Undercover Investigation Shut-down Ale - Lagunitas Brewing Company

nukem5

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a great tea color slightly reddish with hardly any foam and after first half was poured made an aggressive attempt at some foamy goodness on top.

S: Aroma is a bit complex theres a good bit going on with some hefty malts and a woderful hoppy balance. Earthy yet some pine notes tucked away in there. Theres still a sense of spice in there that eludes me think its a bit like clove but not quite also is a mild peppery aroma.

T: Taste is a nice balance of malt and hops, a sweet starting sip and then the hops tickle the tongue splashing pine and zesty citrus all about the taste buds.

M: Mouthfeel is a medium bodied and lightly carbed.

O: Overall a great drinker... would love to be able to drink this bad mofo all day, but sadly because of the elevated ABV dont think I could hang with the big dogs...so I will just sit here on the porch and watch them while I sip away, or should I say slip away !

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 04:30:21 | More by nukem5

CuriousMonk

Virginia

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours copper tinted amber body with a medium off-white head. The nose is of light caramel and toffee sweetness with a big NW grapefruit hop. Very hop forward nose with nice resinous sweet nose. The flavor is malty and sweet with a caramel and bready malt combined with huge hop grapefruit. The finish is moderately well hopped with a dry rensious finish. Overall, a nice ale!

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 20:25:28 | More by CuriousMonk

rfbenavi80

Missouri

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Nonic Pint.

A- Pours a nice deep copper color with 2 fingers of light tan colored foamy head that has some good staying power, and leaves some good lacing on the glass. Good start.

S- Smells rich. Deep dark fruity smell, plums come to mind. Smells of sweet caramel mixed with a fair amount of fresh pine, but leaning more so towards the caramel scents.

T- Pretty tasty, really a rich hearty beer here. Lots of malty sweetness. Seems pretty well balanced with a fair amount of pine resin coming through in the end. You really can't say that it is bitter, because the sweet caramel malt really balances this one out.

M- An easy drinker considering the ABV. On the low side of full bodied, this one feel hearty. Moderately low amount of carbonation.

O- A decent offering from Lagunitas. You really can't find a better beer for the price you pay for their stuff.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 09:43:06 | More by rfbenavi80

teromous

Virginia

4.73/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: It has a great dark copper color, with lots of visible carbonation. It's brilliantly transparent, and has a long-standing eggshell white head. There is nothing bad to say about it.

S: Lots of hop character. I get a strong resinous scent of hops, with a tad of citrus character. There is a slight malty scent as well, but not strong. Once again, out of the ballpark...perfect scent.

T: Lots of hop character, but not overly bitter. Extremely well balanced character between the hops and malt flavor. I'm drinking this on the East Coast, and I've had it refrigerated for at least a month or so...so it could just be that it has had a lot of time to age. Lots of pine character, with very light citrus. It's near perfect. Zero alcohol flavor, despite the high ABV.

M: The mouthfeel is great. It's not too bitter or punchy, but it has enough zing to let you know it's still there. Great feeling while drinking it though...I hardly noticed that half a glass was gone. It's a very easy drinker, and near perfect.

O: Overall I gave this a 5, because this is a great tasting beer. I was very surprised at how good it is. I bought it only because of the cool story behind it, not realizing how good of a beer it could potentially be. I really enjoyed this one!

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 12:49:49 | More by teromous

blackcompg

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from their 12oz bottle...

Appearance - Poured nearly 3 fingers of light khaki eggshell foam, body is a perfectly transparent copper amber,

Smell - Toasted malts, nearly burnt toffee, some rich sweet dark fruits, pumpernickel bread.

Taste - Starets with sweet toasted breadcrusts, minerals, burnt toffee, pungent floral hops, and then herbal hops like coriander and a touch of cilantro, and something else there, almost like rye. I get some grapefruit pith long into the finish with burnt rye crusts.

Mouthfeel - Medium mouthfeel, carb is nearly medium and quite smooth, but gets some edges near the back of the tongue. Fairly easy to drink, although it dries out (somewhat chalky feeling) near the end of each quaff.

Overall - A very unique ale with nice complexity, balance and unique flavors. Definitely a good one to seek out if you want something a bit different.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 05:52:14 | More by blackcompg

claspada

New Jersey

3.78/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a mahogany red color with brighter ruby highlights. It had a very small, eggshell head of foam that left soapy residue as it recedes.

Aromas are very malty with s slightly muted floral aroma. Caramel, pine and alcohol also emerge as it warms.

