Lagunitas Lucky 13. Alt

Tasted at 8th Street Grille on Monday afternoon after getting off work, rather early at that. Clay had notified me that they had tapped it on Saturday, so it was a mission to get this one reviewed before they ran out. Like old times, I didn't have my laptop with me (I came straight from work) so this was written on paper, and then later transcribed. 
8.9% ABV

Appearance: Bright oranges copper and glowing with fantastic clarity. Served in a large snifter. Small, soapy white bubbles accumulate near the edges of the glass. The beer is still looking except for the occasionally a bubble will slowly flutter to the surface.
Aroma: Fruity - reminiscent of ripe plums, apricots and golden raisins. Sweet candy sugar can be picked out too. Some faint spicing rounds out in the end, grains of paradise? Coriander?
Taste: Juicy! The light caramel sweetness easily compliments the rich citrus fruit bitterness derived from the West coast hops that are all too common to CA. Grapefruit juice but with the bonus of sugar sprinkled on tip to thin out the body and tartness. Very prominent tropical fruit essence with some spices that emerge in the end. The more I drink it the more I think...Coriander! Thus, minute notes of orange come through. The finish leaves a rind bitterness on the palate. Think Pineapple/mango rind.
Mouthfeel: This beer fortunately has a thinner texture to give it a feel of a near bubbling grape juice. Easy drinking and surely something that can creep up on the unsuspecting drinker. Carbonation is minimal, but enough to know it's there and to enrich the feel. Drying finish, but not resinous.

Overall Impression: I was worried I was going to get a mouthful of acidity and Simcoe. but a Juicy fruit burst rushed over the palate encouraging a mild surprise in the preliminary sips. Light and drinkable with no sacrifice to flavor. Overall, it reminds we of a sparkling white grape juice with a dose of pineapple while still maintaining the typical characteristics of a beer. Fantastic.

Note: A very similar flavor to DFH Aprihop but with less carbonation and even more fruity.

New Dogtown Pale Ale

Tasted following a 15 miler into East Moline (avg. 6:24) on my "Day off" (I still bar tend at the brewery in the evening). Following the review I enjoyed the rest of the beer with the best new, post-run-meal concoction yet, Kefir Pancakes and Hummus!
Thanks to Jen for getting a 6 pack of this during her tropical hop craving (unfortunately this didn't satisfy it...)

Appearance: Upon pour, which produced a bright orange copper colored beer, emerged a thin off white head that blanketed the surface of the beer. The lacing climbs the sides of the glass, only a couple mm above where the head once touched. Relatively cloudy, though some carbonation can still be observed.

Aroma: The pinnacle of herbal hops permeate the nostrils before the nose even reaches the glass. Characterized of Basil as well as grassy, grainy and floral undertones. Some presency of a yeasty element.
Taste: The front maintains that herbal element but no sooner transforms into a full on grassy bitterness that almost overwhelms the beer. The midtaste (between the herbal and grassy) maintains a semi sweet graininess reminiscent of bready and biscuit malt, however it is difficult to decipher against the more prominent flavors. Towards the end there is some notes of orange peel, but all bittering. Finally the finish brings in...? you guessed it! MORE BITTERNESS (specifically grassy). Leaving it in the aftertaste too.
Mouthfeel: Very light body with little to no stickiness. Some cloying slickness on the roof of the mouth though. Carbonation is thin but strong as is lightly fizzles over the tongue and down the throat. Mouth is left dry and resinous.
Overall Impression: The Basil/herbal aroma is enticingly new, but the flavor was a bit to simplistically bitter and grassy for me. I thought it lacked a lot of character. One to try, in order to pick out a few interesting elements, but I wouldn't get a six pack of this again.


74/100

Little Sumpin' WILD Ale

Thanks goes out to Josh Schipp for picking up this beer from Hyvee this afternoon. I got around to enjoying it in the evening after a day spent at Joe Wietlispach for a homebrewery tour food and football. Definitely a beer to round out a great weekend with!

