Lips Of Faith - Dunkel Weiss - New Belgium Brewing

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

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served from tap into an imperial pint glass. Poured a reddish brown with a one and a half finger very light tan head. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, clove, banana, alcohol, and a slight roastiness. The flavor was of sweet malt, banana, clove, slight alcohol, and slight roastiness. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew and a very nice Dunkel. The aroma was quite nice and I really liked the slight alcohol aroma that it was giving off with the typical Hefe notes. The flavor was very nicely balanced and at 9% the alcohol was not palate invasive at all. For the style, this one is top-notch in my opinion. A definite must try.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2011 12:41:46 | More by thagr81us

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.55/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Aroma is rich & fruity (sorry about that, but it's true!), mainly banana with tones of wheat and yeast and a strong hint of malt. It pours a dark, warm, chocolaty brown with a fine-bubbled, pale yellowish tan head. Mouth-filling flavor is malty, wheaty and yeasty with an undertone of banana and a hint of caramel. Thick, smooth, fizzy texture leaves a nice sharp and fairly persistent tingle.

Serving type: on-tap

04-03-2011 02:23:28 | More by Cyberkedi

jrallen34

Illinois

2.7/5  rDev -34%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

dark amber/copper body, clear glassy, looks good, head has nice lacing but not much retention... the aroma has tons of cloves, a bit of nutmeg spice, bready throughout, not bad... the taste is extremely clovey with tons of wheat, loses the spice, pretty alcoholic... average

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 14:54:54 | More by jrallen34

dirtylou

Washington

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber, Star Liquor, consumed in parking lot while waiting for GTTM tix

appearance; served in a shaker pint - dark, cola-esque body, full off-white head with good retention.

smell; overripe banana, dark cherries, vanilla, dark wheat, clove

taste: nice offering - banana, dark cherry, wheat, spicy clove, cocoa, ginger.

mouthfeel: medium body, nicely spiced finish

overall: strong

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 20:47:44 | More by dirtylou

beertunes

Washington

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

Served in tulip. Poured a lightly opaque black with a half-inch of khaki head that that had medium retention and lacing.

The aroma had a solid banana scent upfront with a solid grain profile in the background. There was also a slight bubblegum presence, and over the aroma was very nice. The flavors were very similar, banana, some bubblegum, earthy grains and a bit of yeast spiciness.

The body was full but light, was smooth and had a clean finish. Drinkability was very good, I could easily have 3 or 4 of these on a rainy Northwest afternoon. Overall, this was a very nice beer, one of the better offerings from a brewery that I mostly find to be average-ish. Certainly worth trying when you see it.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2011 23:44:13 | More by beertunes

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a dark brown color with a small head for a wheat beer. Ok retention and lacing.

Nose is very clove oriented with a decent dose of bananas. Alcohol is big, real big for this style. Malts are far in the background, but maybe a touch of chocolate is there.

Taste is much softer than the nose indicates and the chocolate comes out to play a bit more. Yeasty esters are all over the place, from bubblegum to banana to clove. Little bit of tart wheat, maybe even some coriander? Alcohol is the main detractor for me on this beer, it sticks out like a sore thumb. Other than that, it is a pretty well done dunkelweizen with plenty of yeast character.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 18:39:07 | More by twiggamortis420

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

champ103

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I am glad this finally made it to Houston. I have been wanting to try this since it was released.

A: Pours an opaque dark brown color. A two finger tan head forms with good retention. A ring stays all the way down the glass. Sticky spiderweb looking lace is left behind as well.
S: Big banana esters up front and center. The banana is always there, but it never becomes cloying or over barring. Toasted and sweet malt as well. Very nice.
T: Follows the nose with a big banana ester flavor. Spicy and zesty. Toasted and sweet malt again. Dry wood which melds everything together.
M/D: A medium to full body. Creamy and smooth. A great beer to sip on. I am really enjoying the bottle.

This did not disappoint me. A very nice Dunkelweizen. A lot more alcohol than I would think for the style, but it is really well hidden. Everything works well together. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 01:51:15 | More by champ103

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

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

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

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

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

laituegonflable

Australia

3.33/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a red-tinged dark brown, plenty of colour to it, with very nice beige head; fairly pale with nice density, sinks slowly but surely to a thin crown of bubbles with some wonderful lacing left behind. Looks pretty damn great.

Smells a bit completely insane. Massive weizen esters, but leaning heavily on the candy banana side, with huge banana sweetness. Also an equally odd side-note of smoke, with some bacon and charred wood, and maybe some peach in the mix as well. Totally didn't expect that, and I'm glad. Quite fascinating, I'm glad it blind-sided me but still, it's a bit too odd for me to love it.

Taste starts out banana cake-esque, there's plenty of that weizeny banana flavour but also a gooey sweet cake batter note with hints of butter and caramel. Not really a lot of dark notes which is a bit incongruous with the look and style, and it really just ends up fruity with more of that seed-heavy banana note. If I were a banana fan I might like it, but A) I'm not, and B) I'm also disappointed that there seems so little else to it, especially given the intrigue of the nose.

Not a bad feel, with a bit of body to it, slightly dry at the back and a bit heavy. Not bad.