The tastes begin with spicy bitter hops and backs it up with a rich malty bready and caramel flavors. It has a smooth burnt toffee flavor that goes down slow and bitter and finishes with a bit of alcohol warmth.

The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with a medium amount of carbonation that helps to scrub the palate of the aggressive flavors. It was crisp and sharp with a slightly sticky finish.

Overall this is a nice example of an American Strong ale or an Imperial Red Ale. A bit too boozy and sharp overall to have on a regular basis or more than one in a sitting but one that is definitely worth sampling if you come accrss it.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 16:41:50 | More by claspada

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into a perfect pint glass. Huge off-white, almost beige head, about three fingers to start -- thins out with some retention/cling. Delicious red amber coloring, clarity is amazing. Smell is pretty good as well. I get a nice balance of pine, citrus, malt, and resin hops, none of which is too overstated. Taste is similar, although there is something that keeps me from getting too excited about it, and I am not sure what it is. I suppose it's a bit bland, but that seems harsh to me. Maybe it's because nothing from the nose comes through too intensely in the taste -- I don't know. Anyway, mouthfeel is nice and creamy, even a bit syrupy. Overall this is a decent beer. I prefer other Lagunitas offerings to this, especially other limited releases. It is advertised as an American Strong Ale, and in general I tend not to enjoy those as much.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 00:56:23 | More by rodlavers

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Review from 5/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Dark orange brown with a nice white head and lacing. Hoppy, caramel malt aroma, similar to a barley wine. Nice creamy, malty body with toasted and caramel malt and dark fruit. Fairly understated, but complex and well balanced. Hops are forward but not aggressive. The ABV is well covered. I like this one. Close to a DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 19:30:07 | More by LiquidAmber

kojevergas

California

2.58/5  rDev -36.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

9.8%. 12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a nonical Guinness pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are fairly high; I'm increasingly liking Lagunitas.

Served straight from the refrigerator and allowed to warm over the course of consumption. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a one finger beige-light light khaki head of fair retention, nice thickness, and pretty decent cream. Lacing is mundane. Colour is a clear textbook copper. No yeast particles are visible. Translucent. No bubble show.

Sm: Nice floral hopping, caramel, clean malts, cream, toasted malt, toffee, and a hint of alcohol. A mild strength aroma. No yeast comes through.

T: Malt sweetness - especially on the climax. Toffee and caramelization are prominent. Some toasted malts. A boozy character, but not in an averse way. Clean malts. Floral hopping; it's indistinct and adds little. This is a messy beer; the balance is off and the flavours are haphazard. I like it for what it is, but it just isn't focused or well put together. No real complexity or subtlety.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Somewhat syrupy; too thick. Not overbearing, but too heavy on the palate for what it is. Carbonation is good, if a bit overdone.

Dr: Drinkable but far from excellent. A decent brew from Lagunitas, but not a great one. I wouldn't get it again. Hides its ABV pretty well, but some does come through. Decently priced here in California.

C-

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 02:59:36 | More by kojevergas

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a crystal clear dark amber in color with some garnet red hints when held up to the light. The beer has a half finger tall beige head that reduces to an extremely thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer with a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Strong aromas of pine/resin hops along with some lighter hints of citrus hops and caramel malts.

T: The beer starts out with some caramel malt sweetness before the huge flavors of pine/resin hops take over - contributing quite a lot of bitterness that lingers for a long time.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly sticky.

O: Very enjoyable but not the easiest beer in the world to drink, The taste, smell, and mouthfeel of the alcohol are well hidden in this beer but you can kind of tell this is a big beer. Definitely one for sipping with the high ABV and the moderately strong bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 01:07:11 | More by dbrauneis

irongator

Kansas

4.9/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is one of my top 5 special releases of the season. Beautiful golden-red color. Good nose-not overly fruity; just wonderful ( I wish they made hops air freshener!) Let it get nice and warm as the flavor comes out so much better. Just the right balance of hops and malt to make it a great sipper. Alcohol is well hidden if cold, but when you let it warm you will feel it bite your tongue a bit. Beware, have only one or you'll need a lawyer for your DUI. My favorite ale-bar none. Question for Lagunitas: Why am I just getting this in late July when it was released in April?

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 11:06:01 | More by irongator

jtierney89

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep tarnished brass color with vibrant amber highlights. Thin off white head. Buttered biscuit, pine, toffee, and grapefruit on the nose. Touch of smoke.