Appearance: Golden straw in color and pristinely clear. As I noticed there weren't any dregs at the bottom of the bottle, the beer was almost certainly well filtered or pasteurized of all life. The head is styrafoamy and white only to slowly dissipate into a clumped film with a sticky wet lacing on the sides. Carbonaton is well presented with bubbles streaming up in single file from random etches in the glass.
Aroma: There is a faint goaty (Belgian-oriented) yeast smell about this beer, but overall it is well masked by a large apricot and floral hop complexity. Citrus is highly apparent with a juicy splash of esters that potentially cover all facets of the spectrum. Subtle clove phenols emerge as the beer warms.
Taste: Wow! what a complex flavor. There starts with a rush of fruity sweetness, complemented with a gushing hop element of un-paralleled citrus and tropical fruit (passion fruit, peaches). This is certainly one of the best constructed bittered fruity oriented beers I've come across. Very subtle cloviness along with a bready malt flavor emerge as the beer warms. Minute notes of bubblegum. Nevertheless the hops are the main attraction here. The mustiness that was present in the aroma is hardly present in the flavor, but this could be because the finish rounds out in a overwhelming orange rind bitterness. To go along with all this, the alcohol plays a perfect role in both rounding the flavor and cleansing the palate, all the while warming the chest.
Mouthfeel: Lighter bodied with a swift bubbly carbonation that provides a zip to the top of the tongue. The finish is left extremely dry and even a hop resin is left behind especially on the lips and tongue
Overall Impression: This is a fantastic beer. The complexity is just overwhelming, and covers so many flavors, one person alone could not account for them. Fruits and tartness with an enormous hop character with innumerable pine and ester related qualities. Certainly a beer to pick up!


94/100

Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale

Tasted Saturday night after a night in Iowa City at the Hy-vee Alcohol and Fleck tasting convention. This followed spending the remainder of the night at Old Capitol Brew Works. Woke up this morning and checked out Johns Grocery, the farmers market and Pioneer Co-op. Made it home for a yoga session (knee still bothering me) and tasting. Apologies for not getting one up yesterday. Thanks to Jen for getting me this in celebration of my Great River job!

Appearance: Rustic red with a dark ambered tint. Clarity is well defined apart from the otherwise dark color inhibiting overall visibility. Initially the beer had a heavy set frothy white-beige head that left behind a sticky lacing. The head resulted in an evenly distributed film across the top of the beer. Small, micro-bubble carbonation is fully visible.
Aroma: Huge caramel malt bill. Robust and definitively sweet. Some roasted nuts and a permeating over-ripened plum and raisin fruitiness. A little bit of a dough ball/ under attenuated scent. Finishing up there resides a floral, and healthily induced Belgian candy sugar smell.
Taste: Foretaste is very doughy and grainy, as I noted above. This makes me think the candy sugar was added, which took a primary fermentation status, by which the yeast ate first...this would have left a lot of the malt to maintain a lot of its mashed flavor. Caramel and toasted grains dominate. There lies also a rich fruity element in the back of the throat as the alcohol warms the mouth and the hops begin to blossom. There is somewhat of a maple characteristic along with roasted nuts and brown sugar. Over-ripe and dried fruit again remains as an undertone to the aftertaste, followed by a toffee sweetness. Alcohol is very appropriately melded into the general appeal of this beer.
Mouthfeel: Carbonation is relatively low, but enough to make a pronounced texture against the heavy body. Smooth drinking and soft. However there is a very apparent tackiness on the lips. Does coat the mouth and leave behind a bit of a cloying feel.
Overall Impression: The candied and malt sweetness significantly balance out what hops are played into this beer. Without the base, I could see this being significantly bitter. Definitely a big time sweet tooth beer. Definitely worth a try.


87/100

Brown Shugga' Sweet Release Ale

Tasted with Henry Lapka with a stir fried veggie dinner. Meet at Wartburg tomorrow so it was quieter night with lots of carbs. Thanks to my dad for getting me this for Chrismas as part of the around the world winter 12 pack.

