Name:    Our Own Bavarian-Style Doppel Weizen
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma, Calif.)
Style: Weizenbock
Price: $6.50 per 22 oz. bottle
ABV: 9
IBU: 32.2
Final Grade: C
Score: 32

German weizen yeasts are amazing, capable of producing an interesting arrangement of flavors to rival most Belgian strains. Lagunitas brewers surely know this. And so, when a friend sent them a Bavarian yeast, I can only imagine how giddy they were to put it to use.

If only they’d used it to make a better beer.

The special release “doppel weizen” is drinkable, but far from the best examples I’ve tasted. To start, it’s an ugly beer, with no head and extremely low carbonation. The alcohol heat is too high (did I really say that?) and the clove and banana phenols are way out of balance, oppressing other citrus and bready flavors and aromas that would round-out the beer.

Granted, Lagunitas has never cared much for adhering to style guidelines and I’m not going to knock them for straying here. I just hate to see good yeast go to waste.

Aroma (9/12): Strong clove, lemon citrus and banana, with a hint of raisin. I can’t detect any hop aroma. Lactic acid sourness.

Appearance (1/3): Cloudy golden-orange, thin fizzy head that disappears immediately. Not very appealing.

Flavor (14/20): Bready with a lot of clove and pepper spice. Banana. Alcohol heat comes through strong and lingers. Burns on the way down. Low hop bitterness and a slight citrus hop flavor. No off flavors such as DMS. Can’t detect any diacetyl.

Mouthfeel (2/5): Medium bodied. Peppery mouthfeel, low carbonation and a lot of alcohol heat.

Overall Impression (6/10): A high-octane wheat beer with a lot going on, but very little balance. There’s no head, making for an ugly beer. The phenols and alcohol heat are too high and distract from more subtle flavors that would add complexity and round-out this beer. This could benefit from aging, but there’s no helping the alcohol burn.

Total Score: 32/50