Pretty solid brew. Slightly syrupy but with good carbonation makes it feel like a heavy bodied brew. Faintly smoked malt underneath hearty biscuits with caramel, dark fruits and vanilla. Spicy and herbal hops cover the high abv slightly but not totally. A nice layered complex brew with flavors that like to be together. Right up there with Arrogant Bastard.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 03:01:10 | More by jtierney89

imasloth

Texas

3.55/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Red, though orange in light. Small white head, quickly disappears. Lightly carbonated with small bubbles.

S- Notable Centennial hops (I always get green olives and pineapple smell/taste from these. Others don't. More pineapple than olive in this case.) Very sweet.

T- Bitter. Distinctly tangy. A bit salty (got this flavor from another Lagunitas I had that day so possibly a brewery thing for me). A bit floral with a light touch of green olives (see above) in back.

M- Nice and smooth, especially given alcohol content.

O- Just nothing special here.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 16:59:40 | More by imasloth

Apellonious

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle from six pack at CM.

A -Pours a ruby brown with orange highlights, very thin head,lacing hangs on the glass

S - Fruit (both dark and grapefruit), hops, fig, slight alcohol

T - Interesting. Both the hops and toasted malt appear upfront, then the bitterness hits on the finish. Picking some pepper as well. Definitely has the West Coast bite to it. The taste gets more bready and more straightforward and one dimensional as it warms.

M - Mouthfeel, balance, and carbonation are spot on.

O - An interesting offering from Lagunitas. Definitely worth giving a go.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2012 03:26:05 | More by Apellonious

WesM63

Ohio

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

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a SA Pint

A: Pours a clear amber with a 1finger of white head. Minord retention but plenty of lacing is present.

S: Smells of hops (pine/resin), citrus (Mango/Pineapple) and some malts.

T: Up front you get some sweetness from the malts then lots of pine/resin and citrus from the hops, finishes with a smooth bitterness.

M: Medium body and carbonation.

O: Overall, surprised. I've learned not to read to much into how Lagunitas classifies their beer. (Not sure I would call this a American Strong Ale) Either way, excellent beer. Very drinkable and smooth. Watch out, as it does sneak up on you.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 23:03:26 | More by WesM63

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.43/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Heard alot of praise for this one. Just came in locally, bought it out of the cooler, hopefully some of the fresh hop flavors are still there.

It pours a deep reddish amber with a foamy off-white head. Decent lacing.

The smell is sweet and alcoholic, it has a definite kick to it. Caramel and sweetness dominate.

The flavor is robust. Nto for the faint of heart. Big malt notes but also big hop notes. Has a bit of melon and pine form the hops. the sweetness is big and heavy in the aftertaste consisting of caramel and light fruit juice. It isn't as alcoholic in the taste but it is definitely noticeable.

I would like it to be less sweet but overall not too bad. Lagunitas has done better.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 02:18:52 | More by crossovert

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep and clear amber orange with lots of rising bubbles. Solid three fingers of off white head with pretty good retention considering the high ABV. Leaves a lot of lacing.

Smell: A fairly big and balanced mix of hops and malts. Citrus hops with hints of grapefruit, pineapple, and orange. Pretty herbal with some big hints of pine resin that is somewhat dank. Also a big bready and slightly toasted malt presence. Good hints of caramel, biscuit, and grains.

Taste: Big and well balanced like the smell indicates. Nice taste of juicy citrus hops with notes of grapefruit, orange, mango, and pineapple. Lots of spicy pine resin and earthy hops. Big backing of bready malts with lots of caramel, toffee, and biscuit flavor. This is nicely sharp and bitter but balanced by the sweetness from the bread.

Mouthfeel: Medium to heavy body with a moderate level of carbonation. Creamy, fairly smooth, and very juicy. Big alcohol presence can be felt a little bit.

Overall: A pretty solid take on a American Strong Ale. Big and bitter hops with an equally big presence of malts.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 06:07:33 | More by MattyG85

Drinkerofales

California

4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is clear light amber in color, with a light tan head which leaves plenty of lacing.

Smells of hops first, then malts, and both are quite strong, with a note of astringent booziness.

Taste is quite sharp with both hops and malt, piney, bitter, toasted malts, with a floral hop and malt finish, which lingers for some time.

Feels smooth, with a light-medium body, but not super drinkable, as this one is a doozie.

Great example of the strong ale, almost an American BW. Very much enjoyed the huge flavors in this brew.

