Lips Of Faith - Dunkel Weiss - New Belgium Brewing

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

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.45/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours a dirty brown, dark hazelnut. Hazy. Light foaming, almost soda pop looking.

Aroma is more sweet than spicy. Being from NB it fooled me into thinking it would have more of a yeasty aroma. Banana and clove are muddled by a caramel-like sweetness. Nothing bad, just threw me off a bit.

More bready in the taste. The caramel turns away from the sweeter side and more to a baked side. Slight spice in the middle, perhaps some nutmeg. Jolly Rancher sweet all over. Candied. Not sure. Getting no banana and slight clove.

Carbonation takes the cake and lifts away the flavors, which were not all that solid. A nice beer, a bit hollow though.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 05:21:49 | More by Mebuzzard

JayS2629

Alabama

4.45/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark, cloudy brown with a huge, creamy light tan head that fades away slowly into a rich film that leaves foamy rings of lace.

The aroma is of banana nut bread, spice, full rich toffee, nutmeg, caramel and cloves.

The flavors follow with banana and clove esters peeking through a grainy, rich caramel and chocolate with notes of sweet toffee and black pepper on the finish.

Medium bodied, smooth and rich.

Delicious and balanced dunkle. Awesome.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2011 22:07:18 | More by JayS2629

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

mdfb79

New York

3.83/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

From 08/06/11 notes. Big thanks to nwu08 for sending me this as an extra as it was a Want of mine. Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a Bruery tulip.

a - Pours a dark brown color with one inch of off white head and moderate carbonation evident. Little bit of retention and some spotty lacing on the glass.

s - Smells of pepper, spices, bananas, cloves, bready malts, and roasted malts. Some definite banana and yeast/spice, very enjoyable.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, bananas, toasted and bready malts, spices, yeast, and cloves. Not quite as much banana as the nose and more roasted qualities.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation, very smooth and creamy body. Really nice mouthfeel and pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall I thought this was a very good dunkelweizen. I liked the nose a lot as the bananas and spices remidned me of a dark Belgian ale, and the mouthfeel was great. Would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 17:21:39 | More by mdfb79

fsvan

Tennessee

4.43/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle into New Belgium globe.

A- Black through the center of the glass, with dark copper along the edges. Two fingers of light tan head, which forms a ring as it goes down.

S- Huge banana notes first. A peppery spiciness. Some Belgian yeast notes, and roasted dark malt. Smells great, and very enticing.

T- Banana up front. Some clove. A bite of pepper, and a sweetness in the end. I know this is a German style, but this tastes like it could have been brewed with Belgian yeast.

M- Heavy of medium. Nicely cabonated.

O- This is a really, really good beer. Not many craft breweries do this style (especially not this big), and if New Belgian put this out regularly I think this could be the standard bearer by which other American Dunkelweizens are measured. If you haven't had this yet, and there is still one around you, do yourself a favor and pick it up.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 00:54:23 | More by fsvan

chugalug06

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Great pour. Nice off-white foamy head; builds slowly. Brew is dark crisp brown with lots of reds and blacks. Nice head retention too.

S - Lots of huge banana!!!! Great scent for this style! Lots of spices too. Not your girlfriends wheat...

T - Strong, but hidden nicely, zero heat. Great smooth Belgian goodness. Lots of cloves, banana, spice.

M - Dry! Great carbonation, but slightly bitter. The bitterness doesn't fit with this style.

O - Rockin' brew, glad I finally got to try it!

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 04:32:52 | More by chugalug06

aasher

Indiana

4.05/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This one pours a dark raisiny brown in color with a one finger creamy beige colored head. The aromas are of major bananas and cloves. It has some raisin to it as well. The flavors are sweet and rich. It's a pretty solid banana, clove, and raisin bomb. It's very good for the style, even though this one is really an imperial dunkel. This drinks alot thicker in body than it appeared to be during the pour. It is really smooth and very easy to drink. It has a great and resonating flavor. Overall this is a fine dunkel, and definitely one of the better beers in the Lips of Faith series. I recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 02:17:04 | More by aasher

stimulus

New Jersey

4.58/5  rDev +12%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

February 2011 release. 22 oz bottle.

A: Pours a clear brown with ruby edges and a two finger beige head leaving lacing throughout.
S: Brown sugar, cinnamon, and a bit of wheat malt.
T: Very sweet, but not cloying. Sugary, but falls on a solid, easy drinking wheat backbone.
M: Smooth, medium bodied, no alcohol bite, well carbonated.
O: Very good for the style, though I've only had two others. It is an imperial version, and this is a definite winner in the Lips of Faith series.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 21:27:00 | More by stimulus

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.5/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up at Goebbel's in Wichita...

