Thumbprint IIPA - New Glarus Brewing Company

orbitalr0x

Illinois

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

The brew evacuates the red foil topped bottle a nice golden yellowish orange with a foamy one inch head settled on top. Bubbles rise up on the sides of the glass. Aromas are awash with big citric hops..grapefruits, oranges, peaches. Hints of pine and resiny hop oils abound. A mellow sweet caramel is present..however the hops run the show..fresh and abundant. Lovely.

First sip brings a wave of lush hop flavors. Sweet citrusy grapefruit tones dance across the palate along with some pine and plenty of slick, resiny green hop oils. There's a nice sturdy caramelly malt background that ties everything in. Initially sweet...the hop bitterness hits on the way down but it's not too abrasive. An awesome Double IPA by all accounts and the best New Glarus brew I have tried thus far.

Mouthfeel has a nice slick, creamy medium body that makes this brew incredibly drinkable. Smooth, mellow carbonation, each sip leaves me begging for another. They should bottle this in 750's! A hopheads delight...I hope Dan can find a way to get this into the regular New Glarus lineup. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2011 01:15:03 | More by orbitalr0x

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-22-2013 00:52:53 | More by mikeincharleston

marine1975

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -6.3%

05-21-2013 02:13:58 | More by marine1975

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4/5  rDev -6.3%

05-19-2013 01:07:32 | More by Photekut

barrelofbastard

California

4/5  rDev -6.3%

05-18-2013 20:21:03 | More by barrelofbastard

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

4.29/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Big thanks to JayORear for the bottle.

Appearance: Slight chill haze on a solid gold color. Head is bright-white. Drops to a small wispy cap and collar. Moderate carbonation on the pour. Very on point.

Smell: Dank and citrusy. Straight up weed with a big hit of pine resin. Oily grapefruit rind. Slightly tropical. Some tangerine. So much dankable. Malts run a little sweet, but it's a nice balance to the hop profile. Slightly toasted with a bready quality. Apricot and mango.

Taste: A bit fruitier than the nose would indicate. Nice balance of tangerine, grapefruit, and mango. Heavy bitterness quickly gives way to a slick, oily pine. A hint of mint. Slightly sweet bready malts. Some caramel sweetness. Warming increases the bitterness, pushing toward aspirin. Unrelentingly bitter, but not particularly abrasive.

Mouthfeel: Slick and oily medium to full body. Slightly above average carbonation with a solidly dry finish. Juicy up front.

Overall: Dear New Glarus, keep doing everything awesome...just increase distribution to MA.

A solid DIPA. Hits the right notes and is aggressive enough to be interesting but not so crazy you can't drink it. Seriously, can New Glarus not make a solid take on any style? I think not.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 19:18:42 | More by Goblinmunkey7

Jakob

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -18%

05-18-2013 16:14:37 | More by Jakob

SocalKicks

California

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-18-2013 03:55:42 | More by SocalKicks

eliz108

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +17.1%

05-17-2013 15:02:36 | More by eliz108

kylehay2004

Florida

4.05/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Half finger head not lasting long on a hazy dull golden with a slight burnt orange hue. Nice lacing. Aroma is excellent with mostly tart generic citrus, candy sugar, earthy and herbal aromas and some pale malts. Flavor has a mild pale malt base with resins, musty and tart citrus, honey but overall a bit harsh. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Somewhat dry n the finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 02:12:38 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

4.06/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A - Pours with one finger of white foam on top of a hazy, golden body. The head settles quickly and leaves decent lace.

S - Pungent citrus and tropical fruit hop aromas with a bit of toffee and sweaty dankness.

T - Pungent pine and sweat up front with pithy bitterness. Some dry toast in the middle with a finish of harsh bitterness and grapefruit.

M - Medium thick body, modately high carbonation, and a bitter finish.

