Thumbprint Berliner Weiss - New Glarus Brewing Company

Etan

Illinois

4.11/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12oz from the recent re-release into a tulip.

A: Pours a mellow gold with a spongy white head.

S: Aroma brings light lactic acid, bright and mildly sweet wheat, a hint of grape must, more fresh grain.

T: Mild lactic tartness, wheat bread, ever-so-slight grape skin, pleasant wash of cereal grain.

M: Light-bodied with frothy carbonation.

O: A very nice Berliner. Not picking up much from the grapes but still very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 01:18:56 | More by Etan

tectactoe

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Mike for tossing me this one. Enjoyed side by side with Bell's Oarsman Ale. The pour is nearly identical - a murky, straw-yellow color; this one is perhaps a bit more clear, but still has a large haze to it. The head is also pretty thin and fizzy, not to mention it's gone within a few seconds of pouring the beer, leaving nothing behind.

A nice amount of light grains, hay, must, lemon zest and apple skins come clashing together to form a very soft, relaxed, yet well-stated aromatic profile. This one is perhaps a bit more complex and robust than Oarsman (or at least, as "robust" as a Berliner can be), and it has a bit stronger of a tartness to it. The tart in the aroma is of the lemon-y and lactic persuasion. Refreshing and effervescent.

Again, the flavor follows through with what the nose has paved the way for. The initial taste is a nice lemon zesty tartness; pretty far from sour, but definitely a little more tart and lactic than Oarsman. Other flavors that follow include green apple skins, white grape, and a touch of grains and some dead, musty hops with basically no bitterness left. Very nice, crispy clean finish with a thin and wet mouth feel.

I think I liked this one a little bit more than Oarsman, although they are both good. Very nice and refreshing with decent complexity for a beer that's so light. So easy to drink, the bottle was gone in minutes, and I could easily crush a six pack of this without thinking about it. A very nice summer beer to have by your side.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 02:31:48 | More by tectactoe

Lemke10

Wisconsin

4.53/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

With the 20th Anniversary of New Glarus Brewery taking place in 2013, they have been bringing back some of the past favorites as part of their celebration. First came Edel Pils and now it’s time for some Berliner Weiss. Berliner Weiss last debuted about 4 years ago and I never got a chance to try it as I was just entering the craft beer world so I’m very excited to try this one.

It pours a pale yellow color with a frothy white head. The aroma is a combination of wheat, yeast, and tart fruits. It certainly has a Belgian style feel going for it. Overall it’s very inviting with hints of banana as well.

It take a little while to get used to the tartness of the beer although it’s no where near as tart as a sour/wild ale. The texture is smooth and creamy with a balanced mixture of wheat and yeast. This is definitely something different from New Glarus’ other offerings. I can’t say I've had anything else quite like it.

A unique tasty brew from New Glarus is always a hit! I’m glad to see them bring back older brews so I have something to try I haven’t had before. I’m always a fan of them bringing beer back they said didn't sell well before so a new group a beer lovers can try it for themselves. I hear that next up on their list is a new 20th Anniversary Strong Ale due out in late May 2013. I’m getting thirsty thinking about it already.
-Chris Lemke of WisconsinBrewReview.com

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 22:47:21 | More by Lemke10

Fcolle2

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: pours nice golden color. Frothy 2 finger head that's settles down rather quickly, decent lacing

S: defiantly getting some grassy notes upfront followed by lemon and finishes with the yeast.

T: you can really taste the grape in this one. It gives it a champagne feel that works great with the lemony yeast characters.

M: lots of carbonation and nice and light. This really adds the the champaign feel of the beer.

O: great beer, very drinkable. I will defiantly be picking more of this up for the summer.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 00:13:17 | More by Fcolle2

Duff27

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a full two inch white, densely fluffed head. Body is a straw golden yellow color. A multitude of effervescence rising. Head retention is above average with clumpy lacing. No complaints thus far.

First aroma that I get is a funky stank. Straw and lemon zest come through on the nose as well.

A slightly soured/tart presence is tasted throughout each sip. Again, faint lemons come to mind. Extremely clean taste. Drink drink drink.

