Lagunitas Sirius Ale - Lagunitas Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I was expecting a creamy ale but also got a pale ale with it. Creamy head, C hop aroma, medium yellow straw gold colour. Sourish, with sweetness secondary, whether intended or not. So I am of two minds on mouthfeel, creamy and pucker lemon is an inigma. Picked up days ago from Dayton Ohio.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2006 02:43:57 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Burnished orange-amber with a light snowfall of wispy flakes swirling within. They don't seem to be settling all that fast, perhaps the ascendant carbonation is keeping them afloat. The head is a cross between dark cream and light tan and is tacky enough to leave behind speckled, blurred, concentric rings of lace when it eventually departs. Quality appearance.

I haven't had enough cream ales to draw on previous experience in comparing noses. For that matter, I'm not sure what the hallmark of a good cream ale nose is. This one seems competent enough, but doesn't overly impress. Hops are a bit more prominent than malt. Earthy, slightly fruity; reminds me of an underhopped English pale ale.

My first impression upon tasting is... alcohol. It isn't overpowering, but it's more noticeable than I prefer. Making a jacked-up, relatively high gravity cream ale must have seemed like a good idea (and I'll give Lagunitas points for originality), but cream ales don't generally have enough strong malty or hoppy flavors in which to bury the alcohol. Some styles just shouldn't be Imperialized.

The flavor profile is relatively well-balanced and contains loads of blonde malt, some fruit (white rum-soaked oranges) and non-assertive hops. And alcohol. The body is medium-full with a sweet, slick character that I enjoy. To wrap things up, there's a longish finish during which the beer stays in character and in balance.

There's a good beer in here somewhere. Ratcheting the alcohol back a few percent would be a good first step in improving this big cream ale. As is, I'm not interested in acquiring more. Siriusly.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2004 22:50:16 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had the chance to enjoy this one on tap at the Saucer tonight. Served cold in a pint glass. This one was consumed on 09/07/2008.

Presented in front of me this was a nice amber color. Slight haze to it, but mostly clean looking to be honest. A good sized head of about an inch and a half came up over the sides and gradually settled down to a thin veil across the top. Decent side glass lacing then ensued and left some nice web like features across the sides and some good carbonation.

THe aroma was loaded down with fresh, light hops. Lots of grass, lemon and tangerice like citrus aromas and a touch of a light wheat smell. THe flavor was more of the same, tight would be an understatement, as this one was very clean and crisp. Lots of light hops, crisp fresh cut grass flavor was dominant here were a long lasting dry finish. Grat smooth, light, and crisp feel was very well carbonated and allowed itself to be drank way too fast. As it warmed, some light resin notes were coming through and this just added to the overall good profile.

Overall I thought this was an excellent sessionable IPA. Not sure what else I can say other then this was very nicely done, very easy to drink and really just a very nice addition to their lineup.

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2008 00:26:21 | More by mikesgroove

brentk56

North Carolina

2.95/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours a hazy light copper color with a rocky white head that leaves shards of lacing all over the glass

Smell: Caramel malt, a touch of honey and some raw graininess in the aroma

Taste: Starts out with a nice toffee flavor but, after the swallow, some harsh grain and fusel alcohol flavors build and create a rather astringent, unpleasant finish; cream ales often have some corn in them that makes, for me, a rather disagreeable flavor and I am picking that up in this ale

Mouthfeel: Medium to thick body with prickly carbonation

Drinkability: I am not generally a fan of cream ales (although I do like Anderson Valley's) and this one just has the disagreeable flavors amplified by the high gravity alcohol; I'm one and done

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2006 00:56:58 | More by brentk56

oberon

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light golden with a slight orange hue to it with a nice creamy-like two finger head that takes its time coming down leaving a frothy top.The hoppiest aroma of any cream ale I have had thats for sure, Pacific NW hop profile of pine and citrus although not overly strong prevail.Flavors are quite dry some light toastiness and citrus with just a slightly noticable alcohol burn in the finish but slight.This is a damn good cream ale here and very easy to drink at 7.6 thats for sure,I would buy again for sure.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2005 01:12:30 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sirius pours a clear, orange body beneath a short head of yellowed foam. The retention is average, and it leaves short walls of spotty and craggy lace as it goes.

