On Easter Sunday, it’s traditional for the monks of various orders, who have been fasting for 40 days on minimal diet, perhaps punctuated with a weak beer, to break their fast with something “doppel.” Usually that’s a doppelbock beer, which is why the best known examples of the style were named “Celebrator” and “Salvator.”
Well, I had a nice opening going there, but what I’ve got here is a Doppel Weizen. Or rather, the style is a Weizen Bock, a German style wheat ale. Specifically, the new Lagunitas Doppel Weizen, which they sent me for comment.
According the Lagunitas’ typically verbose description, this beer was inspired by owner Tony Magee & crew’s 2006 trip to Philadelphia, where they met with representatives of a Bavarian brewery to negotiate the purchase of their brewhouse. tl;dr, the deal was done, the brewhouse was installed in Petaluma – and quickly outgrown – and this beer commemorates the event in the Lagunitas way.
The beer has a strong malty smell, with some of its 8.7% alcohol in the nose. It pours a puffy white head over a deep golden body. The taste is strongly alcoholic, but there’s plenty of malt to go with it. A slight side taste of the banana and clove esters that comes with a weizen beer, but not as noticeable. After a couple more sips; make that many more sips; I get a bit of graininess at the sides of my tongue. If this is cellared, some of the yeast might drop out to the bottom, but a malty, estery beer like this is best enjoyed in season.
