A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale - Lagunitas Brewing Company

oberon

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Great to see another limited release offering from one of favorite brewers here in my area.I poured two into a imperial nonic with it coming out a clear lighter golden with a 1/2 finger white that was quick to fade.Ahh yeah bigtime in your face citric hop in the nose along with a touch of sweet alcohol and very light toasted wheat malt,the hop profile in the nose is just great.Intense grapefruit rind and tangerine hop flavors hit up front on the palate and then some caramel toffee shows thru along with a fading toasted what touch in the finish.Yeah it has bigtime hop wich kicks arss but there really is more to it.My new favorite American pale wheat its slightly better than Gumballhead in my book.The drinkability is just awesome for the ABV%.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2009 21:29:59 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Miller Lite shaker pint glass at The Barley House.

Who doesn't love gettin' themselves a little sumpin' sumpin', eh? This potential entendre pours a cloudy straw topped by two fingers of white froth. The nose comprises grapefruit, melon, light onion, flowers and light caramel. The taste is more of the same, with some light clove, pepper, nutmeg thrown in for good measure. The body is medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a semi-dry finish. Overall, a very nice bit o' brew, something that I'm upset I took so long to try.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2010 07:09:25 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

Hazy, golden hue, slim ivory head.

Citrus and spicy aromatics, pithy lemon with bits of pepper, and a side of melon, potent and risible.

Tastin'...Juicy right from the start. Followed by a palpable burn down the back of the throat. Again....pungent, palpable, and pretty easy to pass down the gullet. Delicious. Zesty!

At 7%, not too strong, but still big enough to make it much more interesting than the average wheat ale. I'll keep reaching for this until it disappears.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2009 04:44:34 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

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

The beer pours a beautiful gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great. It has an excellent pale and wheat malt scent along with a wonderful hop aroma. It's basically an IPA brewed with wheat. The taste is great as well. It has a smooth pale and wheat malt flavor; easy drinking with a kick ass hop character. It's malty with an equally bold hop appeal. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a delicious beer. It's a bolder American wheat ale with loads of hop; my kind of beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 00:20:25 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear, dark yellow, strong hop aroma, dense head, fall away as you drink and leaves lacing (although I don't consider that important some on this site do). Sweet malt, hop bitterness and alcohol in aroma. This is a warming beer. The bitterness is the first thing I notice when I drink it. Second, a brightness associated with high alcohol beers. The alcohol is noticable, not bad, just noticable. Bitterness also builds as you drink. I'm very pleased with this beer. A good IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2009 04:31:19 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out a clear, golden-yellow color with a one-finger, white head of fizzy foam. It left wispy traces of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of citrus, wheat, pine and some caramel. Great aroma for a wheat beer.

T - It tasted of wheat, yeastiness with a good dose of citrusy bitterness and pine flavors.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium bodied ale with a dry, clean finish.

O - This is one of the best wheat beers I've ever had. Don't know why it took me so long to buy some of this.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 02:09:00 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

4.3/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is clear golden yellow in color and poured with a thin white head that quickly faded away, leaving a thin layer of bubbles on the surface. There is a moderate amount of carbonation.
S: There are moderate aromas of citrus hops in the nose.
T: A mild to moderate amount of hop bitterness dominates the overall taste; the hops are well balanced by the underlying malts, which contribute a slight amount of sweetness in the finish. Like the smell, there are lots of citrus flavors.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation
D: The beer is very drinkable because the alcohol content is well hidden.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 19:07:52 | More by metter98

Gueuzedude

Arizona

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

A vigorous pour produces an almost three-finger thick, pale tan colored head. The beer is a pretty, red copper color that shows a brilliantly clear, bright copper color when held up to the light. The aroma is nice and hoppy, fresh, citrusy and with a touch of raw herbal notes that is quite nice. There is a touch of malt backbone in the nose as well, supporting crystal malt character provides a hint of caramel and there is a nice, toasted malt towards the finish. The hops contribute aromas of tangerine, candied citrus peel as well as some tropical fruit notes; the hop fruit notes seem to become more noticeable as time goes on too.

