5/5

Overall: A solid Weizenbock, but nothing standout. Incredibly drinkable, and enjoyable, but a bit too sugary for my tastes. I'd absolutely try another. Oh wait, I have three! New Glarus Unpluggeds are definitely where it's at.

Recommendation: A brilliant craft beer for casual beer drinkers. Weizenbocks are what got me into craft beer. Beer geeks should also try this one, but by the single and not the four pack.

Pairings: Pumpkin pie.

Cost: $10.99 for a four pack (add a few extra dollars if you bought it at the gas station).

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 23:15:03 | More by jegross2

JohnnyHopps

Indiana

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I have had the last bottle of the 4 pack in the fridge for a while. Poured into a pint glass during an American football game, the beer was a golden orange color. A mildly bitter aroma tickled the nose before yielding to a more fruity aroma. Initial taste was a sweet banana and cinnamon flavor that melted into a hot and warming bitter hoppy aftertaste. Notes of citrus are also hidden among the flavors. This is a very smooth beer in terms of the mouthfeel, which is somewhat surprising when the high alcohol content is considered. At 9.6%, this is a potent beer. While it is a warming beer, the smoothness suggests that it could also serve as an easy drinking summer beer. This is a well balanced, tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 23:04:35 | More by JohnnyHopps

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.8/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy gold with a big sticky white head. Typical look for a wheat based beer.

Aroma is of wheat, bubble gum and a bit of clove. Some lemon/citrus fruit also makes an appearance.

Hits the palate with a sharp citrus/lemon angle. A bit of clove and spice. None of the bubblegum in the smell.

Mouthfeel is fairly light and carbonation level is good.

Pretty good, but I prefer most of NG regular wheat beer options to this. It pales in comparison to Dancing Man and Laughing Fox.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 00:45:13 | More by jmarsh123