Smooth, small bubbled carbon teeters on the high end but fits this beer's overall profile nicely.

Perhaps the best lawnmower beer ever? New Glarus Berliner Weiss nails everything you look for in a Berliner, slight funk, cleanliness, and a high drinkability. One of the few Unplugged/Thumbprints I haven't had up until tonight. Thanks for picking this up for me egrace84.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 03:21:37 | More by Duff27

brydeen

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: pours a light golden straw color, with a massive 2 inch frothy white head. Very active carbonation from the bottom of glass.

S: A light funky aroma. Lemon peel, and a little wheat scent.

T: Very sharp and lightly tart. Acidic and lemony, but lightly funky. A slight white wine quality to it. This beer begs for a hot summer day.

M: Sharp, light, and dry. Bubbly but creamy at the same time. Very refreshing.

O: This is a perfect hot summer day beer. Light, crisp, tart, and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 01:30:10 | More by brydeen

nickapalooza86

Wisconsin

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a straw color with 2 fingers of white head, slight haze, lively carbonation from the bottom.

Smell is lemon, grain, white wine

Taste is tart lemons, wheat, green grape, white wine character in there aswell.

really light feel to it, but the heavy carbonation really fills it out nice!

Well this is a summer beer I can get behind! Nice and complex, but clearly in session abv standards, could drink this all day if it were not 9 bucks a 4 pack ( I still might though!)

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 23:07:12 | More by nickapalooza86

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

4.44/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Overall this beer reminded me of the old days and drinking Schultheiss Berliner Weisse. It's that good!

A: slight hazy, straw colored, kept creamy head the entire way
S: wheat, grassy, lactic
T: nice and tart but not overly tart, easy drinking, not as tart as Schultheiss but very good
M: refreshing, quenching and well-made

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 02:34:02 | More by wisrarebeer

TheLostGringo

Connecticut

4.41/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Traded for a couple 4 packs of these and was time to drink my first one last night.

A: Pours a hazy straw color, with a lush foamy white head that clings remains for some time and lacing that easily clings to my Deschutes Teku glass. 4.25

S: Dominated by wheat aromas, perhaps a cheesy smell as well, with hints of lemon coming through in the end. 4.00

T: Was happy to see that the sweetish wheat flavor was nowhere to be found but instead just mildly funky, refreshingly tart with a lemonade sweetness. 4.50

M: The mouth-feel is gorgeous on this Berliner Weiss, Light but not thin, highly carbonated and intensely refreshing. On a warm summers day I fear there would be no limit to the amount of these I could drink. 4.75

O: From beginning to end just a really great beer, can't wait to drink the others I have, highly suggest searching this out if you like the style. 4.50

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 15:12:26 | More by TheLostGringo

mobius387

Wisconsin

4.39/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance: big white fluffly head, hazy golden color, fairly opaque. lots of carbonation bubbles actively fizzing upwards

aroma: sweet lemon grass hits the nose with some faint white grapes and tartness to round it off. has that freshness smell of summer rain

palate: hints of tartness tickle the tongue, flavor fills the mouth very well, not too overly carbonated on the tongue and booziness is non-existent. very easy drinking as NG is known for

taste: soft lemon, grass, grapes, and a hint of honey accented by the barrel flavoring and a nice little kick of sour in there. just a great, robust, easy drinking, summer beer. one of the best BW's ive ever had

overall: a great beer from a great brewery, this this the quintessential summer craft brew. IMO the 3rd best thumbprint behind IIPA and Enigma. Wish it had a touch more sourness to it, but leaving it light definitely makes it a bit more unique and probably will attract more beer drinkers. Will be a huge memorial day weekend hit!

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 23:01:24 | More by mobius387

Ri0

Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Faint hazy straw yellow with massive fluffy white head that slowly falls and leaves behind a plethora of lacing. I've never seen so much lacing before. The stream of bubbles is like a mesmerizing tornado.

S - Smells like a Chardonnay with sour tart grapes.

T - A nice not so tart sour grape with faint lemon.

M - Light and great carbonation. Fizzy and crisp, refreshing and satisfying on summer day.