Lightly sweet tasting, but with a biting hop character from the get go. This is fairly smooth for all its hoppiness, especially up front. The lingering finish has a clean, biting, though not overwhelming, big bitterness that really lingers on the tongue. A touch of peppery carbonation and a light body (with just enough heft to carry the ample hops) make this quite the quaffable IPA; almost more of an over-the-top hoppy Pale Ale. A touch more aggressive hop character provides notes of pine, a touch of menthol, and just a touch of dank, raw hop flavor. This definitely has a nice balance of hop flavors to it; I like that the citrus / fruit notes dominate with notes of tangerine, bergamot, lots of lychee and floral tropical fruit flavors.

This really needs to be in a bigger bottle, a 12oz bottle of this is not nearly enough. Quite tasty and a nice surprise, this sits nicely as a quite drinkable beer from this brewery along with Hop Stoopid.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2009 04:20:14 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.47/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color, with a short white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains floral hops, wheat, citrus and light caramelized malts.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of citrus and caramel that is quickly followed by a strong but not over-powering hops bitterness and some wheat breadiness. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, good kick, very good representation of style, this is a very nice hoppier than average wheat beer worth drinking for a long time.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 22:00:25 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer poured out as a nice looking golden color, the head is strong and fluffy looking. The lacing isn't bad either. The smell is hoppy, I actually thought this was an IPA not a Wheat Ale. The taste of the beer has a light wheat flavor but finished with a hoppy bitterness. The mouthfeel on this beer is smooth and crisp, it's got a good bite to it. Overall I found this beer to be pretty good all around. Worth having again.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 19:58:31 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.83/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours an effervescent honey color with 2 fingers of cream colored head. Great lacing & good head retention

S: A riot of hops, lemons, grassyness & pineyness, plus leafy hops too

T: Grapefruit, breadyness, a touch of honey & dryness up front. Leafy hops & grapefruit as this warms, pineapple, pear & slight grainy bread sweetness with a touch of honey too. Finishes slightly juicy, with leafy hops, a little bit of honey sweetness & pineapple as well

MF: Medium bodied, low carbonation, superb balance

Drinks great, easily the best American Wheat beer I've had, I believe, maybe off style a tad, but I don't care. This goes on the MUST buy list for Summer & Fall!

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2010 03:08:26 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

4.33/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours golden with a soft white head, nice lacing.

S: Vibrant orange and pine hop notes.

T: The great hop presence from the nose comes through in the flavour, mixing with the light wheat and bread to create a great flavour. Definitely hop dominated.

M: Smooth and refreshing, crisp, medium-bodied.

D: I liked this ale from Lagunitas a lot, I'm glad I finally got to try it, I just hope I can find a bottle around here. Clean, refreshing, would make a great summertime beer, cliche I know, but it's the truth.

Serving type: on-tap

07-12-2009 22:06:00 | More by Halcyondays

jwc215

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours golden with creamy off-white head that leaves lacing.

The smell is of orange, pineapple - very citric.

The taste is of citrus - orange, pinapple - balanced by mild sweetness and a dry breadiness. There is a slight alcohol touch. Finishes dry and refreshing.

Medium-bodied.

This is one hopped-up wheat "summer" beer. And a nice one at that!

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2009 23:07:53 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, with 'fridge' spelled 'frige', very reminiscent of 'frigo', en francais...

This beer pours a slightly hazy pale golden hue, with a multitude of foamy white head, which leaves a more or less solid paint job of lace around the glass as it melts away. It smells of creamy orange citrus, a bit of good ol' barley malt, and some stronger citrus/pine hop notes. The taste is bitter pine and citrus hops, caramel malt, a bit of spicy wheatiness, and some mild sweet booze warming. The carbonation is averagely sedate, the body strongly(?) medium weight, smooth, and not uncreamy. It finishes with the main players still quite game - sweet caramel malt and brash pine and citrus hops.