D - The aroma is spectacular, but the flavor doesn't work nearly as well. The bitterness is harsh and kind of medicinal, but there really isn't quite enough malt to balance.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 02:04:51 | More by nickfl

Lovely85

Florida

4/5  rDev -6.3%

05-17-2013 01:59:04 | More by Lovely85

maxcoinage

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-15-2013 19:57:05 | More by maxcoinage

bman_85

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-14-2013 22:29:26 | More by bman_85

BUNZILLA

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-14-2013 02:15:33 | More by BUNZILLA

pk18

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-13-2013 20:22:32 | More by pk18

EROCK75

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-13-2013 15:44:32 | More by EROCK75

Imperial_Sapient_Groat

Michigan

5/5  rDev +17.1%

05-11-2013 00:25:52 | More by Imperial_Sapient_Groat

Mandark

Illinois

4/5  rDev -6.3%

05-10-2013 05:53:34 | More by Mandark

durlta

Iowa

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-08-2013 16:28:46 | More by durlta

Treebs

Illinois

4.54/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle served in a FFF teku. Bottle shared by pmoney and also opened another bottle bottle two weeks later. Both equally as delicious.

A: Pours a clear amber color with a one finger height of white foam forming on the pour. Some soapy and splotchy lace is left down the glass.

S: Grapefruit and orange bursts of citrus with a nice piney undertone. A little bubblegum sweetness with sweet bread malt body.

T: Mango and orange. Lemon citrus with pineapple. A lot of tropical fruits going on. Marmalade sweetness with some light bitterness. White bread malt sweetness on the finish.

M: Medium to light bodied with a medium carbonation level. Sweet and fruity with a clean finish.

O: Delicious. So well balanced with a great mouthfeel. Fruity and sweet with a piney undertone. This is a top tier DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 04:04:27 | More by Treebs

kojevergas

California

3.88/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

New Glarus IIPA. Thumbprint series. More than 85 IBUs according to the label description. Self-identifies as a double IPA. Dry hopped. Bottle fermented. Brewed with English Maris Otter malt. 12 fl oz brown glass bottle with simple but stylish label art and foiled over branded pressure cap served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are very high given the brewery, which makes some fantastic beers. Acquired in a trade with the very generous Duff27. Thanks again, buddy!

Served cold, straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a nice four finger beige colour head of decent cream, pretty good thickness, and good (~6-7 minute) retention. Body colour is a very vibrant translucent copper. Clear. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Solid if typical for the style. I'm looking forward to trying it.

Sm: Lovely floral, piney, and nectary hop notes. A touch of citrusy grapefruit - but not the biting bitter grapefruit notes of many West Coast Style IPAs. Hoppy while still being pleasant and inviting. Pale malts. Some dank tropical fruit esters. Lightly soapy - which has me worried. An average strength aroma. No yeast character or alcohol is detectable.

T: Wow. Really evocative mango and tropical fruits - including pineapple. Juicy and delightful. Some juicy but not bitter grapefruit and some floral/nectary character rounds out the hop character nicely. There's some tangerine there too. I don't often have (Imperial)IPAs with such a developed mango emphasis. A bit piney too. Some grainy bready pale malts provide a supportive full body, allowing the hops to take center stage while keeping it refreshing and approachable. I do notice some alcohol when it hits my stomach, but it's very well concealed in the flavour profile. No yeast character comes through. A bit biscuity - did they use Amarillo? That's what really gets my juices going in an IPA. None of the soapy character from the aroma comes through - thankfully. Lightly grassy. I like the balance of the hops and malts; it's not too sparse with its malts like many beers in the style, and I think that's because they chose malts they knew would complement rather than distract. No hop bitterness comes through; it's all well disguised. Good depth of flavour and build. Well layered. I really like this. Good complexity and decent subtlety.

Mf: Smooth and wet enough to refresh yet lightly coarse enough to coax out the nuances of the flavours. Perfect carbonation. Great presence on the palate. Lightly oily. Not that creamy, but it doesn't need it. Clean and crisp. Complements the flavour profile quite well.

Dr: Very drinkable for the high ABV; I could easily put down a few of these in a night - and I'd want to. Would pair very well with spicy food. This is a solid IIPA from New Glarus that I'd definitely get again - preferably on-draught. Solid, balanced, and brewed with care. Really tasty stuff. Highly recommended.

B+

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 03:03:37 | More by kojevergas

Jeremy6566

Arizona

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%

05-07-2013 20:12:53 | More by Jeremy6566

Drucifer

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-07-2013 02:08:57 | More by Drucifer

Cvescalante

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-06-2013 22:11:56 | More by Cvescalante