Lips Of Faith - Dunkel Weiss - New Belgium Brewing

Chyren

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out fairly thin, dark brown, clear, and quickly builds a stable 2-3 finger light tan head. The strong scent of caramelized bananas bursts forth and carries on the air from this beer. Underneath floats light clove, cinnamon, and wheatiness. Simply being in the vicinity of this brew is enough to pull you in by the nose. The tongue reaffirms the nose, the spiced bananas come through as if sauteed in brown sugar and butter. The yeast and malts and slight grain bitterness lend themselves to balance. It is smooth and warming. Another fantastic Lips of Faith creation!

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 23:41:50 | More by Chyren

daledeee

Iowa

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A 22 oz. bomber.

Pours a dark red brown. Off white head with awesome lacing.

Nose is alcohol, spice and malt.

Taste is sweet, spicy, malty and caramel. This is one of the better dark weiss beers I have had. This could easily be categorized as a Doppel Bock.

Mouth feel is good and carbonated. It has a very warming finish and quite a tasty beer. I would rank this one higher than many of the German examples of this style, I don't say that often for wheat beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 00:15:14 | More by daledeee

JohnQVegas

Tennessee

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle into The Bruery tulip.

Pours a very, very dark brown, ruby highlights showing through around the very edges, with a fluffy one-finger khaki head on top that settles into a soapy cap and plenty of lacing.

Nose is like a dark, spiced sweet bread - dark sugar, clove and a bit of banana, bit of vanilla and an underlying, brown sugar-laced bready sweetness. Light bit of spicy alcohol. Beautiful.

Taste marches in lock step with the nose. Spicy and dry to start, huge clove notes and underlying banana match up with a deep, bready richness. Vanilla-sugar icing drizzled on top gives this one an almost coffee cake richness, and the spices don't hurt either. Clove is the biggest presence, but the elements together combine to hint at nutmeg, maybe even allspice and cinnamon as well - this could be a fantastic winter warmer, without even needing a spice addition at all. Dry finish, bit more banana, rich doughy yeast reminiscent of fresh (and slightly under-)baked cinnamon rolls. Alcohol heat is there, folded into the overall spiciness.

Mouthfeel is light as a feather, spritzy carbonation, only getting a bit heavier on the long, full finish.

Very nicely done beer. Tasty, authentic even after the big abv. Should really be classified under Weizenbock, but other than that, very nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2011 02:36:06 | More by JohnQVegas

FosterJM

California

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

369th review on BA
draft to chalice

App- A nice deep dark garnet red with brown highlights. Nice on finger head, not too much lacing.

Smell- A yeasty dark, ripe, tart fruits.

Taste- Very sweet, Went another direction I was not expecting it too. The yeasty part was delicious and the dark fruits added a nice contrast.

Mouth- Medium body with a medium carbonation level. Sweet raisiny tastes. Left a similar taste to a quad.

Drink- Quite tasty. Well done and balanced. Nice spice with a good flavor profile.

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2011 06:24:34 | More by FosterJM

pokesbeerdude

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle from Arctic Liquors in Steamboat, CO. Around $7. Into a NB Globe.

A: Cola colored with a cream head about an inch thick that sticks around fairly nicely. Excellent clarity, and nice gobs of lacing. Really nice looking red high lights when held to the light.

S: Tons of spices, huge amount of cloves and a fair amount of banana as well, some pepper notes, I also get some notes of cinnamon and nutmeg as well and even some all spice. A bit of a wheat malt smell, but this is really heavy on the spices.

T: Huge wheat malts, not nearly as spicy up front as the nose would suggest, but there is a definite amount of spice on the aftertaste. Slightly chocolatey. Banana is definitely there, but the clove is a bit subdued compared to what the nose leads on. Finish is really long on the spices and the combination is reminiscent of pumpkin pie. I also get a few curry notes mixed in as well. Tons of flavors, fairly complex. No booze whatsoever in this one. Damn tasty.

M: Fairly hefty body on this beer, with lower carbonation, really creamy, fairly sticky, and a little bit of warmth as it is swallowed.

