Having been waylaid by a bad summer cold lately, I thought a serious dose of hops might chase away the germs. For this task I turned to a local (for me, anyway) favorite: Lagunitas IPA (Petaluma, California).
I’ve tried a number of IPAs, and Lagunitas’ offering acquits itself well compared to just about anything I’ve tasted so far. It had major hop credentials without approaching double IPA territory; it was easy to enjoy two of these in one sitting. Pouring from a bottle into a chilled pint glass yielded a great head with a strong aroma that grabbed my attention from the get-go. Upon first whiff I noticed the typical citrusy aroma of hops, but there were some big-time herbal notes in here too; it was almost piney or sappy.
From a flavor standpoint the hop flavor was dominant from the start, but there was just enough of a malty background to call this brew well-balanced. In the background I tasted a faint caramel/burnt sugar bittersweetness which rounded out the flavor nicely. Like almost any IPA the finish was dry; this beer featured a long-lasting soapy aftertaste, which was the only drawback to its flavor.
This was a fun beer to drink. At almost 6% ABV, there’s enough alcohol in here to notice. You get great lacing with every sip, and the taste and aroma had me wanting a second one as soon as I polished off the first. If they could tighten up the aftertaste a little bit this IPA might range into the upper 80s, but for now, I give Lagunitas IPA 83/100.
Sorry for a VERY LATE response… new reader.
Nice review. Did you pick up on the subtle Grapefruit finish that Lagunitas tends to suggest. Their hopp taste is much more citrus-like than other IPA’s (pine-like).
While politically I differ significantly than many of the insiders of this site… we agree on many of the beers. At least we have that!
Cheers.