The nose is bright and fresh with a bit of candyish malt that's wrapped in herbal, leafy, grassy and citrusy hops. It's fruity with a bit of apricot, and perhaps pineappple, to it.

The flavor is rich, but the body's not over-done, and it's quite drinkable from that standpoint. More hops appear, with more citrus, and a bit of spice (or is that the alcohol?), and it's honeyish and orange-like, but also solidly backed by bitterness. Throughout the glass it's surprisingly complex with lots of fruitiness (apricot, orange, apple), a variety of hop flavors (herbal, leafy, grassy, spicy, citrusy), and a sweetish malt base. It finishes dry and acidic with a scrape of bitterness and lingering notes of citrus, grass, leaves, and spice.

Enjoyable and interesting. Unusual... usually in a beer like this there's more caramel malt used, but this one just lets the hops go and do their thing. Very nice!

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2008 21:55:27 | More by NeroFiddled

WesWes

New York

3.68/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a hazy gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a sweet pale malt scent that is a bit creamy as well as bitter from some light hopping. There is a warm scent as well. The taste is decent. It has a smooth pale malt flavor that goes down easy and finishes bitter and dry. There is a slight grainy taste as well as some residual sweetness. This is a little too hoppy for a cream ale. I think it's a good IPA, but not good cream ale. The mouthfeel is good. It is a medium bodied beer with good carbontion. This is a pretty good brew. It has good flavor and aroma, but it's not true to style.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2005 01:51:49 | More by WesWes

zeff80

Missouri

4.22/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a cloudy, orange color with a bubbly, two-finger, off-white head. It left sticky webs of lace.

S - It smelled very floral and fruity. It had a sweet aroma.

T - It was quite sweet and fruity. It also had a nice bitter hop kick.

M - It was crisp and smooth. A medium-bodied beer.

D - This is hands down the best Cream Ale that I've had. Lagunitas brews great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2008 02:58:16 | More by zeff80

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.78/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a fairly clear, light copper-gold color. It is topped by a creamy, rocky, tan head. The aroma is of sweet grain, corn (is there even corn in this recipe), a bit of diacetyl, and a bit of hop aromatics. The beer is lightly sweet up front and nice and hoppy with a spiciness and a bitter bite in the finish. This beer is much more enjoyable than I remember. It is refreshing, yet it has a full medium body that helps to carry the flavors. As a double cream ale this certainly works, though in all fairness this is the only one I have ever had.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2004 18:46:43 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.4/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Acquired from Viggo, courtesy of Birthday Club 2, so a big “Thank you” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light amber color with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of light malts, some spice, fruit and a little hops.

T: The taste is bready with a little sweetness from flavors of citrus and caramel, but there’s a pretty strong hops bitterness for the style. The malt character is on the light side as it should be for this style. However, it doesn’t seem as though the flavors in the beer mix well with each other. The after-taste is slightly bitter.

M: Smooth and very crisp, light-to-medium body, medium-to-heavy carbonation, clean and dry finish.

D: A little tasty, goes down easily, not filling at all, good representation of style while taking it up a level, this is a decent beer to stick with if you want something light with a pretty strong kick. However, I can’t see myself drinking too many of these unless my choices were very limited.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2007 02:40:49 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.53/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours amber/copper with a rock 4 fingers+ white head. Got some floaties, but I didn't really pour this to delicately, so I put this in more as a warning. Good head head retention and lacing

Smell: Rich malty nose with massive frutiness

Taste: Malt, toastiness/breadiness, & nutty at the same time. Some slight floral & piney hop notes. Alcohol, slight hop bitterness
& dryness on the finsh

MF: Good balance, a little more carbonation needed

Very drinkable and interesting. I really enjoyed this & would like to try another in this selfproclaimed "sub-style" (srong cream ale), which I'd never heard of before, yummy & packs a punch, er bite

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2006 04:46:52 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Hollingshead's,

A: Pours a light amber with an average white head, a little lighter than I expected.

S: Mix of caramel malt and American hops, smells a lot like an IPA.

S: Strong notes of grapefruit and pine, light metal. Malt is relatively light, some toffee and bread.

