Maximus - Lagunitas Brewing Company

brodericksloth

Oregon

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

70 IBU’s hit you at first but mellow quickly
Spicy light; alcohol well hidden; Citrus orange and grapefruit; malts are subtle; drinks like a lawnmower beer. Not filling
One finger head, nice amber/red clear color very little lacing
Light not DIPA type; enough hops to carry alcohol; good value

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 02:18:43 | More by brodericksloth

Bloodbuzz99

Georgia

2.98/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.25

Like a lot of lagunitas beers, it sits bitter too long in the after taste. Would rather have a stronger boozy or malt taste. Continue to be surprised they are such a revered brewery...best thing about this beer is the appearance, pours beautifully in a glass.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 01:13:35 | More by Bloodbuzz99

ubenumber2

Arkansas

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Smell is a mixture of a citrus , doughy smell with a hint of earthy pine to it

Pours nice with a 2 finger white head with nice lacing , crystal clear beer with almost too much carbonation

The taste is really great at the beginning , bitter and hoppy , then it just falls flat at the end of the drink. Im used to getting the malty sweet aftertaste with a bite of alchohol and its just missing here. After the bitterness and the hops it just drops off to nothing

Over all this is an ok beer at best. Its a pretty beer so the wife says , the smell is great , its just the second half of the drink falls off the map into nothing. I bought a 6 pack fo this but will not purchase anymore , would rather have a couple bombers of Hopstoopid

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 14:33:35 | More by ubenumber2

Bazaar

Texas

3.85/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A - Pours orange amber with about an inch of head, sticks to glass and many bubbles rise.

N - Malty caramel, some piney notes, grapefruit and lightly toasted bread.

T - Candy-like, malt-dominated. Toffee, some caramel, grapefruit and pine hopinness, but not a whole lot.

M - Chewy, highly carbonated, but not so much that it is atypical of the style. Has the resudial-sugar feel of other Lagunitas brews.

O - Overall, this is a good beer. It's like a few of their beers, which drinks like candy with hops. Would pick up another six pack if I were in the mood for some.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 12:36:44 | More by Bazaar

Samber79

Texas

3.71/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle, poured into tulip glass

Little to no head, minimal bubbles. Amber color

Smell was piney with some grass. I noticed a slight fishy smell. Since there isn't a date on Lagunitas bottles, it might be old beer.

Taste was bitter and piney, I wasn't able to pick up much diversity here.

Nice mouthfeel, the carbonation opens the palate and the beer has just enough "slickness" for me.

Overall, for me this beer is average for the style. Probably won't buy it again but I'm not upset that I did.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 21:27:33 | More by Samber79

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.81/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from bottle into a snifter glass

Appearance – Pours a clear orange colored brew with some red highlights giving it a nice shine. Upon pouring there is a very small white head that fades quite fast leaving a bit of patchy foam on the surface of the brew and some very light lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell- The aroma is bready and hoppy with a very light level of sweetness. The bready aromas of are of a biscuit and slightly doughy smell while the sweet are of a light caramel smell. The heaviest of the aromas, the hop, are largely of a grapefruit nature mixed with some lighter noted of a pine hop.

Taste – The taste begins with flavors of a mix of tropical fruits and a pine hop taste. The pine starts the taste rather strongly and lasts to the middle of the taste where it starts to be overwhelmed in strength by a grapefruit hop taste. While this is occurring the breadiness of the brew gets stronger while the fruit fades and its place being taken place by a light caramel flavor. More toward the end, where the grapefruit is rather strong, some more pine hop comes to the tongue and actually competes with the grapefruit in strength. It is accompanied by some more herbal hop flavors with a slight alcohol taste, which in the end, leaves a rather resinous and moderately drier hop flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the medium to slightly thicker and creamier side with a carbonation level that is average to slightly above average. The thicker body really accentuates the resinous hops and more bready flavors that develop more toward the middle. While the higher carbonation suits the fruit and caramel flavors well these are really not the focus of the beer and a slightly lower carbonation level may have been slightly beer for the style.

Overall – A fairly tasty double IPA. It drinks pretty easy and has a decent drier flavor profile (especially at the end of the taste). Overall it is pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 01:56:57 | More by Darkmagus82

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.09/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Served in a snifter glass. Bottled dated 06/12, served March 4th, 2013.

Pours your natural amber color with heavy tiny bubbles on the body with somewhat subtle head maybe half an inch. Slightly off-white with sticking even lacing settling quick after two sips.

Smell: Malty scent, light but very likeable.

Taste: A complexity to it that should not be taken for granted. Comes off with grapefruit skin, rich caramel and a rough pine feel that makes you feel you are consuming raw pine. You feel the "sweetness" that is oh so bitter and yummy.

