New Glarus Unplugged Imperial Weizen

Formerly brewed at New Glarus Brewing Company
Style: German Hefeweizen
New Glarus, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Weizen

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This is simply one AMAZING brew. I have purchased as many bottles of this as i could find while it was still being brewed. Unlike any beer i’ve tasted. The complexity of flavors, the impressive head, the utterly unique aroma and silky, creamy feel in the mouth is unmatched. This is a bold and amazing creation from New Glarus and i hope to see this brewed again in the future. This is perhaps their best so far.

Nuzzling up to perfection. What an uber hop weizen a la American style. Absolutely slammed the Belgians here. Poured with a huge foamy, frothy, off white head and great lace. Aroma is banana, yeast, bubblegum, malt, hop, Flavor is largely like nose, plus yeast bitterness leaps out along with sweetness of the malts and propelled by the alcohol. Body is outstanding and ditto carbonation- couldn’t be exceeded. Finish is like flavor and lingers with diminishing presence to a point where I can’t find the point only that I want another point. The occurance of excellence.

hazy gold with a dense white head. clingy full body with high carbonation.

aroma: bright tart wheat, bitter orange, citrusy hops, green banana, apple, alcohol, and some spicy yeast notes. somewhere between Vitus, Orval, and an imperial wit.

taste: tart wheat and bitter orange dominate; backed by notes of banana, apple, citrusy hop bitterness, pale malt sweetness, nutmeg, and alcohol warmth. there are occasional, subtle hints of plastic, common in hefe-weizen, but none of the smokey or rubbery phenols.

very complex and intriguing; combining the best qualities of Orval with the best qualities of weizenbock, with a little panache of its own.

UPDATED: JUL 29, 2008 Pours a cloudy golden yellow with big thick frothy white head. This is a Weizen on steroids. Huge banana, clove, citrus. Perfect balance between all elements. High alcohol content is balanced by thick body. Crisp, refreshing, smooth. Everything a weizen should be. This is one of Dan Carrey’s finest achievements. It is rare to find a weizen of this quality in the states.

Right after I poured the beer, I got a waft into my nose that made my mouth start to water. The smells you get from this beer are ridiculous. Top that with it’s amazing taste and I would recommend anyone to try it.

pours a cloudy dark yellow-almost orange with a slight head. Has a nice yeast , hop and citrus aroma. Thick and very smooth on the palate. Starts out with a mild citrus taste followed by a nice yeasty flavor typical of good weizen beers. Ends nicely with a blend the hops and yeast flavor. Brings back memories of my weekends at the Essen House in Madision WI....ahh the good old days!

From bottle. Pours 24k gold with fluffy white head. Extremely powerful smell of banana bread. First taste of bananas and slight yeastiness, quickly turns to a crisp hoppy wheat. A nice level of spiciness and boozy flavor through the entire tasting. This is one of the best things I’ve ever drank.

The search for that rare but somehow always not-quite-right thing that is the promise of a magnificent weizenbock ends here. Schneider Aventinus is archetypal, but has these off-elements. The Paulaner version is assertive, but not all flowers and rainbows. I’ve had interesting domestic attempts, but they all ultimately skew off in awkward flavor directions. This new Imperial Weizen from New Glarus is the bomb. It is florid, complex, soaring. Incredible, incredible mouthfeel and richness. Hops perfectly balance the elaborate, potent, but still fine fruitiness. This is an incredible beer. It leaves the rest of weizendom and even weizenbockdom in the dust - - so fresh, lush, and alive - -and it even puts the entire sordid aggregation of Belgian TRIPELdom to shame. This is, like, what tripels SHOULD be. Even the Piraats will be doffing their caps as they bow. Boffo.

Bottle pours a very hazy yellow gold with a white head to the top of my tulip. I gave it a proper yeast pour - not letting that go to waste. It looks really good. Nice lace as the head drops. The aroma is fresh hops, clove, banana, orange, yeast, and just overall perfect (add in a touch of bubble gum as it warms). Flavor is so multi-dimensional that I’m not sure what hit me first. Sitting here I’m sort of struck by this fine creation. The multi-dimensional characteristics sort of occur simultaneously. Up front I taste a dry malt, but then the hops seem to be right there, clove and banana, orange, cinnamon, yeast (sort of Belgian like), and a hop linger. The palate suits well as a solid foundation to support such flavor. This is a fine brew folks. Don’t let this one get by you. Well worth the drive to Hudson from the West Metro.

The Trappists monks can say goodbye, except for the fact that this is a limited offering from New Glarus (anything labeled as unplugged is limited from New Glarus). I am most impressed by beers that have a high alcohol content and yet have a good taste - this is one of them - maybe the best. I shall forego the details on smell, initial taste, palette and after-taste on this one, because there is really nothing else that I have had that compares to this one.