M: Full-bodied and creamy, resiny, very nice mouthfeel overall.

D: A nice beer from Lagunitas, more on an IPA than a cream ale, but that's what you get I guess when you make a high gravity version of this style.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2008 01:32:54 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: pours a clear yellowish orange color with a 3"+ head. The head lingered around a while. Thick lacing painted the glass.

Smell: grassy along with some hop bitterness and soft citrus are easliy detectable.

Taste: hearty malt base with green grapes, grass, honey, and soft grapefruits wrapped in a strong bitterness and bits of warming alcohol. Not your typical easy drinking cream ale.

Mouthfeel: lighty crisp and a bit dry at the start. The finish is smoother and lightly dry. Long aftertaste loaded with malt, grass, and bitterness. Medium-heavy in body.

Drinkability: this is a slow sipping ale not an ale that can be consumed in high quantities. Tasty but definitely a different cream ale than I have had before.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2007 20:19:28 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours vibrant copper with a thin head that soon becomes a swirling patch.

The smell is of citrus - very hoppy for style - lemon and tangerine - with a solid caramel backing.

The taste follows the smell with a flat cream soda taste mixed in that works well here. It certainly is a hoppy interpretation of the style, thought the sweetness does hold its own. Finishes with a long, dry, bittersweetness.

Well, they do say (warn?) high-gravity - it is undercarbonated, giving it a syrupy texture, though it is smooth.

I like it, though it doesn't fit the style so well...interesting interpretation...but, still it is tasty and smooth enough to have more than one, if you don't mind the higher end of the abv, which is fairly well-hidden, catching up with you.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2007 23:36:08 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

As a cream ale, this beer asks the question, is bigger better? This beer is a bit light and all hops. It's a crisp and spicy, but clean hops profile. The malt never really comes up, but there is a nice lingering bitterness. Yeah, it's a nice beer for a cream ale. But I don't think it's necessarily a good cream ale. I almost feel ashamed to say this, but I might prefer a Genny Cream.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2007 02:36:13 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.33/5  rDev -38%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

I have been into most of the Lagunitas beers I've sampled however this Imperial Cream ale isn't doing it for me...I don't the think the dog star is shining bright on this one. Appears a honey golden hue with a thin off white cream head leaves scattered lacing all around my pint. Aroma contains upfront maltiness with a hoppy sweet syrupy notes really nothing notable here. Taste is harsh grainy offness does no justice to this cream ale hop bitterness doesn't mesh well although there are at least some promising hop flavor in of all things a cream ale...some pleasant floral citrus hop tones. Mouthfeel is thin bodied high in carbonation just rough with each sip. Drinkability for me I'm not revisiting this brew just was a bad drinking experience flavors weren't meshing at all.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2006 20:33:08 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear darker amber that has a slight reddish hue to it. Nice crème head. Nose is stringent hoppy-ness. Flavor is just an absolute kick in the mouth of piney, syrupy, heavy duty hops. And somehow, a nice creamy edge seems to peek through and show itself. This is a cream ale after all. Feel is smooth on liquid. Very good level of carbonation. Overall extremely drinkable. This is not like your standard cream ale here. This one carries a lot more hops and a bigger kick in the mouth. But overall it is very smooth and is very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2007 17:46:11 | More by RblWthACoz

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours copper (dark for a cream ale) and is quite clear. Lasting egg shell white head that leaves ring lace after each sip.

The aroma has far more hop than I have ever experienced in a Cream Ale. Not that I'm complaining. This does not have the sourness I typically expect from this style.

This is closer to a high hopped pale ale. The mouthfeel is accurate for the style, but little else is. Again, this is not necessarily a bad thing; however, I am torn on the rating. So, I'm rating the beer on the overall taste which is complex and bitter and easy to drink

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2008 17:19:27 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

3.85/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a nice clean/clear golden orange/amber color, nice carbonation, nice creamy one-finger plus off-white head, which leaves some nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is sweet, malty, slight hops, with some caramel notes. The taste is sweet, malty, very slight hoppiness, with a good dose of caramel. Medium body. Drinkable, this is a very tasty brew, another excellent brew for Lagunitas, recommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2008 02:59:00 | More by Wasatch

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a dimple mug)

A- This beer has a crystal clear light amber body with a thick creamy off-white head that pushes above the glass and last and last. There is a good carbonation of tiny bubbles that glide up through the beer.