DOA

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 21:21:28 | More by Drinkerofales

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had it since the first year it was released, saw a single bottle for sale and picked one up. Copper deep amber body with a light colored white head. Fine speckled lacing. Aroma has a toffee toasted malt character with an earthy/citric hop nose going on as well. Big alcohol layers hidden in the sweet and hoppy notes I'm getting. Flavor, has a toasted malt character with sweet sugary notes and alcohol burn going on with a big massive hoppy resinous quality about it, grapefruit and citrus malts burst to blend the flavors into what we are drinking here. Mouthfeel, is medium to full bodied with the high burn of alcohol coming through. Resinous oily hop oils coming on with each sip, still not a bad beer just a bit bigger in alcohol than I typically care for. It stays away from the barleywine zone, but damn fine overall.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 08:53:24 | More by WVbeergeek

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.73/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I found this in the "bargain bin". I didn't know anything about it so I thought I'd give it a try. The code on the neck of the bottle says 15963414

A clear deep amber with a small and fast fading head of foam that leaves little lacing behind.

The smell is a nice mix of strong caramel malt and grapefruit. Some notes of alcohol as well.

The taste is of caramel malt with heaps of a graininess with the hops being very faded. The feel seems to be very sticky and the alcohol comes in big blasts during the session. It finishes almost a sickly sweet and grainy. Obviously this has been sitting around somewhere as whatever date it came out fresh, it was not on the shelves here. Too bad, I can see where this might be pretty impressive fresh...

Edit, I've had a few more bottles since and I've grown to like this son of a gun and apparently, freshness is not the issue I thought it was. Score adjusted.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 23:29:03 | More by Bitterbill

yamar68

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle to tulip:

Pours a clear copper with swelling off-white head. Retention is rather brief. Good lacing though.

By the nose, I would assume this was an imperial red... rich caramel malts, earthy hops, pretty straightforward actually.

The taste shows a bit more complexity - hops lean towards a dense ganja, a touch of citrus with that sweet malt presence. Really a nice combo I think.

Nice, approachable big beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 03:12:10 | More by yamar68

BuxMontBeerLover

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased a 6pk at Wegmans in Warrington, PA
Purchase price - $12.99
Poured and sampled in a DFH Pint Glass

A - Beer pours a translucent, deep honey, slightly reddish color. A two finger foamy head on the initial pour that fades to a light skim. Lots of sticky curtains of lace left after drinking.

S - A fantastic aroma of fresh grapefruit and hops. Very inviting.

T - A distinct grapefruit flavor mixed with piney and rather bitter hops. There are other tropical fruits somewhere there in the mix, like mango or pineapple. A nice backbone of malty sweetness. This is a great tasting beer. The alcohol is noticeable but doesn't overtake or overpower the overall taste.

M - Medium consistency. Slight bite from the carbonation.

O - Another winner from Lagunitas. From their IPA, to Maximus, to Sucks this past holiday season, I have grown to really enjoy their beers. If your a lover of hoppy, citrusy beers, you'll dig this brew. Recommended!

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 00:55:25 | More by BuxMontBeerLover

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Deep orange/amber body. White head fed by decent carbonation.

Very sticky sweet malt, with some pineapple, mango, and apricot coming in as well. Lots of tropical fruits and honey malt.

Now this is the definition of sticky sweet tropical fruits. Lemons be damned, this is all pineapple all the way. I get a bit of mango and apricots as well. insanely dry-hopped, and so very well done. Almost tasted randallized. This is perfect dry-hopping for me. All fruit, with a bit of resin and dank-ness floating around in the back late. Its just so sticky, sweet, and tropical.

Feel syrupy, and no bitterness at all. Beautiful beer from a brewery that knows how to dry hop!

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 21:18:16 | More by VncentLIFE

soju6

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a nice clear amber color with good lacing that fades to ample lacing.

S: Aroma of grapefruit, with some pine and bit of malt sweetness hidden in the background.

T: Starts with a nice bitterness up front and a bit of malt sweetness. The bitterness continues through the finish and lingers a bit.

F: Medium body, with an interesting character but it seems to be hidden behind the hops. Can feel the presence of the 9.7% ABV.

O: Good beer, but a bit too much hops that hides the robust character I look for in a Strong Ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 01:45:36 | More by soju6

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Copper in color with an off-white, bubbly head that leaves behind little lacing or retention

S: Sweet malt, American hops, vinegar, and booze.

T: Sweet malt hits you first with sharp hops coming in immediately after. The booze is always there but it's warming and complements the entire experience. Hops are awesome. Bitterness in the finish to balance out the sweetness of the malt.

M: Sweet, smooth, boozy. Good carbonation. Highly enjoyable for the style.

O: A damn good American Strong Ale. Pick this one up.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 19:17:09 | More by Gatch