American Pale Wheat Ale my pale Canadian ass. If this is made with wheat grain, then, ok, because the rest of the story screams out tasty WC IPA, and I'm not going to fault a damned tasty beer for being cast in the wrong category.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2010 01:04:20 | More by biboergosum

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Spinnerstown Hotel. $4 for a tulip, not a bad deal. It appeared hazy yellow with a tall white head. The aroma reminds me immediately of orange soda, but then pineapple kicks in to make it more of a tropical citrus fruit punch. The flavor is equally juicy at first, but they dries out with a bit of plain malted wheat and peppery hop bitterness. This beer reminds me of the short-lived Middle Ages Imperial Double Wheat - it's big, hoppy, but not terribly bitter. All in all, a pretty tasty beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2009 21:11:17 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appears a bright orange copper hue with a foaming huge white head leaves thick chunky lacing behind, supposedly this one is brewed with some wheat.

Aroma is all grapefruit and citrus peel with a bit of pine hop nectar going down. Sugar coated grapefruit blends nicely in the lighter toasted malt character. Big West Coast hop characteristics going on.

Flavor has grapefruit, herbal weed, and pine cone bittering hops working in full cohesion. A juicy sweet sugar coated hop entwined malt profile exists here not much accent from the wheat utilized this is a hoppy as American Pale Wheat if that's what it is.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with hop oils lubricating the palate completely, carbonation levels are moderate and carry the beer pretty easily.

Drinkability is great, but this is a strange brew. Hop burps are plentiful but it's such a weird experience I'm getting from this hop-centric brew. Hoppier than Gumballhead or Southern Tier Hop Sun, but it's so different from those two. There's no question about their wheat ale tones. If given to me blind I couldn't tell you this has wheat ale written all over it.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2009 16:34:07 | More by WVbeergeek

smcolw

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear enough to read through the glass. Single finger head, but it relaxes slowly. The color is neutral amber.

Lots of classic pine needle hop aroma--like an IPA.

The flavor matches the aroma. Noteworthy alcohol feel and flavor. Lots of hop bite almost from the beginning. The body is rich and gives an element of rounded malt tastes. I don't really note any wheat in this one, but it's still a very good pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2009 00:50:11 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

4.33/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks goes out to Hojaminbag and pokesbeerdude for this brew.

First off, this is no American Pale Wheat Ale, it's an IPA for SURE!

Pours a very nice clean/clear golden orange color, nice carbonation, nice little one-finger foamy white head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is hoppy, with some malts, citrus, and piney. The taste is slightly sweet, hoppy, malty, with some nice citrus/pine notes. Medium body. Drinkable, a very tasty brew, way to go Lagunitas, thanks Ben and Chuck.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2009 21:16:19 | More by Wasatch

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a dimple mug)

A- This beer has a crystal clear orange hued body with a snow white bubble head supported by a sea of microbubbles racing to the surface.

S- The bold green grassy hops finish with a fresh pineapple aroma that grows as the beer warms. There is a slight alcohol nose in the finish.

T- The full green funky hops flavor has a green cinnamon quality to it with a pungent citrusy juicy hop finish. The pungency his big and grows even more as the beer warms. The caramel malt flavor comes through after my tongue gets used to the hops and it grows a bit as the beer warms. There is a nice soft bitter hop note that lingers after each sip.

M- This beer has a medium-light mouthfeel with no alcohol heat but a tight fizz that covers it.

D- This beer is soft on the bitterness which is good but it is huge on the pungency of the hops. They are well supported by pineapple and grass flavors but it is a pretty big beer for a full pint of it.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2009 17:35:19 | More by rhoadsrage

Billolick

New York

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

12 ounce bottle, pours hazed, Lighter amber, on the yellowy side, frothy off white head, retentive powers in evience, ample stick, ringed and spotty on the sides of the inner glass. Nose is boldly of juicy citrus and grainy HOPS. Bold full flavor APWA, on the way hoppy side and I like it, yes I do. More grapefruit, more resiny dryness, long dry and hop infused finish. If you like Hops and you like wheat beer...this is gonna be a hit..Very enjoyable "summer beer"..hope this is not too much of a "limited release"

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2009 01:08:32 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

4/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

a - Pours a transparent golden color with an orange tint, and one finger of off white head. Light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of oranges, citrus fruits and hops, and a tiny bit of wheat or bready malts.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, fruit, especially orange, piney hops, and smooth fruity malts.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Pretty easy to drink.

d - A decent wheat ale with some nice citrus and orange in the smell and taste. Would try again.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 00:38:49 | More by mdfb79

Zorro

California

4.33/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle lists the following statistics for the beer: 64.2 I.B.U., O.G. 1.076, Alc 7.3% by Vol.