Pours chestnut with 4+ fingers of tan colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Yeasty pepper, apricot, juicy fruit gum

T: Follows the nose, also over-ripe persimmons, a touch of brown bread, & green bananas up front. Green bananas, apricots & persimmons dominate as this warms along with phenolic spicyness to include cinnamon notes & much white pepper. Finishes spicy & fruitty & grainy with some gingerbread notes

MF: Medium bodied, low carbonation

Pretty good, but I found it a touch too spicy, the booze is well hidden in this one. Beware, this too easy to drink!

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2011 01:11:31 | More by russpowell

jmvecchio1

Missouri

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

The beer pours out deep walnut in color, clear, with a off-white head. The aroma off the beer is malty sweet with rich banana and clove esters prominent. Even though this is a Belgian take on a traditional German beer, New Belgium really nails the traditional German style characteristics. The taste of this beer is sweet up front, but it fades into a roasty chocolate and banana. The black pepper wasn't that strong on the taste. The drink of this beer is exceptionally nice.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2011 20:35:25 | More by jmvecchio1

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

DavoleBomb

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a weizen glass. Pretty sure the ABV puts this into the weizenbock category.

4.0 A: Clearish deep amber/light brown color. Three fingers of beige creamy/frothy hybrid head. Average retention overall, but the last quarter inch sticks around for a while. Lots of irregularly placed lacing.

4.5 S: Big hit of banana and clove with pepper underneath. Good bit of roasty toastiness and I swear I'm picking up hints of bacon. Raw cocoa and some caramel. Very nice here.

4.0 T: Again tons of banana, clove, and pepper. More chocolaty than the nose suggested with about the same amount of caramel. Lightly roasty and toasty. Lightly boozy. The taste is good, but as of right now the flavors don't mesh seamlessly together, at least not yet.

4.5 M: Heavier medium body. Good carbonation for the style with plenty of spritiness to it. Very creamy, though could be a bit smoother.

4.0 D: Pretty good beer. I think after a couple years this could be a hell of a beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 17:40:42 | More by DavoleBomb

SkipWeathers

Texas

3.7/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - nice dark brown color with white foam; inviting

S - sweet and clove-like; the aroma and appearance leaves you expectant for a full rich cascade of flavor

T - banana, clove, malt, orange zest, pepper

M - weakest aspect; it starts off strong but leaves you flat. Non-carbonated. Kind of diasppointing.

O - I was comparing this to Weihenstephaner Dunkelweizen and it comes up way short. Similar in flavor but does not linger. It stalls out at the 50 yard line. Still, not bad for a New Belgium product. My first "Lips of Faith" sampling.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 02:31:44 | More by SkipWeathers

oline73

Maryland

2.83/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a dark reddish brown with a finger of tan head that fades to a layer.

Smell: Very fruity with lots of banana and mild roast. Smells a bit like banana runts.

Taste: Sweet malt with lots of banana. Just a little roast and a bit spicy. Crisp given the abv.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with smooth carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: Not my favorite. I thought the banana flavor was way to strong and didn't allow for many other flavors to come through.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2011 17:09:45 | More by oline73

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

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.08/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

22 ounce bottle - $5.99 at Olde Crabapple Bottle Shoppe in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a rather dark brown body with an unabashedly tall, foamy, faint ecru-colored head.

Smell: Spicy notes of peppery and clove reach well ahead of the slow-pokey scents of dark wheat, sugar-free chocolate and banana puddings, and alcohol marinating dark fruits.

Taste: A sprinkling of chocolate sprinkles and a drop or two of sweet caramel over a single slice of toasted wheat bread. Then a brief curtain call of golden raisin, banana, chewing gum, and cloves. Sip of diet cola. Then, a flash of sharp, cutting cloves and coarse liquor right before the semi-dry, lightly chocolaty finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. The carbonation flees the drink in a real hurry, leaving the beer a bit flat within minutes.

Overall: Sorry, NB, but I'm not too keen on this LoF release. In the taste you almost had me, then lost me real fast.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 18:21:25 | More by ChainGangGuy

fsimcox

California

3.73/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a 12 oz tulip glass. Poured a deep dark brown. Thin tan head that dissipated surprisingly quickly. Some lacing, but not much.

Smells of sweet banana, with hints of clove, and a little bit of brandy to remind you this is a 9% abv beer.

Tastes of sweet banana, with some bready malt. A little brandy-cough syrup in the background. Some hints of roasted goodness.

A creamy mouthfeel, with a warming sensation.

I enjoyed this beer, but think it would be much better on a cold winter days.
Very good for the style. Watch out for the ABV, it is hidden well.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2011 13:46:44 | More by fsimcox

Zorro

California

3.65/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Coca-Cola brown hazy beer with a medium sized tan colored head.

Smell is sweet and boozy with plum, prune and dark bread scent in addition to the usual German Wheat beer aromas. Banana is stronger than clove here. Clove is the weakest smell here.

