New Glarus Thumbprint Series Winter Warmer

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Immediate impact of floral fruitiness, toffee, and buttered toast. Sweet and nutty with lots of caramel in the aftertaste. Sparkling amber pour with a lasting hal-inch thick head and off white lacing. Medium bodied, warming, malt-driven, and fairly smooth. A pleasant wee heavy from heybeerman, thanks Greg!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Bottle from PfoxyJohn himself. Translucent amber brown pour, nice ecru head, plenty of lacing, a touch thinnish on the mouthfeel bit it all works in the end. Rich sweet toffee and bread pudding aroma and flavor, some nuts, rich and malty for certain but still not heavy, slight bit of fruitiness, a very slight hint of sour. Damn good beer. Better as it warmed a bit. I made this SOB last a long time too... Thanks John for another fine New Glarus beer.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

At first this seems to light in color and body for a scotch ale, but that ain't it. Color, maybe, but that's irrelevant. Less chocolate malt and more toffee than a lot of wee heavies. It opens nicely and becomes pleasantly warming. I like this, but for a style I really like and a brewer I love I was just a tiny bit disappointed. Not as wee heavy in its presentation as Belgian. Fruity and even a little yeasty like a BSA instead of peaty like a scotch. Definitely enjoyed, though. Thanks again to Heybeerman for the trade.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours a clear copper with a massive 3 finger head that takes its sweet ass time. Massive amount of carbonation that rivals a Trappist ale. Aroma is very sweet and a tad spicy. Taste is fairly metallic, with some candy sugar added. Has a very "Trappist" taste to it. Has a nice warming feeling as it goes down. Actually a good beer.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Of course what John said...and just can't believe how light and airy it is coupled with the warming alcohol and classic scotch notes its a seeming contradiction. Another outstanding showing covered with red foil.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

“Is fheàrr teine beag a gharas na teine mòr a loisgeas.” Pours a clear, light amber with a substantial, long-lasting white head. Mouthfeel is lighter and livelier than usual for the style, well-carbonated yet soft. Malt and bread in the nose with light, fruity toffee. The flavors are smooth and balanced, with nothing overpowering but very, very satisfying. Sweet caramel, maybe a touch of vanilla and a wisp of peat, with a lingering fruity bitterness in the finish. Gentle warmth smooths to yield pure contentment. Soooo… for a Winter Warmer, a Scotch Ale, and a Thumbprint at that – this has a lighter, thinner body than expected, milder flavors than expected, less spicy than expected, cleaner, crisper, and livelier palate than expected. From a lesser brewer one might think that this would have missed the mark, but here everything works - as if the style’s been redefined. Almost forgot - Music: "If You Were Mine" - Mary Jane Lamond & Wendy MacIsaac. These two Cape Breton artists combine to redefine the traditional as well, with Lamond’s Gaelic vocals and MacIsaac’s fiddle drawing on their shared love of Scots Celtic heritage, while presenting the song as thriving, modern music. “The little fire that warms is better than the big fire that burns.”