O - Dan Carey I bow to your greatness on producing delicious quality beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 02:26:28 | More by Ri0

Stevedore

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle from 2013 Thumbprint series, poured into a New Glarus pilsner glass and quaffed today, 5/7/2013.

Aroma: Yeasty spices that I describe as very earthy, a little bit of clove and banana like a hefeweizen mixed with tart grape sweetness. Smells thick and thin the same time. Smelling this, I feel refreshed already. (4.25)

Colour: Pours a hazy straw colour with a massive head that fills up the rest of my pilsner glass, which is no mean feat as that's a full 3 fingers' worth. It very, very slowly recedes into a thick film that I hesitate to even call a film because this film is what a lot of other beers' heads look like. It's very impressive. The lacing is thick, bubbly and soapy. I don't know if its the glass but its definitely an awesome looking beer overall. (5)

Flavour: Full of tart sweetness up front. Not a dark fruit tartness but rather a sweet, light grape tartness. There is a little bit of biscuit and sweet grape in the back here. For the most part it's a light flavoured and tart beer that isn't too bitter or too sweet. Nicely balanced and a very, very refreshing brew to drink on a 79 degree evening in Wisconsin. (4)

Mouthfeel: Thin bodied with the best carbonation I've had in a beer. It fizzles all over my tongue leaving a nice sweet and tart aftertaste. Finish is incredibly refreshing. Supremely quaffable. I opened up a second one while writing this review- never done that before. (4.5)

Overall: Very refreshing, great summer beer. It's not full of flavour like an DIPA or imperial stout is, but it has an incredibly refreshing, hydrating quality to it. The tartness and sweetness of this beer makes this feel like an actual beer rather than just a watered down hefeweizen. It's more of a champagne than a beer, and I'm looking forward to trying out more beers of this style. (4.25)

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 00:51:02 | More by Stevedore

TheSSG

Illinois

4.68/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Opening this "Champagne of the North" is accompanied by a BURST of carbonation that explodes as the cap comes off.

Pours a MASSIVE, dense, white head that collapses nicely whilst clinging to the edges of the glass. Soft, sweet aroma is a wonderful mix of yeasty earthiness and grape skins(?). A very interesting aroma that has a nose similar to egg salad for a flash of a second; just a very earthy, yeasty aroma (I assume from the grapes and barrel). Lovely, pale straw color with good turbidity.

Starts off bright and TART, building into an excellent maltiness with flavors of biscuit and grape. This maltiness climbs further, and then cascades down with the tart sourness and sweet Riesling poking its head through from time to time. The finish is subdued malt; biscuit dominates with a touch of fruitiness behind it.

This, this is WONDERFUL! The PERFECT bier for summer! It is crisp, tart, refreshing, fruity, and malty! And it is SILKY smooth across the tongue!
It is all the fun of a hefeweizen and a white wine, rolled into one!
If you are a fan of wine, you will LOVE this!

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 02:40:33 | More by TheSSG

guityler83

Wisconsin

4.51/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Soft pastel yellow, with a touch of haze. soft white head with tiny little bubbles that pop up from time to time from the lazer etched wisconsin on the botom of the new glarus pilsner glass.

S: Lemon grass with a sour vinager wave. no hops detected.

T: Wheat and doughy malt vibe sit background to the lingering lemonhead sourness. Not overpowering to drive off the newbie sour beer drinker, but apperant enough to keep the veteran interested.

M: crisp, refreshing and perfect for a warm summer day.

O: Complex flavor that doesn't get borring, refreshing, and not to pricey (in WI). If you like sours you won't be disapointed.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 02:38:25 | More by guityler83

thebigredone

Wisconsin

4.65/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Incredibly excited to try this beer, picked up a couple 4-packs with high expectations.

Poured into a New Glarus pilsner glass, the beer is a very pale golden color with a nice white head, good lacing, and steady carbonation.

The smell isn't incredibly appealing, sort of a funky vinous smell.

The taste makes up for all the smell lacks. Beginning with a pleasant white wine-ish flavor, the taste quickly transitions into a medium tartness that stays on the tongue as a nice, lingering wheat flavor emerges. Absolutely fantastic.

