New Glarus Hop Hearty Ale

Brewed by New Glarus Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
New Glarus, Wisconsin USA

Woah- a unique IPA. This smells like cocoa puffs out of the bottle, very unusual for an IPA. Bitter hops are notable but they are of the earthy variety rather than pine/grapefruit. The body is clear dark orange/red with a thin off-white head. The body continues with the toasty biscuit flavors, indeed a hint of caramel, and not-so-intense bitter, earthy hops. This beer is hurt a bit by its watery body, yet its subtlety is one of its strengths.

2008-08-16. Crisp amber body, modest foamy beige head. (3+) Pleasant hoppy aroma, well blended, light resin and citrus. (7+) Similar flavour, moderate bitterness throughout, resin and bitterness. (7+) Average palate suits the beer nicely. Unassuming but lovely, probably would have stuck out more on a day without a bunch of other hoppy brews. Bottle, Coles IPA Festival, Buffalo

The beer pours a clear, deep copper-amber color that sits beneath a creamy tan head. As I pour this beer, I get suprisingly malty aromas that waft to my nose. As I go in for my first deep smell, I get more malty notes of toasted malt, and carmel. I go in for a deep snort, and just confirm that malt aromas dominated the nose on this beer. Perhaps I get a hint of citrus in the nose, but that is it.

The taste has a zingy, hoppiness to it that is slightly herbal and definitely floral in character. The finish is nicely bitter,but is dominated by a dry, austere maltiness that is evocative of lightly toasted biscuits, caramalized sugar, and raw malted barley. I get flavor notes of lemon, grain husk (a certain astringency in the finish), crystal malt, biscuit malt, and a certain elusive grassiness. The hops certainly are dominant in the front of this beer, but there is a really nice complimenting malt component in the finish, which ends up competing with the bitterness to balance this beer out.

I would, perhaps, have enjoyed this beer a bit more if it had not been labled an IPA. It is so malty as to almost throw me for a loop. It is quite hoppy as well, it is just not a conventional IPA (and really who wants that). While there is a pronounced maltiness here, the hops still play a central role.

Bottle. Man, was I in the mood for a good pale tonight. This pours great: nice deep copper with a very impressive dense, white head. It sits on top to form a rocky terrain. The aroma is very complete and makes my mouth water. There are grapefruit and pine, caramel and green tea among a boquet my nose is too feeble to isolate. It’s robust all around and obviously slightly favors the hop scents, but for an IPA, it’s certainly not one-sided. The flavor is something of a let down, but only because the aroma is so awesome. It just isn’t fair to the tongue that this ale smells so rich. Please, don’t get me wrong, this is damned tasty. Some fresh cut barley is noticed beneath the zesty pine and grassy notes. The grapefruit is not here so much in the taste. There is an excellent display of dense caramel, the alcohol is noticeable far off in the finish. It makes me wonder if that’s the hops lingering or just a touch of burn. This is definitely a winner.

Bottle. Pours a nice deep golden orange colr with a small frothy head. Aroma of citrus and hops. Has a nice smooth caramel , fruity taste that finishes with a nice light bitter aftertaste. Nice IPA!

(Bottle) Pours an amber color with a large white head and good lacing. Sweet aroma with a small amount of citrus and raspberry. I actually got some raspberry in the taste as well. The moderate amount of hop flavor is well balanced by some caramel and spice. A good all around brew, but not as hoppy as I expected for their IPA.

Pour is a cloudy, yet vibrant copper color with an ample off-white head that has good retention and creates nice lacing. The aroma is caramel malt, pine and floral hops. Some thin hints of citrus noted as well. The flavor is toasted, almost smokey malt and piney hops. Mild citrus and some floral hoppiness makes a cameo. The body is thin to medium bodied and the finish is bone dry. Easy to drink and fairly refreshing.

12oz bottle-An amber color with a head that dissipates into a nice ring. Aroma of hops followed by malt. Taste of big malt and more big malt with a little citrus. A well balanced beer.