Mouth: A real nice malty finish that is a slight step above the norm. Medium and beyond easy to lust.

Overall: I have had this before and yes I will be buying it again and again. Malty and rich of a light caramel texture becomes addicting. After reviewing a sub-par DIPA this is what it at minimum should all be tasting like. Grab a snifter and a piece of cheddar and treat yourself to quality. Salud!

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 03:17:11 | More by BlurryVisi0n

screamking

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into snifter.

Appearance-huge white head when poured aggressively,wonderful copper color, great lacing. 4.5

Aroma-pine, grapefruit, orange peel, watermelon, fresh cut grass, nothing stands out everything balanced. 4

Taste-creamy orange, lemon drop, apricot, pineapple, hint of strawberry, a little honey, nothing spectacular. 4

Feel-medium bodied, coats palate well, very little bitterness for a double, easy to drink at first but begins to get heavy as it warms. 3.5

Overall-for the price this is a wonderful value double. It's not a ball buster like a lot of doubles out there, this one goes in the opposite direction being very drinkable. Lagunitas is slowing becoming one of my new favorite breweries simply because they make good beer for a value price. I'm looking forward to trying their other offerings. 4

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 03:16:11 | More by screamking

nickapalooza86

Wisconsin

4.88/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Pours a copper color with a half finger of a off white head, really good looking stuff.

Smell is huge tropical and citrus, almost a honey like sweetness in there, a little floral in the back.

Taste is dank citrus and tropical fruits, caramel sweetness, bitter grapefruit, finishes with a bite of bitter pine.

Mouthfeel is medium full with the perfect amout of carbonation for the style, very drying at the end.

As I have said many times I do prefer this to Sucks slightly, to me the hops are just as good but it has a bigger malt backbone that gives it a sweet complexity just not found in Sucks... Probably my second favorite DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 18:09:58 | More by nickapalooza86

timc100

Illinois

4.46/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Fresh bottle poured in a teku glass

A: Crystal clear dark orange with a pillowy, foamy substantial white head.
S: Upon cracking it open huge fresh pine and bitter sugared grapefruit peel wafted out. As it settled the aroma became less intense, sadly; however, still great. Grapefruit and pine bitterness, tropical fruit sweetness, and some notable caramel to finish it off. Juicy but dry.
T: Full of flavor. Smacked with pine and grapefruit bitterness first, then sweet citrus and caramel. Finishes dry
P: Nice, refreshing, medium bodied appropriately carbonated ipa.
O: This is a damn good beer when fresh. Well balanced west coast style

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 22:38:11 | More by timc100

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Seen this for a long time and never had an inclination to pick it up. I'm guessing this isn't the freshest it can be, though.

A: Golden-yellow with some floating sediment and a huge, soapy, frothy, white head. Hangs around for a while leaving behind tons of lace. Settles into lumpy, bubbly foam that is very appealing. Great looking beer.

S: Piney, tropical, resiny hops. What else would you expect from Lagunitas? So citrusy and pungent that it almost smells artificial.

T: Huge citrusy and floral hops. Big time. Delicious amount of resiny hops that don't overpower. Seems to be enough malt in the finish to keep it from being a palate wrecker. Booze is non-existent. A seriously awesome example of how citrus-heavy hops can make a beer so enjoyable. Not necessarily a one-sided DIPA but it's the typical Lagunitas hop profile...so if you're into hop bombs, this should please any discerning palate.

M: As smooth as a Double IPA can be. Huge, resiny hops. Pretty dry and the carbonation is spot-on. Refreshing and seriously delicious.

O: Ended up being pretty darn fresh and tasty. I knew I would like this but the BA score turned me off, so...another exmaple of why not to always trust the BA score. I should have known better. This is a must-try for any craft beer lover and especially the hop heads out there. Lagunitas does it again!

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 03:12:43 | More by Gatch

NoLeafClover44

Delaware

3.91/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into DFH shaped pint glass. Bottled on January 12, 2013.

A - Pours a perfectly clear golden copper color. A one finger pillow of cream colored head shows great retention. Amorphous lacing clings to the walls of the glass.

S - Smells of toffee and pine primarily. Various spices couple with tropical fruits to give this beer a delicate underbelly. Just a touch of booze on the nose.

T - Sweet caramel and pineapple from the tip of my tongue through midpalate. Pine hits pretty hard on the back end with some big hop linger. The flavor is unique, with many good components that almost work together. I say almost, because the raw hop linger doesn't perfectly meld with the sweeter malts and tropical fruit flavors.

M - Medium bodied with adequate carbonation. Dry finish.