Ingredients list "...Of Hops, Malt, Hops, Hops, Yeast, Hops, Water and Hops."

Clear goldish amber colored ale with a yellowish white head.

Sweet citrus aroma and quite frankly hopped to hell and back. Strong pine and grapefruit with a bit of eucalyptus cough drop. Faint menthol aroma.

Starts out crisply citrus, bright grapefruit juice flavor with a bready aftertaste. Strong hop hit indeed, toasted onions and slight garlic flavor this is a beer that takes out a big bag of hops and proceeds to whack your tongue unconscious with it. Easily the hoppiest wheat beer ever made.

Mouthfeel is good.

Drinkability will be completely decided by your hop tolerance with this beer. Hophead heaven but this is way strong with the hops, don't feed to your Budweiser drinking relatives.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2009 01:48:47 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a fairly clear gold, with 2+ big fingers of foamy eggshell-white colored head. This shrinks down fairly quickly but still retains with a frothy ½ finger that just SLATHERS the sides of the glass with a rich latticework of sticky lace. The aroma is just EXCEEDINGLY West Coast feeling in the nose, being hugely floral, spicy, piney, and lush, with robust tropical fruit character. It's literally an explosion of hop flavors in the nose. It's so strong in fact, that you almost don't initially pick up on the smoky and sweet malt presence that glides underneath all of those hops. Some light warmth adds a touch of beef to the bouquet, pulling the flavors together into a thick hold in the nose.

The hops just rage in the taste, with a spicy and resinous bitterness that grips the tongue in an aggressive bite. Luckily, this isn't all about the hops though, as an equally beefy sweetness is there to even it out, being comprised of a thick tang of robust citrus and bready toasted wheat. The finish is all hops, with a lingering bitterness that just STICKS in the mouth. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a generally creamier carbonation up front that then gives way to to a hugely slick and oily feel. This seems to literally slither down the throat, just completing the hoppy trilogy of awesomeness here. This is actually the real highlight of the beer for me, as the mix of the hop oiliness and wheat texture just combines to make for one of the easiest and most drinkable feels, that I've had in a while. Excellent!

Where the hell did this beer come from? Not only my pick for sleeper beer of the summer, this is my early favorite for sleeper pick of the year! Just HUGELY well balanced West Coast hop character here, that is beautifully packaged into an equally great quaffable Wheat Ale body. I agree with some other reviewers that this is one Lagunitas beer that should have been in bombers, as 12 oz just isn't enough for one sitting. There's definitely nothing Little about this "Sumpin'". Great stuff!

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2009 12:07:32 | More by Kegatron

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Mackenzies in Minneapolis.

Pours a pretty hazy golden amber, very huge and thick white head forms, slowly settles leaving a shit ton of lace on the glass, very thick layer, looks pretty great. Smell is alright, wheat and amarillo kick, orange peel, quite floral, yeasty, some light fruit, touch of honey and biscuity malt, found the aroma a little messy, but alright. Taste is similar, lots of wheat character, yeast, lots of citrus, honey sweetness through the middle, lightly spicy, orange, some floral, decent bitterness. Mouthfeel is a touch thin, light bodied with medium to high carbonation, refreshing. Not too bad but a little let down.

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2009 18:48:30 | More by Viggo

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I just reviewed a different California version of American Pale Wheat Ale (from Firehouse) and it pales in comparison to this one. First of all, the aroma just jumps out of this pint glass with bright citrus tones and fruitiness and a little yeast ester. The appearance is a slightly hazed copper with a dirty white head. Flavor is bright and vibrant as well. To me, this one would compare favorably to another wheat/APA hybrid that I know of...New Glarus Cracked Wheat. This one tilts more on the side of APA though whereas the Cracked Wheat is more balanced and the Wheat properties are more distinguished. The flavor here is bright and vibrant with citrus hop qualities. The 64.2 IBU really doesn't scathe that much. Wheat characteristics are light and in the background. Carbonation is pretty vigorous and this would pare nicely with a lot of different kinds of foods. All in all, a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2009 03:21:15 | More by Bighuge