Overall, Dan Carey killed this beer. Based on my very limited experience with other Berliner Weisses, this is not only the best I've had, but the one that seems to best meet the style. Definitely seek this out, I'm picking up a case.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 22:56:29 | More by thebigredone

jegross2

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewing the currently retired Unplugged Berliner Weiss from New Glarus Brewing Company out of Wisconsin. A big thanks to Mike for sharing this bottle with me!
Score: 91

2008 bottle with bottle code "1558 10:36." Served in a snifter/tulip hybrid glass and enjoyed on 08/23/12. Review is from notes.

Appearance: Pours a nice and transparent golden honey color with a thin film of head on top. Average lacing, but excellent lacing/cling. 4.5/5

Smell: Apple juice, white grapes and a fruity acidity. Peaches, Pinot Grigio, and a light "wheatiness." 4.25/5

Taste: Apple juice backbone with a little lemon and white grapes flavor overlaying. Slight tart acidity with an apple aftertaste. As the beer warms up, a faint funkiness comes out in the finish. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, medium carbonation. Juicy mouthfeel with slightly dry aftertaste. Moderately acidic and slightly tart. 4/5

Overall: Light, refreshing and flavorful! This beer has aged gracefully like a nice mild gueze.

Recommendation: Seek this one out if you get the chance; it's one of New Glarus' better Unplugged series beers

Pairings: Potato latkes with apple sauce.

Cost: $10.99 for a four pack.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 23:38:22 | More by jegross2

thain709

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Deuane for cleaning out his basement and letting me try a bottle. It actually has held up with the age.

A - Poured with a glowing, yet dull, golden body...there were visible carbonation bubbles racing to the top...the head was thin and white and actually didn't retain that well...some patchy lacing was left

S - Tart fruitiness all around mixed with a little sour, but a good sour...grapes, apples, pears, lemon...there is a balancing wheat backbone

T - The fruit and tartness do not go away, and it's lovely...all of the tart fruit from the nose can be picked out on the palate...the grapes standing out above the rest, with the lemon providing just a hint of sourness...the yeast and wheat backbone shines in the middle and balances things out...the funk has subsided, but there is a pronounced woodiness that has taken over...there is a slight tartness that sneaks back in the finish to give just enough of a pucker

M - Medium bodied...nicely tart, little sour, a woody flavor has developed

O - This was a nice treat seeing as the age on the bottle was unknown...the grapes did a great job adding and keeping their characteristics

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 13:33:34 | More by thain709

antoines15

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Haven't felt compelled to do a review in quite some time but this beer brought me out of retirement. Absolute perfection in a glass. Berliner's aren't a glamorous style but this one is the best of the lot. Super fluffy head and great lacing as far as looks go. Tart, refreshing, lemony, crisp and clean. Just really delightful. The only downside is that it's ten bucks a four pack but I guess that's not too bad. I only mention it because I'm going to drink the shit out of it this weekend and the entire case will be gone. You won't find a better berliner.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2012 23:19:27 | More by antoines15

hopsbreath

Oregon

4.48/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to black13 for the bottle! A personal whale of mine that didn't last a single hour in my house when I got home. Split into a pair of New Glarus flutes and shared with TulipSnifter.

A: Pale gold in the glass with a quickly receded white head. Just a few bubbles remain on top and no lacing shows up on the glass. Everything points to a well done Berliner so far. 4/5

S: From the label description comes a reference to champagne, pinot grigio, and reisling grapes. Well this smells about as winey as they come on the nose. Green grapes, green apples, and green mellon (honey dew) dominates here. No way this can be described as a traditional berliner weisse, or even beer at this point, but wow is this interesting. 4.5/5

T: If I was told this was champagne I'd be sold. Heavy on the tart grapes with a good dose of acid. Cucumber and pear compliments the sparkling beverage. As dry as they come. 4.5/5

M: Prickly and tongue bruising. Paired with some fatty cheese, this would scrub the palate and keep it fresh. 4.5/5

O: Can't grade this on a typical metric for the style. That aside, it's really remarkable and very unique. At over three years old it shows no signs of its age and is shining brilliantly. Another Dan Carey success. 4.5/5

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 05:25:52 | More by hopsbreath

Jason

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz brown bottle with no freshness date.