O - This is a solid DIPA for a very good price. It showcases pine and tropical fruit hop flavors and aromas with a solid caramel malt backbone. There is nothing wrong with this beer, but there are too many other great DIPAs for me to revisit this one too often.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 01:55:49 | More by NoLeafClover44

TheMultiYeast

Pennsylvania

3.96/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Pours dark golden color with a small white head. Head disappears leaving some lacing. Alcohol legs, and lots of evidence of bottle conditioning...This beer sits very still.

Some decent hop notes upfront, mild tropics, sweet citrus, plenty of caramel.

Malty DIPA. Solid balance, good bit of sweetness, straight up bitterness, more sappy pine notes in flavor, some fruit notes. Restrained alcohol

Smooth, sticky feel keeps this one in check

Try this and don't be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 22:17:52 | More by TheMultiYeast

Omnium

Pennsylvania

4.11/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

16 Oz Pint glass
A - Pours a light amber color, 1.5-2 finger head, thick, and good lacing.
S - Sweet oily hops and sweeter malt really dominate the aroma followed by a slightly grassy fresh hop aroma.
T - Sweet malt followed by an embodiment of hop flavor, but you can definitely taste the alcohol here. Pine and lingering malt taste afterward. Some lemon and grapefruit in the mix, but not pronounced.
M - A thicker feel to it that one would expect, you feel the presence of the alcohol nearly immediately.
O - Lagunitas is a great brewery, and Maximus is a great, solid go-to IPA thats available year round. While some might be upset at the strong malt backbone in this, I find it to be a great change of pace for most double IPA's. Bought a case and have enjoyed every bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 23:28:47 | More by Omnium

rringler

California

4.66/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Appearance: Really clear, dark-amber/light-copper appearance, small head that dissipated quickly. Little to no lacing.

Smell: Smells malty, and hoppy; just how I like it.

Taste: Starts with a medium-roasted malt that is sweet enough (without specific caramel taste) but is balanced well by medium-high hop finish. Alcohol is much higher than the tongue taste (8.2% abv, yet tastes like 5-6%)

Mouth: Like any IPA, it's medium body, and slightly oily. Carbonation is good. This is what I expect of a good/heavy IPA.

Overall: Picked up a sixer based on other good Lagunitas beers, but this is a good IPA! I appreciate the malty balance on a style that can get carried away with hops.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 04:55:59 | More by rringler

rawfish

California

3.86/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Amber pour with nice clarity, soapy head reaches maybe half an inch and doesn't stick around long. Streaky lacing on the glass.

Grapefruit, pine and a bit of orange and resin atop a solid caramel and bready malt. Alcohol a bit noticable. Stock IPA aroma, pleasant.

Sweet bread and caramel syrup malt, solid foundation to build upon. Pine and oranges in the hop flavor follows the nose rather closely. A sharp pang of bitterness and alcohol on the finish.

Clean carbonation with an easy drinking body. Malt is rather sticky and sweet but keeps the alcohol at bay.

Solid DIPA with great value. A beer that remains close to standard without much creative flair.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 03:48:23 | More by rawfish

allinthehead

3.66/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Solid IPA from Lagunitas. This, along with Ranger from New Belgium, have been sort of gateways to IPA.

Appearance: Good looking ale here, folks. The color is beautiful. Nice lacing. Head retains well, too.

Smell: Citrus and pine with a hint of the 8.2% alcy-hol coming through

Taste: Sweet, not-too-bitter-hoppiness, grapefruity on the finish. I taste something "green" on the finish. Easy drinking.

Mouthfeel: light to medium body. Clean, crisp, carbonated.

Overall: All around nice, easy to drink IPA. Hipster points for this one. Quality one, this one is.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 05:45:52 | More by allinthehead

mooseo

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into tulip.

A - Clear amber with a mammoth, creamy white head.

S - Juicy mango and grapefruit, and sweet caramel. Mild but pleasant.

T - Grapefruit, pine needle, sweet toasted malt, light caramel. Not as hoppy as the nose suggests, but pretty well balanced. Hints of alcohol evident. Finishes earthy and grainy with some hop bitterness.

M - Smooth and creamy, medium bodied. Just the right amount of carbonation. Dry finish.

O - A balanced, enjoyable double IPA. The hops are a bit too subtle in the taste, but that could be due to the age of the bottle (which I don't know). Good drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 05:03:15 | More by mooseo

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

4.58/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: poured from a 12 oz bottle into a nonic pint glass, orange honey amber colored with a huge fluffy white head that lingers leaving good lacing, clear

S: citrus hops, grapefruit, lemon, orange

T: delicious balance of huge citrus hops and sweet malt, slight pine, grapefruit, lemon, good caramel malt body to stand up to the bitterness

M: full bodied with good carbonation, excellent aftertaste, alcohol completely hidden

O: Lagunitas knows how to dump some hops into a bottle of beer and make it taste good; this is no exception. A fine DIPA that is as drinkable as an IPA. lighter and less complex than some

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 01:51:07 | More by M_C_Hampton

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter.