S- The big mellow smell of green hops has a perfumed sweetness to them with a nice spicy hop note in the finish.

T- The flavor of big green hops has a spice to it and a slight creamy taste to a soft slightly sweet pale malt flavor. There is a light but not sweet watermelon note to the hops and after the finish the bitterness grows and grows.

M- This beer has a medium-full mouthfeel with a creamy texture and a faint fizz in the finish.

D- This beer has a nice bold but mellow green hops flavor. The sweetness is not distinctly malt flavors but does support the hops very nicely. There are some yeast qualities that remind me of Belgian Tripels that I was surprised it was a cream ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2007 00:49:22 | More by rhoadsrage

Billolick

New York

4.22/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: 12 ounce bottle, w/o freshness dating. Pours golden amber, clear, white head with good retention, leaves very nice elogated and ringed lacing.

S: Earthy hop/malt nose.

T: Flavorful brew, notes of leafy hops, gin, anise, slight alcohol also noted

M: Smooth and creamy as expected.

D: Tasty, strong, and refreshing. Drink 2 or 3 ? sounds good! Nicely crafted by lagunitas, nice spring seasional

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2005 01:33:59 | More by Billolick

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle purchased as a single somewhere in VA, one of many things gathered at either Vienna Whole Foods, Norm's, or Westpark Wine & Beer.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1" off-white head over the golden amber brew. Head exhibits reasonably good staying power, and excellent lacing. Aroma is bluntly hoppy, as I have come to expect from Lagunitas brews, but this one does have some character to it. Taste is what I would expect from a slightly hoppy cream ale, smooth pale malts with a nicely hoppy finish. Mouthfeel is excellent for such a high abv cream ale, and drinkability is excellent for the style as well. Pleasantly surprised.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2004 22:18:30 | More by ppoitras

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appears a golden amber with a fluffy beige head that slowly fades out. Scattered spots of lace are left around the glass. Tons of yeasty sediment is suspended from top to bottom in this brew...not the first time it's happened with a bottle from these guys. What's that about? I have to reduce for the somewhat grotesque floaties in there but other than that, it would look ok.
Smell is of sugary fried dough that you would get at an Italian feast during the Summer.
Taste is of the mentioned aromas and a fine analogy if I say so myself. There are some citrusy hops easing out the flavor and perhaps a slight nuttiness, as well.
Mouthfeel is sweet, salty, and hot with alcohol present.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2006 14:32:35 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

3.93/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A quite impressive looking clear burnished copper colored ale with a basically perfect tan head on it.

Smells mainly of caramel and strong piney hops. Not much grapefruit this is strongly hoppy to the point that the hop scent is very much the scent of eucalyptus tree minus that cat pee smell. Little bit of melon and a little bit of pineapple and some menthol this is a hop bomb scent-wise.

The taste begins sweet and strongly hoppy with a big melon and pine flavor at the start. Melon flavor continues and is joined by a sharp hop bitterness and a Japanese tea candy aftertaste. Powerfully hoppy this is a hophead delight. Beyond the above the only other thing that I can taste is a woody element to the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is good.

If this beer has a weak spot it is in the drinkability department. The hop level is a bit strong in this very fresh specimen. It is possible that this is meant to be aged a bit before it is at its best but at the moment the hop level is a little strong.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2007 05:53:16 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear, coppery amber with 1 1/2 fingers of creamy eggshell white head. Thin, wispy retention that leaves some surprising large swathes of lace behind, all down the sides of the glass. The aroma is some sticky smelling malt sweetness underneath floral hops and citric notes.

The taste is a surprisingly assertive hop profile that mixes in with tangy citrus character and notes of caramel and toffee sweetness. Finishes slightly bitter and sweet. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a lively and creamy carbonation that lends itself to an extremely easy feel for an almost 8% beer.

Very nice! Everything from the lacing, to the hopping, to the easy drinkibility of this, took me by surprise. Good job by Lagunitas to take a normally moderate style and jazz it up some.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2008 16:51:50 | More by Kegatron