Appearance: Orange amber colored with a slight reddish tint. Clear for the most part. Minimal head taking on a thin filmed appearance. Micro carbonation visible within. Wet lacing down the sides.
Aroma: Very oaky and dry with a sweet undertone of dark fruit (raisin, date and figs). A lot of carameled candied. A little bit of pungency at the end of the nose followed by a subtle tart aroma.
Taste: Sweet caramel immediately on the tongue with a woody character. I taste some oak barrel as well as a dash of muscat grapes (I get that flavor from Dogfish Head)... Vinous would be the appropriate word. Dark fruit likewise melds well into the sweet flavor. Alcohol is deceivingly mellow. Aftertaste is carameled and dry with some nut tannins. Flavor correlates well with the color. Finishing hops are a great way to carry out the beers flavor. Also the combinations of all the flavors add to a great spiciness. Brown sugar and honey may impart a lot of contributive sweetness.
Mouthfeel: Sticky texture and full bodied. Carbonation is very mellow and light. Finish of the beer is drying, yet refreshing. Thick and smooth.
Overall Impression: A delicious mix of complex flavors that create a symposium of flavors that combine extremely well. Caramel, toasted and dark fruitiness. Still very drinkable and refreshing, with a surprising alcohol.


91/100

Lagunitas Censored Rich Copper Ale

Simple evening tasting following another dinner at Hy-vee with the team. Another beer that came with my winter assortment. Also this is commonly available at most Binny's stores around Chicago.

Appearance: A thicker and deeper darker looking coppered beer than I expected as well as some rustic bronze added to the hue. Almost no head at all but relatively clear. Little carbonation visible. Poor watery lacing, if that.

Aroma: Mild toasted caramel sweetness with some floral hints and mellowed fruitiness reminiscent of raisins and other dark fruit. Some alcohol present at the noses finish. Brown sugar and spice.
Taste: This beer has quite a spike in carbonation which therefore masks a lot of the potential flavors. Nevertheless gradually some citrus fruity notes permeate their way through followed by a carameled malt sweetness. The bubbling carbonation continues right on into the end where I get the sensation of tartness, but its more so just the irregularly long spike of carbonation down the palate runway. The finish leaves some residual fruit tannin and orange peel zest bitterness along with some alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, but the carbonation is something that really interferes with this beers potential at flavor. The bubbles perhaps loosen the body giving it more the perception of a lighter beer, but may just as well be heavy and sticky.
Overall Impression: I would have liked it. all the flavor potential was there, but it took a lot of small sips and thinking to sort out what flavors my palate was experiencing. Judging by the aroma, it could have had a lot. but it amazes me just how much one factor/category can throw off so much. I learned something with this one.


83/100

Hop Stoopid Ale

Tried this in the summer at Aubrey's birthday pool party at the Carpenters house. This pool party (pool=kiddie pool) revolved around the only user (a dog).

Appearance: Yellow ambered hue that almost achieves an orange glow. Strong pour into a pilsner glass (at this point, my understanding of glassware was insufficient). White bubbly head that is short lived. Lacing is evident.

Aroma: Pine hops make their first impression on the olfactory. Followed by a sweet backbone of caramel and biscuit malts. There is also an underlying reminiscence of fruit and honey. Smell finishes citrusy.

Taste: Really broad complex flavors mingle with a spicy pine hopping. A totally unique bitterness, but potent nonetheless. The smell wasn't really as consistent with the taste. The taste isn't grassy or even floral for that matter, but does maintain a hotter finish. I figured this would be more bitter, especially at 102 IBU's. but fortunately this beer maintains a balanced flavor between it's malty backbone and the citrus, pine bitterness profile.

Mouthfeel: Small fizzy bite followed by a soft texture that is maintained in the mouth for several seconds before being finished with a dryer feeling. Body is mid ranged.

