Beer Review: Thumbprint Enigma (2012 release)

Reviewing Enigma from the New Glarus Brewing Company's Thumbprint series.
Score: 92

September 2012 vintage bottle. Served in a Goose Island Matilda silver goose chalice and enjoyed on 09/14/12.

Appearance: Pours a sangria-red color with a thin layer of fizzy head that quickly and completely dissipates. The beer is very bubbly and effervescent for the first minute or two after the pour, but then the beer "calms down" quite a bit. No lacing or retention. This beer is all about the color, and it's a pretty awesome color. 4/5

Smell: Sweet cherries, cinnamon, a little cranberry and a hint of vanilla and applesauce. 4.5/5

Taste: Sweet cherries hit the tongue first, but then the sweetness turns a little tart. There is sweet-and-sour cranberry and Macintosh apple flavor too. Nice lightly tart apple-and-cherry with a hint of oak finish with a little malted barley flavor too. The barley flavor in the aftertaste/finish fades a little bit as the beer warms and layers, but the residual aftertaste after the swallow is primarily barley grain-esque. There's a hint of cinnamon flavor too, but it's very subtle and infinitely less pronounced in the taste than it was in the aroma. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, high-medium carbonation. Soda-like fizzy mouthfeel that is midlly sweet and lightly tart. 4.5/5

Overall: This beer is like a cross between Belgian Red and Cran-bic. Though I am not a fan of the aftertaste, I really liked the rest of the aspects of this beer. The nose is awesome. I prefer Belgian Red, however.

Recommendation: Seek a bottle of this beer out while it's still available. Last produced in 2010, who knows when you'll see it again. Even casual beer drinkers should enjoy this one.

Pairings: Dark chocolate.

Cost: $9.99 for a four pack.