12th Anniversary Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale - Lagunitas Brewing Company

brentk56

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

AppearanceL Pours a hazy amber color with a huge, sturdy head that sticks well and laces beautifully

Smell: Caramel dominates but there is some pine forest, too

Taste: Very malty up front, with loads of caramel that is joined, mid-palate, by some piney bitterness and developing alcohol flavors; after the swallow, it gets quite boozy and that overwhelms the other flavors

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation; considerable warmth

Drinkability: I recognize this is past its prime but it had been sitting in my cellar for a while and needed to be consumed; I tried to account that we were moving from an IPA to a barleywine as the hops faded but I was put off by the booziness, nevertheless

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2008 22:49:43 | More by brentk56

JoeyG

New York

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

05-04-2013 02:01:07 | More by JoeyG

AndyP612

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle side poured into tulip. NOT RETIRED!!!

A- Deep brown copper colored with A fluffy fingers worth head.

S- A dance of hop and malt dominate the nose with sweet overtones.

T- Taste picks up where the nose leads and leaves off. Big hops bite at first sip and finish very sweet and rich of malt. Not overly dry, nicely balanced.

M- Medium- full bodied ale but not syrupy as I have commonly found in ales this sweet.

O- I'm so glad they brewed this ale again. I remember is being a lot hoppier from the last time I had it but I am certainly not complaining. I am going to have to agree with reviewers past. It is a stretch to classify this as a DIPA/IIPA as it is a bit on the malty side of things. All this considered, great story that's associated with this product. Would buy again and again. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 00:06:25 | More by AndyP612

DmanGTR

New York

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

01-29-2013 15:23:53 | More by DmanGTR

JAHMUR

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

01-29-2013 02:46:01 | More by JAHMUR

stereosforgeeks

Virginia

4/5  rDev +0.8%

12-17-2012 16:05:36 | More by stereosforgeeks

solarbeers

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

12-05-2012 04:26:46 | More by solarbeers

jucifer1818

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

12-02-2012 20:53:23 | More by jucifer1818

C-Dog

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

11-27-2012 06:37:29 | More by C-Dog

Sara

Missouri

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

08-19-2012 03:14:27 | More by Sara

boozeplease

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

08-07-2012 18:11:27 | More by boozeplease

99firehawkman

California

4/5  rDev +0.8%

08-04-2012 02:30:58 | More by 99firehawkman

MadScientist

New York

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Very clear light copper/medium amber. An aggressive pour produces a light tan head about a finger high, which leaves some lacing on the glass.

Smell: Piney, citrus and spicy hops aroma with a fair amount of caramel aroma. There is a thick spicy sweetness that reminds me of a scotch ale.

Taste: Piney and spicy, I’d almost say there is some rye in there from the spiciness but that could be from the hops or fermentation. There's a lot of hops bitterness but there is a good amount of sweetness in front but not overwhelming. The hops bitterness and flavor linger into a very long and enjoyable finish

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body with light carbonation. There is a bit of warmth and little slickness which do not take away from the enjoyment of the beer.

Overall Impression: A very good beer that doesn’t quiet fit the DIPA category. I’d love to see this made with rye and a little more carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 01:10:17 | More by MadScientist

rab53

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +25.9%

12-02-2011 03:19:30 | More by rab53

deapokid

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.8%

11-23-2011 05:05:57 | More by deapokid

brandoman63

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

11-21-2011 15:44:42 | More by brandoman63

ebrauser

Utah

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Looks to be highly carbonated, with a multitude of bubbles coming out of solution. The head of a restrained pour was about 1" tall of light beige. The beer itself poured a light brown with brilliant clarity.

Aroma: Thick malt sweetness with hints of lemon, pine, and another distinct aroma that I can't quite name. Sweet tree sap?

Flavor: Deep hop bitterness causes and immediate bite up front until it is quickly followed up by syrupy sweet malt and caramel. Bitterness remains throughout the drink, which finishes wet and hoppy.