Starts out sweet with a bruised bananas on bread flavor. Deep chest warming, only indication of how strong this stuff is. Banana and then plum and finally clove are the strongest flavors.

Mouthfeel is good.

Drinkability is OK. Alcohol is way up there. This is a beer style normally considered a Session beer style, no a KO Beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 02:20:16 | More by Zorro

rhoadsrage

Illinois

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

(Served in a dimple mug)

A- This beer pours a dark dense brown body with a billowy off-white head that has a strong sea of carbonation that glides up through the body.

S- The dry hop note gives way to a dark melanoidin nougaty aroma with some soft yeasty note as the beer warms.

T- The wheat bread taste takes on some green plantain earthy yeast qualities and some roasted dark notes that are followed by a fresh bubble gum ester note that remains soft. The finish is a soft bread crust note that is pretty clean with a green hop snap to finish of the taste.

M- The mouthfeel is a medium-light texture with a soft fizz finish. There is no alcohol heat showing up in this beer.

O- This beer has a full dark wheat flavor with soft melanoidin qualities and softer yeast esters that add nice depth and are a bit different than the traditional hefe characters. The black pepper is very well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2011 13:14:19 | More by rhoadsrage

SWMeyer4141

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance-Thoguht it was a dark black, stoutish. However up to the light it's a very dark brown. 2/3 finger light brown head, nice big bubbles floating on top.

Smell-This is going to be sweet. I get a ton of banana and spice. Lots of malts, and some citrus as well.

Taste-Haven't been able to wrap my head around this. Best way I can discribe is caramalizing a ripe banana in some brown sugar, clove and cinnamon. This taste is a treat. Sweet all around, great desert beer, fucking tasty.

Mouthfeel-Lots of body. Thick and creamy. Perfect amount of carbonation.

Overall-This beer is an experience. Great flavors, flavors i've never had before in a beer. Still trying to wrap my head around everything going on in this brew. Please, if you can get this beer, spend the 6-7 bucks and drink it.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 01:55:54 | More by SWMeyer4141

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to heyta for the bottle. Served in a tulip because I like it that way.

Pours a very, very dark brown that borders on black. This looks like a stout, not a dunkel. Way too dark. Aside from that, small off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin collar and some galaxy swirls on top. The nose has a very small amount of chocolate along with some banana and clove. The yeasty components take a big backseat to the malt, and this is especially true in the flavor. Far too big and malty without much of a yeasty component. Medium body with low carbonation for the style. Overall, not a big fan of this one. I guess you can't really tell it's 9%, but that's about all it has going for it.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 22:34:59 | More by Thorpe429

augustgarage

California

4.1/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bomber into my Aventinus weizenbock glass. Surprisingly dark brown body, largely clear with faint auburn highlights and mahogany highlights. A small dark beige head anoints the surface. Delicate pasty lacing, shimmering legs, and decent retention.

Potent banana and bubble gum aromatics, with a touch of clove, and brandy dipped bread dough.

Ester-heavy flavor profile, with banana and hints of vanilla leading the way, balanced by a rich maltiness, a grainy, faintly tart wheat base, and a long spicy finish, owing I think to the addition of black pepper rather than yeast-derived phenols.

Alcohol is rather high for the style, making this decidedly more filling than rejuvenating, though the soft, pillowy, effervescent, medium-bodied feel is well done.

Interesting change of pace for the sour-heavy Lips of Faith series - wasn't expecting much, but this is pretty tasty actually.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 03:00:02 | More by augustgarage

claspada

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Aromas are initially huge with caramelized ripened bananas and waves of bready malts; there is also some with some butterscotch and toffee detectable as the beer warms. There was some sensory memory going on here as well that I couldn't figure out, but this smells almost exactly like Banana Runts (childhood fat kids flashback).
The taste begins opposite with the toffee, butterscotch and milk chocolate maltiness dominating the palate. Upon further examination, the German yeast flavors become much more equal with the sweet dark maltiness. Over-ripened bananas once again take center stage, not too much spice or clove and no alcohol what-so-ever.
Mouthfeel is quite full with adequate carbonation, lesser than the usual style, but the higher than normal ABV is to blame/explain that.
Overall this is freakin' amazing; totally blows any beer in this category away for its full full flavor profile. Given that it is technically an "Imperial Dunkelweizen" in my book (because it's not fair to compare in this category because I have never had one over 6% ABV), this beer should not be compared to it's counterparts. Regardless, wow, I wish I could access this year round and I am not a Weiss, Dunkel or any German beer fan because I usually find them bland but this continues to verify my philosophy that there is no reason to pay for any beer made out of the US because of how advanced/creative the US breweries have become.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2011 23:47:10 | More by claspada

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