First Thoughts on Lips of Faith Dunkel Weiss

Sampled: Feb. 24, 2011

Few styles elicit a more ambivalent "meh" from me than dunkel hefeweizen, German dark wheat ale. It isn't bad for an occasional quaff, but few brewers branch out from its basic blueprint.

This one comes from New Belgium's high-gravity line, which drastically changes that response. They can call it Grand Cru Dunkel Weiss or whatever they like. I have to sample it, or risk waiting years for another shot.

No surprises here - the Lips of Faith series rolls right along with Dunkel Weiss. For all my trepidation toward another strong wheat ale, FOL Dunkel Weiss delivered a brand-new dark wheat experience.

Pour LOF Dunkel Weiss with a mild chill to shake off room temperature; anything colder shrouds its clean complexity.

Due to its entrancing fragrances, might be a while before you taste the actual beer. The nose takes root beer ingredients, presenting its sassafras and vanilla elegantly. Those are only the backdrop. Due to the wheat malt, a stiff front of cloves and banana bread rises up.

The banana bread bouquet hints at the stronger nutty textures that emerge later. As for the chocolate New Belgium warns about ... it's moderate at best, which suits me well.

When sipping FOL Dunkel Weiss, the ale gets dangerous. It drinks like a 4-5 percent ABV sessions beer, wholly masking the might of a 9 percent ABV. Dunkel Weiss sports a few traces of pepper, and its light-bodied, creamy nature give nothing away. Tread carefully.

The beer's clean tones hold all those flavors together and don't let anything dominate. This dunkel weiss preserves the German framework then enhances it with Belgian know-how and several fine craft-brewing upgrades.