A: Clear orange-brown with two-finger, off-white, creamy head that lasted a few minutes and left a nice film. Great lacing.

S: Citrus and pine hops. Mild.

T: Light sweetness and moderate bitterness. Fruit and pine. Light citrus. Matches the nose.

M: Medium bodied with lively carbonation. Crisp.

O: Good Imperial IPA. Looks great in a snifter. Smells and tastes pretty good. Not the best Imperial IPA I've had, but not bad.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 00:49:14 | More by SolipsismalCat

rdeaton

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

I had their 'sucks' brew right before this one and I must say that I like it a lot more than Maximus. Maybe my Maximus was old, I don't know. The main thing I noticed about Maximus was that it had a steam beer taste to it, something I noticed in a couple of beers of the largest manufacturer of that style in the US. (Brekle's Brown) This might be the yeast that is used, maybe it is a lager yeast done at ale temperatures. I don't really like this in an IPA, at least not when I am expecting something else.

Lagunitas is opening a shop up in Chicago, so I am excited. All of the beers I have had from the brewery are good, some are high up there on my list ('sucks', little sumpin sumpin). I won't be buying this one in a 6 pack, but will go for 'sucks' and 'sumpin sumpin'. They are awesome and in the same general style.

In my book, if you want a steam beer/IPA go for it. If you want a sweeter IPA, try 'sucks' or 'sumpin sumpin'.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 01:12:30 | More by rdeaton

JamesMN

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Translucent copper ale with slowly ascending bubbles of effervescence. The head is off-white and wonderfully frothy leaving a rim of lacing. From the head to the translucence, this is exactly how I like my DIPAs to look.

Aroma: Pine and sugar crusted english malt stick out to me right away. There is also a lovely bouquet of citrus and caramel malt.

Taste: Blast of bitterness right off the bat (almost more than its 72 IBUs would suggest). A true hop bomb with great pine, citrus, and bitter grapefruit character. They're not stingy in the malt department either, a nice caramel malt base with just a bit of toffee flavor. The finish is smooth and slightly dry. The aftertaste switches endlessly between sweetness and bitterness. Just a good honest DIPA. Don't taste any of that 8.2% ABV.

Mouthfeel: Medium in body and ever so smooth. Highly drinkable.

Final Thoughts: Lagunitas is quickly becoming one of my favorite breweries. They know their hops and implement them to perfection. Highly recommend this one to all hop heads. Would I drink it again? Yes.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 02:38:13 | More by JamesMN

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4.04/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Nice looking, clear and tannish/orange with a nice lasting head and sticky lacing.

Piney Colorado forest type pine aroma, plenty of citrus too. Hops dominate the aroma.

Flavor is pretty nice. A notable light fruity sweetness compliments the piney, grapefruit notes that were so present in the nose. Malt base is merely complimentary, it's again mostly hops.

Body is well carbonated, medium, and a bit slick/sticky on the back end.

Overall it's worthy of the name Lagunitas, which should say enough right there. But I'll add that I'm glad I picked up a sixer of this. The brand name made me non-leary of trying a whole sixer rather than just a single, even tho I could have picked up a single at the large liquor store I found this at (Gabriel's, San Antonio).

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 01:17:27 | More by AlCaponeJunior

raynmoon

California

3.04/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

4-Looks nice, like most of their IPAs, which is a nice gold color, crystal clear. Some nice alcohol legs on this one as well.

3-Very interesting smell. It doesn't really smell hop forward actually. It smells like some sweet, roasty, bbq-like malts. Which is what their Kronik tastes like. A decent tangerine smell in there.

3-Tastes more of the same. Very balanced, but there is no way that this is fresh. It justs tastes like malt heaviness, bitterness and some alcohol. I specifically remember this one being a juicy, hop forward beer.

The bottling code is 006, so the 6th day of the year? Might be the 6th day of 2012.

---re-review---
bottled on Apri 17th 2013

Gold/orange color, crystal clear. Looks nice.

I smell some yeast, a hint of tangerine and pine, some biscuity malt. Smells pretty nice, but nothing special.

Malty, bitter, almost tart from the sharpness from the hops. A touch of alcohol helps the weird taste.

Overall, just a strange and very unbalanced beer. I almost feel like pouring this out.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 06:40:48 | More by raynmoon

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.44/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a snifter. Fluffy, off-white head, high retention on a clear copper body. Soapy, sticky lacing. Aroma is dominated by grassy, fresh hoppiness, with some grapefruit and tangerine. Taste is bitter with some malt balance. Not totally over the top bitterness, but quite satisfying and well put together. No alcohol tasted and certainly delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2013 06:36:07 | More by KickbacksSteve