Lagunitas Imperial Stout - Lagunitas Brewing Company

TheSixthRing

California

4.05/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a dark cola brown, allowing nothing but the brightest of lights to pierce through with any amount of penetration. The head is an egg-shell tan and develops a good finger-width before dissipating to a sticky, but thin lace.

Smell - A fair amount of chocolate, an underlying note of coffee, very subtle hints of banana on the nose, and also faint astringency and a bit of caramel.

Taste - Follows the nose: I'm getting chalky milk chocolate and faint, mellow banana in the forefront. A fair amount of roasted malt coffee character hits mid-taste, and a touch of caramel joins the fray in the finish. Less aggressive than most RIS's, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Mouthfeel - Full bodied, with just the right amount of carbonation. It's not a beer one would necessarily drink all night, but that's not typical of the style. Smooth and creamy on the finish.

Overall - This Imperial pulls back on aggressiveness, and relies a bit more on sweet, balanced flavor. Lagunitas made the right call. It's just dark and thick enough to be called an imperial, but it doesn't sock you in the face and question your manhood like your average RIS. Sometimes, this is a good thing. The 9.9% is well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2012 18:27:05 | More by TheSixthRing

arizcards

Arizona

3.96/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Picked up a bomber at BevMo at the end of March for $4.49.

Beer poured black with a nice off white head that is leaving some lacing behind.

Nose is roasted malts with hints of mocha.

Taste is roasted malts, some mocha, with enough hops to balance the huge amount of malts nicely.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and fairly smooth.

Overall this is a pretty tasty brew, nice amount of hops to give it a rough and tumble feel. Definitely a nice price point!

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 01:19:53 | More by arizcards

DRTBrewster

Arizona

4.19/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A solid, good quality stout at a very economical price and worthy of repeat buys. Slightly robust stout with a dark appearance with possible evidence of Patten specialty grains, possible barley for aroma and taste with some pronounced (more than normal) hop tones such as cascade or golden.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 21:20:08 | More by DRTBrewster

dcloeren

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-22-2013 20:10:45 | More by dcloeren

likeemdark

California

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-21-2013 17:11:11 | More by likeemdark

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9%

05-20-2013 23:23:49 | More by Slatetank

bcuz7

Florida

4/5  rDev +9%

05-19-2013 21:14:49 | More by bcuz7

Whiskeydeez

Kansas

3/5  rDev -18.3%

05-19-2013 17:03:37 | More by Whiskeydeez

arfenhouse

California

3.79/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: Black with some brown on the edges. Off-white head. retention is decent.

S: Prune, dark chocolate, and a bit of coffee.

T: Roasted grain and dark chocolate. Dark fruits at the back end.

M: Medium-full mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Slick and wet.

O: Decent RIS not much else to say.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 16:35:23 | More by arfenhouse

warpedrevolution

Washington

4/5  rDev +9%

05-18-2013 08:01:54 | More by warpedrevolution

BeerAficionadoMCMXC

California

3.76/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It appears a jet black tone. The head disappears quickly, low carbonation levels. The smell consists of nutty raisins with a touch of chocolate. The taste reveals a syrup like texture with lots of dark fruit and some hop flavor to follow. The body is medium, but not syrupy. I'd say this is a solid imperial stout, but nothing spectacular.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 06:20:20 | More by BeerAficionadoMCMXC

admonster00

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%

05-17-2013 02:46:09 | More by admonster00

firstlighthiker

Tennessee

4.5/5  rDev +22.6%

05-16-2013 00:12:46 | More by firstlighthiker

Davit

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-15-2013 03:54:05 | More by Davit

Brewsed

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-13-2013 13:53:09 | More by Brewsed

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-12-2013 21:24:33 | More by twenty5

frozenjogurt

California

4/5  rDev +9%

05-11-2013 02:37:21 | More by frozenjogurt

pandow

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%

05-11-2013 01:36:31 | More by pandow

ToddHolder

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-11-2013 01:31:46 | More by ToddHolder

BrewmanCapote

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +22.6%

05-10-2013 03:55:29 | More by BrewmanCapote

corysmith01

New York

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-09-2013 02:03:34 | More by corysmith01

martyl1000

Wisconsin

4.56/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Had this from a firkin during Mad Craft Beer Week, at a great new Madison beer bar called Side Door Grill and Tap.
Surprisingly lackluster appearance, with even less luster in the aroma. Is that the real ale element?

Wonderful coffee and roasty flavors though. Molasses sweetness, maybe some bubblegum, and hard to identify yeasty funk that could be cork or some other pleasing wood.

Absolutely the creamiest feeling in the mouth of any Imperial Stout I've ever had.

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2013 01:12:45 | More by martyl1000

lernerlift

Kansas

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%

05-05-2013 21:57:16 | More by lernerlift

Ljoreilly

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -11.4%

05-04-2013 01:00:35 | More by Ljoreilly

ahbithwabm

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

04-30-2013 16:31:41 | More by ahbithwabm