Bubble and frothy pour, bright straw golden color. A long dusty pulling presence of wood in the nose, vinous on top of that with some dry cracker maltiness. Tartness explodes from the first sip and nearly every sip after, dry pull from the barrel aging and well attenuated sugars make this brew bone dry. Blue cheese? Lemony tartness, clean graininess has a nice cracker tone even though it is so damn dry.

Obviously not you typical Berliner Weiss, grapes with barrel aging. Once in a while I run into a beer that wows me ... this is one of them.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 03:22:05 | More by Jason

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: This pours just a touch hazy, but mostly a golden straw yellow color all the way through. Some light bubbles slowly rise from the bottom of the glass, but there is not enough to help with head retention. A 2 cm white head exists initially, then fades

Smell: The aroma is fairly grassy and sweet. Grass and wheat are the primary contributors to the aroma, with some citrus zest, white grape, and other light fruits on the edge.

Taste: Wow, surprisingly tart up front. After letting my palate adjust, I get some light wheat flavors, and lots of lemony citrus and white grapes. After the tartness fades a bit, some grass comes through as well. The finish is still tart, but a little less than it was up front.

Mouthfeel: Even with a low ABV, the body actually holds up reasonably well. There are enough unfermentables to keep this drinking bigger bodied than it is. The carbonation is medium, mostly creamy but with a crispness as well. Slightly acidic.

Overall: This was definitely a fun experiment - my first venture into Berliners. The tartness really won me over; this is something I could drink for a while.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 04:48:39 | More by KickInTheChalice

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A big thanks to macdeko for this great extra. Cheers!

Appearance – Pours into my Bell’s tulip with a tangerine color. About a finger of tiny bubbled head is achieved with an average pour that dissipates quickly leaving slight lacing.

Smell – Tart citrus fruits such as lemon and granny smith apple skins, with a hint of oranges and cherries. Wheat, grains, and a hint of malt.

Taste – Wow, much more fruity than I expected! Definitely get the granny smith apples up front with a nice puckering from the lemon also. Nice tart funk that leads to wheat and an ever so slight malt backbone.

Mouthfeel – Medium to lighter bodied, great carbonation, finishes decently dry.

Overall – Damn, trying not to quaff this. A very good beer and one that I wish I could get my hands on again. Very glad I was able to try this and if they ever make it again (doubtful) I will pick up many for sure. I’m not sure how old this is but from the looks of it a couple years old. Hot damn I’m enjoying this.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 02:23:53 | More by SpdKilz

JAXSON

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From a bottle, pours light gold with a large eggshell head. Not as spritzy as some examples of this style. Nose is quite grainy with a touch of lightly sweet stone fruit. Quite tart in the mouth, oddly sweet in the middle, with a bit of yeast in the finish. Very sour. Kind of sulfuric at times, quite a bit of wet stone and mineral in there as well. The mineral aspect of this is not entirely pleasant, and it's a touch too sour for me. Flavor profile is just kind of off, but I'm naturally comparing it to Southampton's, which just destroys this. A decent, but not great example of this style.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 01:43:56 | More by JAXSON

ChadQuest

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer looks the part of tart. It is just a shade darker then Lemon and hazy as all get out. Only a thin collar is left around the edge. Aroma took some deep nosing for me to really get into. A faint vinegar and funky grape aroma. However the Flavors really hit hard in the Green Granny Smith Apple department, refined lemon tartness that finishes with a dry grape note. Superb. Daniel makes so many beers that need to be brewed regularly, Please. I'd buy cases of this in 750s. Enigma too.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2011 02:59:47 | More by ChadQuest

BieresDesMoines

Iowa

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light hazy blonde. The head is pretty with big bubbles but goes away and leaves a champagne like carbonation. Aromas are lightly funky and fruity. The grapes add to the flavor of this very nicely and the overall flavor is dry with a nice sourness.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 20:00:27 | More by BieresDesMoines