Too much banana. What's great about good weizens is the balance between fruit and spice, and there's really a want of spice here. Decent brew, but a bit one-note.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 03:18:18 | More by laituegonflable

Mitchster

Michigan

4.35/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bought a bomber of this in Las Vegas for $5.99. 9% ABV. Pours out to a brilliantly clear dark mahogany, foing a nice light yello head with excellent retention and good lacing despite my cheap hotel highball glass. The aroma is noticed at arms length. Rich brown bananas, walnuts, caramel syrup, and a very interesting pungent cheesiness, almost like the smoke of rauchbiers. Mouthfeel is soft with a big dense body. Taste of browner bananas, burnt rubber, lots of cloves and peculiar higher order phenolics with a mild bitterness. Aftertaste of leather and cooked walnuts. This is the closest you'll get to banana bread. Very interesting and heady. Very rich. One bottle is entire meal unto itself. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 00:12:26 | More by Mitchster

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

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

BretSikkink

Mexico

3.93/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Color is a dark brown, pretty clear with burnished red highlights. If you think this is opaque, hold it up to the light. Head is an ashy grey, short but leaving nice lace. Aromas leaning toward phenols and earth tones. Bready, just about where a dunkelweiss should be. Lacking the potent raisin component of the best in style.

The flavor here is somewhat muted again. Malty leads with ripe banana, fig, light purple grapes, and carob. Definitely fruity. This could be a banana-grape smoothie in another incarnation. Pleasant flavor, nice take on the dunkel style, as it really isn't too far off the beaten path, yet some dunkelweizens make me sick with the mushy banana. Pretty cool.

Enjoyable. A little thin, but it is a wheat beer. Carbonation is solid, not too sticky or heavy. Booze is well hidden, and with a fairly thin profile and body, that's quite a feat. Overall a fairly impressive brew within its style even though it doesn't completely appeal to me.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 03:51:23 | More by BretSikkink

rye726

Colorado

4/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Good to see a German effort from New Belgium. It pours redwood color with a tan head. The nose is very fruity with a bit on a bubble gum aroma. Taste is also on the sweet and fruity side with peppery yeasts and a spicy alcohol presence. Medium body seemed a bit over carbonated. A little sweet to drink more than a glass.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 23:55:39 | More by rye726

wagenvolks

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle into an Andechs weizen glass.

Pours with a tawny, amber-cola body that sports a healthy dose of carbonation. Attractive head sits as a crown of khaki bubbles up top, retaining well and leaving a few patches of lace behind. Creamy weizenbock- like aroma with vanilla and German yeast esters of bubblegum and banana.

Very flavorful beer, with floral hops and a big malt presence that coats the palate with wheat-y vanilla, banana, and clove. Alcohol lurks in the background, adding a spicy semi-heat to the finish. Mouthfeel is hefty, but not overbearing to the tongue. Smooth carbonation makes for a smoother finish. One of New Belgium's better LoF releases, and a great hybridization of the Weizenbock/Dunkelweizen style

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 00:35:07 | More by wagenvolks

Offa

California

4.03/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Black, med. Pale tan head slowly shrinks to foamy ring and wisps, foamy lace.

Aroma is licorice, tar, toast, hint of clove.

Taste is black pepper, tar, prunes, dark whole wheat (esp in aftertaste), faint hint of licorice, strong clove, and spiciness. It has a hint of a weizenbock crossed with a Belgian ale esp. in yeastiness. It’s very good but not outstanding.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2011 21:04:36 | More by Offa

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

Pegasus

Texas

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

Appearance: Clear, dark amber, that verges on opaque, crowned by a small, persistent tan head, with thick, glass-coating lace. There are small streams of fine carbonation, these drift lazily to the surface.

Aroma: Massive presence of dark bread, dark fruits (plums, figs), apple peel, earth, pepper, ripe bananas and cloves. Sweet, vinous alcohol is present as well. The complexity is remarkable.

Taste: Opens with ripe bananas, sweet alcohol, then cloves a bit later. As the taste progresses, earth and bread notes rise to ascendency. Late in the taste, pepper and clove flavors appear. Beneath all of this there is a spicy alcohol note throughout. At the close of the taste, there lingers on a note of fennel, which only gradually fades away.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, velvety and full upon the palate. with only a slight hint of carbonation.

Drinkability/notes: Unwaveringly excellent, to sip and savor this presents a glimpse of what artisanal beer can be, but all too often, is not. A must try. This would be an excellent compliment to holiday dinners.

Presentation: Packaged in a twenty-two ounce brown glass bomber with a pop-off crown. Served in a Pilsener glass.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 15:42:34 | More by Pegasus

alleykatking

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 22oz bottle.

A- Pours a deep brown color with crimson highlights when held to the light. Two finger tna head shows medium retention. Nice streaks and light webbing of lace on the sides of the glass.

S- To me overripe banana comes in first with the aroma. This gets partnered with spices like clove and the two become almost all I can smell. Alcohol does come in and tingle to nose. Light notes of bubblegum in the very end.

T- Overripe banana does come through in the front of the beer with some light bubblegum hints. The clove comes through next with a semi-dominate flavor. Middle of the beer shows some light darker fruits (fig and raisin mostly). Ending shows a light bubblegum note with a ton of candi sugar in this. I have feeling to believe this shows the higher ABV. Banana comes through in the ending with warming alcohol.

M- Medium heavy mouthfeel. Carbonation is good for the style. Banana, clove, and bubblegum show up on the palate. Aftertaste is alcohol, candi sugar, and banana. Flavors were a little underbalanced I thought as they didn't flow together. No off flavors were detected while drinking this beer. Medium heavy alcohol drying left on the palate.

O- This beer was a interesting drinker that I enjoyed but wouldn't go for many glasses of it. The ABV was a little much and showed in the flavor too much at times. A good try for the style but I just wasn't feeling it as much at times.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 23:52:46 | More by alleykatking