O: Wow, this is a gem from NB. I have somewhat lost taste for many wheat beers, but this one is incredibly well done. It may not totally be to style, but along the lines of "would you have another?" it definitely hits the mark. Really a nice beer, hopefully they make this one again.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 01:47:50 | More by pokesbeerdude

gkunkle

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into my tulip glass. By color the beer is very dark. It is a very deep brown, almost black. After an aggressive pour I got a solid 1.5 inches of tan head. The retention is quite good, and the head slowly recedes to a film with a large island in the middle of my glass. After the head has receeded i am left with some beautiful parallel lacing. There is some visible carbonation at the very edge of my glass. The smell is held up by a backbone of wheat, but the spices catch my nose quite strongly, a more subtle banana smell is also present. The first thing to hit my tastebuds is the rich wheat taste, as the beer crests my tongue I catch the well implemented spices. The mouthfell is fulfilling, and carbonation lifts the beer off the tongue a little, making it slightly refreshing. Overall this is a wonderful beer from a style I thoroughly enjoy. I doubt it will still be around, but this would be a great winter day beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 04:25:07 | More by gkunkle

sommersb

Tennessee

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served from a 1 pint 6 oz. bottle into a weizen glass.

A: Big tan head typical of a weizen beer sits on top of this dark, cola colored, clear ale. Good lacing and a moderate amount of bubbles round out the appearance.

S: Strong banana esters dominate the smell - very nice! Wheat and dark malts add a sweetness in the aroma.

T: Very malty with caramel and vanilla flavors. Slight sweetness, with little to no bitterness.

M: Carbonation is medium-low and the body is medium. Finish is dry/semi-sweet.

O: As the beer warms, the malts show more character and new spicy flavors open up, along with some alcohol warmth. Overall this is an excellent beer - highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 03:24:46 | More by sommersb

PatLarsen

South Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a mostly clear chocolate brown color with a big, foamy beige head. Aroma of banana, clove, caramel malts, chocolate, sweet bread, and spices. Flavor of banana, sweet bread, caramel, nuts, toast, mild spices, and brown sugar. Medium-bodied, with a good deal of soft carbonation and a sweet bready mouthfeel. Good dunkelweizen.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 19:21:31 | More by PatLarsen

vfgccp

New York

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A – Great looking, slightly off-white head. Great retention and lace. Black cherry, mahogany body.

S – Banana nut bread, full of ripe bananas and walnuts. Caramel and a light yeasty twang deep in the nose. Faint booze as it warms.

T – Nutty opening of roasted chestnuts. Boozy banana bread through the center. Wheat, nutmeg, banana, and black pepper in the finish.

M – Medium body is creamy and smooth. Nice carbonation. Touch boozy, but probably par for the course at 9%.

O – I’d like to see how this doe with a few years under it. Still great as is.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 17:36:58 | More by vfgccp

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.33/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 22oz bottle into Hefe Glass.
Deep oaky brown color with 2"thick off-white head.
Wheaty, weizen typical smell...actually maybe a bit of a strong strong smell...
It has a smoky/oaky dark wheat taste...slight cherry and malty...almost Quad like.
Overall, its a very unique interpretation. Delicious and easy drink despite the high ABV. Again, NB did well!

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 01:07:24 | More by DrinkSlurm

crusian

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

reviewing based on style.
pours a nice dark brown with a decent finger of head. Beautiful darkness in the glass.
the nose holds a lot of banana from the yeast and a hint of peppercorn, but mostly overpowered by the banana.
Taste has some banana, but the peppercorns come out much much more, it is actually a really nice mix, I may try to put pepper on my next banana to see if it would work this well. The is a little bit of sweetness on the finish. I like this. The pepper is very intriguing, and addicting. perfect medium body and carbonation. I must say, this is probably the best Dunkel I have had. Good job Peter!
edit: holy crap this is 9% never noticed.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 18:45:56 | More by crusian

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a cloudy dark brown color with ruby hues along the edges of the glass. The head is a billowing three fingers in height, and recedes very slowly into thick, chunky lacing that sticks to the edges of the glass. Simply beautiful. The aroma is of banana bread and cloves. It is a rather simple aroma, yet it still has a ton of depth to it. The taste is of cloves, star anise, and a hint of banana. It is a lot more spicy than the aroma, and although the spices are nice I do wish the banana would come through more. The mouthfeel is full bodied with moderately high carbonation, and a chewy texture. Overall, this is a really good beer that I would love to drink again. If it were less expensive I could see it becoming a regular in my refrigerator. However, at its current price it will have to be a special treat.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 03:37:37 | More by KarlHungus

uwmgdman

Wisconsin

4.3/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours dark brown with a beautiful garnet glow with a clingy tan head. The aroma is moderate-high spicy, peppery yeast with chocolate malts and hints of smoke. The flavor is quite spicy yeast, chocolate malt with a pleasant tartness and hints of smoke. The hop bitterness combined with slightly dry finish balances this beer wonderfully. The body is moderate and carbonation medium/high. Overall a beautiful, wonderfully inviting, well-crafted dunkelweiss -- pick it up!