MF: Big and syrupy with a very nice warming alcohol touch.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 22:01:45 | More by ebrauser

whatthehull

California

4.45/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tasted May 13th 2011 (from notes)

Poured into a Pint Glass

A - redish/copper transparent, one finger off white head and some lacing

S - sweet yeast, fruity, bright malt, alcohol, sweet hops, slight bitterness and a slight grass and citrus

T - alcohol, hoppy, sweet yeast, citrus, floral, sweet malt and a caramel or molasses

M - chewy, huge profile, medium low acidity and a long finish

D - goes down like water even at almost 10%. big sweet and medium bitter. Well balanced

Final thought - got to get a sixer or four every year this seasonal comes out

Serving type: on-tap

07-05-2011 17:42:43 | More by whatthehull

MrMcGibblets

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: deep clear amber w/a somewhat minimal head receding to a decent collar of lace.
S: caramel malts, grapefruit and resiny pine.
T: saa. Medium sweet caramel malts and a nice smooth somewhat spicy hop bitterness.
M: just over medium body. Would like a touch more co2.
O: very reminiscent of double jack and hoptimum.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 01:30:19 | More by MrMcGibblets

challenja

Virginia

4.97/5  rDev +25.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

F*ck You.. this beer is good. real good. no beer snob here. Just a hardcore IPA head. This one was legendary in status. Longest lingering aftertaste of all time and it was lavender.. silky smooth..
Sweet, mighty tasty DIPA. Better than Maximus. Closest in taste and quality of Double Jack by Firestone..

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 04:51:41 | More by challenja

btorsdog

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

What a BANG for the Buck! $8.99 a sixer I imediatly grabbed 3 of them(didn't have any more $$) Anyhow... turned out to be a great brew, kind of gots a scotch ale/barleywine flavor to it but not bad at all.Like others have stated could of used another dowsing of hops but there is something tasty about this brew that just keeps you wanting another.Be careful while partaking though... this one could potentially Shut YOU Down!

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2010 23:31:51 | More by btorsdog

SenorBeaver

California

4.22/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Good for such a high alcohol content. It is like a cross between a barley wine and a double IPA. It is sweeter than the doubles or Imperials that I like, and the body is more thick. It is hoppy, but not as hoppy as I like... I like insane hoppy it is about 3/4 to the level I enjoy.

If they jacked up the hopps a bit and found a way to thin the body just a hair... the beer would be perfect.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2010 04:25:22 | More by SenorBeaver

bryanmetzger

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sad that I can't get anymore of this. Purchased a sixer to go from La Cave du Vin in Cleveland Heights. The ABV is well-hidden and I found this beer to be extremely tasty. The balance between the hops and malt was very good. Wish I had picked up a little more aroma when I poured into a glass, but oh well.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2010 02:36:46 | More by bryanmetzger

felipesegundo

South Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Found this at local big box brew store and was amazed at how well hops ( I mean HOPS) and malt go so well together. I could not drink more than 2 at a time due to the 9.9 ABV, but very enjoyable drink, one to share with friends. You could smell the hops as soon as you opened the bottle, but yet very smooth malt flavor once it hit the palate. It's a shame these are a once a year release, and I cannot wait until the next batch.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2009 13:59:14 | More by felipesegundo

isubsmith

Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Chad for sharing this one.

Appearance: Dark red/orange color with a good head

Smell: Lots of hops - citrus and grass at first. Then, a surprising amount of malt sweetness, until you see the 9.9% abv and it makes some sense.

Taste: Bitter hops but with lots of sweet malt backing it up. Fairly well balanced sweet/bitter.

Mouthfeel: A bit of a carbonation bite, but in a refreshing sort of way.

Drinkability: What's with all of these high alcohol beers being so drinkable? The alcohol is totally hidden. Probably too hoppy for this to be a session beer for me, but an occasional sample would never be bad.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2009 12:30:03 | More by isubsmith