Hey wait a minute. Didn’t New Belgium make Wild Wild Dubbel (or Wild2 Dubbel/Wild Squared Dubbel) last year? I’m pretty sure they did. The beer is part of their Lips of Faith series, and I guess they’re still making batches since I just had a glass at my local Taco Mac.

Wild Wild Dubbel is New Belgium’s take on, well, Old Belgium’s abbey dubbel style, except they make it with a weird fruit called schisandra. I’ll let them explain before we go any further.

Wild2 Dubbel ale, our mahogany-hued autumn ale spiced with schisandra, opens with the floral, earthy notes of fall itself. Schisandra berries, known as “five-flavor fruit,” possess all five flavors: salty, sweet, sour, spicy and bitter. This malt-forward dubbel ale is fermented with a Trappist yeast and finishes dry and slightly sour with a touch of bretta. Lasso a bottle!

Hey wait a minute (again)! See, I was right. It’s a fall seasonal. So, it looks like the 2014 fall batch is out, and hey, isn't August a little early for Fall beers? Whatever and anyway, here’s what they make it with.

YEAST: Trappist Ale Yeast

HOPS: Target, Goldinas, Liberty

MALTS: Pale, Munich, Carmel 80, Special-B, Wheat, Chpcolate Wheat, Oats

FRUITS/SPICES: Shisandra (sic)

New Belgium Wild2 (Wild Wild) Dubbel is sold in 22 ounce bomber bottles and on draft as part of the Lips of Faith series. I paid $5 for an 11 ounce draft at Taco Mac, which seems reasonable since the bombers run $8.99. The beer has 8% alcohol by volume and 30 IBUs.

My glass of New Belgium Wild2 (Wild Wild Dubbel) arrived a deep mahogany color with an ever so thin head and a funky fruity perfumey nose. Taking a sip, I get some chocolate and exotic fruit in the palate, as well as the more familiar dried prunes, toasted nuts, and light molasses associated with the style. There’s some cotton candy too and definitely Belgian funk going on here, and the whole affair finishes dry and warm with alcohol.

Sorry New Belgium, but I didn’t get the salty/sour ends of schisandra, though the fruitiness did add an interesting dimension to a classic style that I very much enjoy. Worth another visit, I’ll look for this in the bottle to be sure.  

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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