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 01:42:20 | More by uwmgdman

MoustacheHero

Colorado

4.3/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A bomber of the generically named Dunkel Weiss, poured into a NB globe.

A: A very dark pour, with barely a dark red gleaming through when held to light. A foamy head that holds up strong.

S: A big, spicy bouquet of cloves, pepper, banana and toast. Really warm and inviting.

T: A bold flavor, peppery with banana and clove laced throughout. It finishes on a crisp, toast note.

M: A full bodied, frothy mouthfeel that is coating, heavy and wonderful.

O: A great beer overall. It's a shame no great name will carry this beer into the halls of history.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 02:29:50 | More by MoustacheHero

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.3/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 2/2011 notes. Poured into a Black Raven pint glass. Pours a dark, clear red amber. Minimal head, but a bit of lacing. Wheat, malt and slighly sour aroma. Light malt and dark fruits to start, then lighter fruits with a distinct banana flavor. Finishes with the pepper, light malt and slight hops. Weizen wheat in the finish. Interesting flavor progression. It seemed a little subdued at first, but quite nicely done and interesting. Must try again.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 02:37:20 | More by LiquidAmber

emerge077

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Tall curvy dark weizen, crop of manila tinged foam. Very creamy and sticky texture, the glass is coated as it's sipped. Color is a deep red garnet when backlit, slow trails of bubbles ascend languidly. Crystal clarity. After a few sips the foam breaks eventually.

Dry pepper and cloves in the nose, something that reminds me of churros... fried dough and cinnamon.

Dark malt and smooth wheatiness, not overly sweet and a bit dry in the finish. Clove spice, chocolate covered banana, German Riesen chocolate caramel candies. Some raisin and estery notes. Extremely smooth and medium bodied. Finish is fairly quick and abbreviated, though a trace of the chocolate banana does linger somewhat. Rich and tasty, it's one to savor... a unique twist with the pepper and barley malt, it sets itself apart from Aventinus as something unique.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 03:11:46 | More by emerge077

Fatherskull

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured a dark reddish brown/amber color with two to 3 fingers of tan head. Good retention and mild lacing

S - Roasted banana and clove. Very inviting.

T - Banana, chocolate, and clove (plus a bit more I can't put my finger on, maybe coffee) with a peppery finish. Roasted malts. Not a lot of alcohol in the taste.

M - Creamy but not too heavy. Light to medium carbonation. Rounded nicely.

D - The sweet flavor is kind of cut short after each sip allowing the sweetness to not become overwhelming. Very drinkable despite the 9% alcohol.

Delicious Dunkelweizen. Well rounded, not overpoweringly sweet or alcoholic. That 9% does build though, only thing holding back drinking this all day.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2011 02:01:55 | More by Fatherskull

womencantsail

California

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ

A: Pours a dark brown color with some red highlights and a creamy off-white head.

S: Banana overload is a good way to describe the nose. Intense banana ester with plenty of sweetness, dark fruits, caramel, and toffee. A fairly mild roasted malt note and a hint of cola.

T: Still lots of banana on the palate, but it's significantly more restrained. Sweet caramel malt and fruit notes along with some nice clove. There's just a tiny hint of creamy vanilla on the back end.

M: Medium to full in body with a really smooth and creamy carbonation and mouthfeel.

O: At 9%, I was a bit worried about this beer. Really great stuff, though.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2011 02:31:03 | More by womencantsail

david131

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a very dark and clear ruby red with some brown and black highlights. The light brown head is very creamy and slowly settles to a thin covering.

S- A lot of caramel, toffee, oats, flowers, honey, nutmeg, black cherries, and alcohol. Crazy complex. I love it.

T- Same as the aroma but the alcohol definitely has a harsh presence which definitely cut down the complexity.

M- A very nice carbonation presence but the alcohol harshness makes it a bit hot on the finish.

O- A very nice smelling beer but the drinkability suffers from the noticeable alcohol content. That being said, this is an extraordinarily well-made beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 03:57:56 | More by david131

mactrail

California

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Huge and powerful dark wheat bomb.

Quite lovely in the tulip glass with thin lacing and lots of prickly carbonation in the mouth. Amazing aroma; about as strong as I've ever gotten from a beer. Flavor simply smacks you in the head. For a beer without the extreme-IPA hop blast, it's an amazing amount of taste. Hops do come on strong, but it's just part of a long and evolving mouthful of flavor. The pepper seems to reinforce the powerful cloves-- I'd have believed it was from the actual spice instead of esters.

