New Belgium Lips of Faith Wild 2 (Squared) Dubbel, Ale brewed with Schisandra. 8% Alc. by Vol. This is one I've had before, on tap, earlier this year, and another bottle I picked up at Casanova's in Hudson, WI, weeks ago. I don't know what a schisandra is, but that won't deter me none.
Appearance: Dark brown color, with ruby highlights, cocoa-tinged head, starts big and drifts down.
Aroma: Complex and arousing aromatics, a blend of fruit, spice, berries and cola and clove. Fruit gets funkier, it turns a little wilder. Dark malt holds down the scene, hardly a peep out of hops.
Taste: Medium body, leaning on the lighter side. Mellow flavor. Fruit remains strong, funky, wild factor is still there, but …hm. It's a bit uneventful. Flavor slides off in the finish, disappears without a trace. Sweetness is high, but not cloying or overbearing. This isn't a bad drink, of course, but it's not a good example of a dubbel, I can't figure out where the "wild" comes from, and the "schisandra" doesn't really contribute much.
Maybe it's too old, and it's lost it's charms, but dubbers really should do better with age, and this isn't that old. It's a nice enough beer, but uninspiring and unremarkable. I went into really wanting to like it, but…didn't happen.
Hey, how about the gobbledygook? Of course, it's running sideways on the label, making it hard to read without hurting my neck. Oy. "This wild Colorado version of the Belgian dubbel ropes you in with cove and dark fruit aroma. Deeply rich and malty, every sip has a creamy texture true to Belgian tradition before it rides off with hints of black pepper and cinnamon from the addition of schisandra berries."
The terrible puns didn't explain why it's called Wild 2. Maybe someone knows?
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