Overall Impression: An awesome beer, working a powerful balance that changes as the glass is finished. By the end the once bitter taste transforms into a delicately succulent citrus fruitiness. You can find this one more often in a relatively cheap bomber (at Hy-vee for you locals).

88/100

Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

This was a pint that Jen ordered at Two Brother's a few nights ago. Lagunitas makes use of stellar hops and malts creating not-to-far from exceptional ales (and lagers?). Bottle poured. The bartender took the bottle away from Jen and gave her a sticker because she was aggressively knifing the label off, scaring everyone in the vicinity. Thanks Jen Misewicz for letting me steal your pint for a review.

Appearance: Simple straw color with a white bubbly head. Transparency is quite clear but the carbonation is invisible.

Aroma: Grainy malt aroma that is surely lighter than a pale base malt in flavor, but still exhibits a bold sweetness. Subtle underlying fruitiness and esters, even with minute hints of diacetyl/apple. Maybe apricots? or other tropical fruit.

Taste: Again the flavor is light revealing the wheat/or pils base malts that may have been used to create the color and flavored sweetness of this ale. There is a strong hop character. Caramel begins to emerge midway through, just as the alcohol reveals itself at the finish with a dry, but clean aftertaste. There is a delicious floral hop character that runs rampant throughout, developing in a multitude of similar flavors as you progress through the glass. Nevertheless I think I can pin-point maybe Amarillo or Willamette hops here? In either case this beer has a delicately sweet finish.

Mouthfeel: Body is light and drinkable similar to mouthfeel, forgiving and smooth. No tackiness. Alcohol is perfectly incorporated into this beer where it has little effect on flavor or texture, yet it may sneak up on you..
Overall Impression: This beer is bold, but fragile, yet bursting with a unique flavor profile. I don't really taste the wheat that was used, but the finish develops a citrus grapefruit overtone that may be a combination between the hops and the subtle wheat malts. Extremely drinkable, leaving the palate clean and refreshed.


90/100

Lagunitas Indian Pale Ale

Tim's first Thursday night out at Ribco during fall term (No 7:30 Cadaver Lab). Early start, but late night (by Tim's standards). Many thanks to Ryan (?) for the awesome Snifter glass and beer conversation. Nights at Ribco always seem to be in good company with an interesting and enthusiastic staff.

 Appearance: Pale amber color with slight chill haze and an initial foam head that dissipates after several minutes.

Aroma: Aroma is resinous and pine like, grassy aroma complements as well.

Taste: Strong phenol/pine taste with floral undertones as well as a rich supplement of grassy alpha acids. Hops hit the tongue immediately and hole themselves for a while into the aftertaste finish. Biscuit toastiness is intertwined into the bitterness but still overpowered.
Mouthfeel: Strong but smooth mouthfeel. Spike of carbonation felt at the flute of the tongue.
Overall Impression: A good IPA but not necessarily outstanding.

84/100 (had a bit of a head cold when tasted, so it would be worth trying again)

IPA Maximus

Appreciation goes out to Dr. Calder for this one. Enjoyed at his house followed up by a historical documentary of the North American Plains Indians and Custer's last stand.


Appearance: Orange copper glow with no notable head. Clear in hue, but still maintains the usual IPA eye-candy color
Aroma: Strong biscuit and floral aroma accompanied in the background by a toasted raisin bread overtone.
Taste: Most apparent upon initial reaction is the incredible depth of the sweetness that does into this beer. I find hard notes of dark fruit like cherries, raisins, dates, etc.. The high alcohol by volume is masked by the equally paralleled malt caramel flavors of home baked biscuits. Finishes florally bitter, with undertones of grapefruit to accompany its well balanced mural of bitter malt flavors. Leaves a bit of grassy bitterness on the after-palate.
Mouthfeel: Thick and tacky. Minimal carbonation, but still enough to carry through the complexity of the flavors
Overall Impression: Quite a spectacular IPA, up there with the finest I've this far discovered. If you're out and in doubt of what IPA to try next, at 10.99 a six-pack, it's well worth it.


93/100