If you like powerful rich ales, this is a must-try. The pepper is a novel idea and it works with the huge malt flavors. Deep, dark roasted malt, bitter cloves, cedar cigar wrappers.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 05:39:40 | More by mactrail

UnionMade

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Purchased this at Argonaut Liquors on colorful Colfax in Denver.
Beautiful walnut brown, oddly clear, which I was not expecting. Was this filtered? There wasn't any yeast chilling at the bottom of my bottle. Pours with a big fat topping of foam that erodes into a thin, broken sheet across the top of the beer. Spotty lacing sticks around in scattered, little bits.
Smells strongly of german wheat beer yeastiness. Lots of ripe banana and clove, with an underpinning of mocha and vanilla. Banana bread-like, to sum it up simply.
The first sip opens to reveal a pretty sweet brew, overall. Very light bitterness, the spotlight focused intensely on the qualities of the yeast used. It's a fine yeast at that, providing a strong banana character which is further yummified by the drizzled chocolate flavor of the malt. A little bit of vanilla, with a great, mocha-like character overall. Moderate clove spiciness in the finish, and actually a little dry despite the alcohol content. Certainly full bodied, creamy and soft, with a jovial, fluffy carbonation that keeps things from bogging down. A slight alcohol burn becomes noticeable after my palate acclimates to the sweetness.
Probably one of my favorites from New Belgium. This is a really great dunkelweizen, if a bit over the top. Probably more of a weizenbock, as it's far more similar to Aventinus than to any dunkelweizen I've had.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 16:57:19 | More by UnionMade

hopfacebrew

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer poured from 22oz brown bomber bottle to globe glass.

A - The beer pours a very deep mahogany, almost brown, almost deep black with nice ruby color tones on the edges. A nice 2 finger white creamy full head with excellent retention and lacing.

S - A wonderful aroma of colve, banana, grape, pepper. A hint of sweet malt with a touch of alcohol. Very nice.

T - The beer starts very similar to the nose. A lot of clove, banana, and grape flavors. Very pleasant. The middle of the beer brings out pepper and spice along with a nice deep malt character. The beer sinishes warm, clean, and fresh.

M - Medium to medium/full bodied with good carbonation.

D - Good. Hides the alcohol very well.

Overall, this is a really good beer. I am glad NBB released this. My good friend Rory recommended it and I am glad to heed his advice. I would buy this again without hesitation.

Note: This review was a re-post from my former account, jmkratt, which was hacked and I lost all my reviews...sorry for the redundancy.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-21-2011 02:55:13

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 14:48:49 | More by hopfacebrew

ngeunit1

California

4.23/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a dark black-ruby color with a finger of frothy khaki colored head. He head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is full of banana and clove with pepper with a bit of wheat and sweet malt.

T - Starts off with some clove and banana flavor with some wheat. Through the middle some sweet malt and some more yeast flavor with some more clove. The finish is a mix of banana, clove, some bubblegum, some rich sweet malts, and a touch of booze.

M - Medium-plus bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a spicy and lightly sweet and warming finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice take on an stronger version of a dunkelweizen. The balance is nice with some really good strong banana and clove notes.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 06:18:46 | More by ngeunit1

bashiba

Iowa

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured very dark with some nice ruby highlights, a monster head, a belgian like 6 inches of creamyness that left tons of sticky lacing.

The smell was very german, big banana bread and clove with sweet dark raisony fruit.

The flavor is very full and complex with a nice big chocolate maltyness up front mixing in with bananas, dates, raisons, cherries and some spices along with a strong yeast character. The hops are a bit subdued, but are lingering in the background to balance out the sweetness a bit.

The mouthfeel has a dry powdery quality along with some nice carbonation.

Overall a pretty solid and enjoyable Dunkel.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2011 00:30:26 | More by bashiba

MasterSki

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle purchased at West Lakeview for the extremely reasonable price of $6.50! Shared with my wife in weizen glasses.

A - Pours with three-plus fingers of creamy tan foam that feature good retention and leave behinds splotchy lacing. The body is a transparent dark chocolate brown with some caramel highlights. Many tiny bubbles are visible.

S - Chocolate, wheat, clove, a hint of nutmeg and cinammon, roasted grains, estery yeast, and some banana character that grows in strength as the brew warms. Alcohol is very well-hidden.

T - Taste is more laden with fruity esters, banana, and caramel, with the spice melange, roast, and chocolate moving to the periphery. Not quite as interesting as the nose, but still quite good.

M - Medium carbonation, medium body, chewy texture, sticky finish. Not particularly exciting, but alcohol is no perceptible.

D - My wife and I finished this really quickly. At this price I'm definitely going to buy at least one more bottle of this one. A totally unexpected hit from New Belgium.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2011 15:50:10 | More by MasterSki