Wilco Tango Foxtrot - Lagunitas Brewing Company

nickfl

Florida

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours with one finger of white head that rests on top of a black body. The foam settles slowly and the lace it leaves behind coats the glass nicely.

S - An aroma of caramel with a little molasses and some toffee.

T - Toffee notes up front with rich caramel. A little bit of smoke to the malt character in the middle as well as more of the toffee character and a bit of molasses. Some bready notes in the finish with moderate hop flavor and bitterness.

M - Medium-thick body, moderate carbonation, and a slightly dry finish.

D - This is a beer that is very typical of what I have come to expect of Lagunitas. The combination of rich, caramel and toffee malt with aggressive hoppiness reminds me of several of their beers that I have had in the past. This is even more unusual than the rest of their catalogue with the dark malt having an intense bready caramel and molasses character, complimented by odd notes of smoke. Worth trying, though I don't know that I will have another one.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2010 05:27:11 | More by nickfl

mithrascruor

California

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Callahan's, San Diego.

Pours a clear dark brown-red color with a good off-white head which soon turns to a film. Mild aroma of malts and hop spicyness. Taste of toasted malts, hops, spices, and brown sugar. Medium-bodied with a slightly bitter aftertaste. An enjoyable beer... strong for a brown ale, but drinks nice. I'd certainly get this again.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2010 22:04:41 | More by mithrascruor

beertunes

Washington

3.43/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served in straight pint glass. The bar called this a brown ale. Poured a clean, clear brown with a half-inch of off-white head that had OK retention and lacing.

The aroma was a nice blend of sweetness and hops. The flavors were very hoppy up front, sweet in the middle and balanced on the finish.

The body was good, even, clean and balanced. Drinkability was good, I'd have a couple in a row, but maybe not more than that. Overall, a solidly decent beer that has taken a step in restoring my opinion of this brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2010 20:29:39 | More by beertunes

johnwarne

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A beer haiku for you:

"American ale--
A nice representative
LBC is proud".

First pass at WTF, which I assumed was a novelty given the initials on the tap. Pleasant surprise, and nothing to be ashamed of at all--worth consideration by strong ale friends everywhere.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2010 23:55:42 | More by johnwarne

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thrilled to try it on tap as I did not want to shell out the money for a bottle right away. Served cold and poured into a pint glass, this one was consumed on 04/17/2010.

Rich pour, dark caramel in color with an off-white head that reached a height of around two inches before settling back down. Light lacing coating the side of the glass. Aroma is hops, piney with light citrus notes but a load of cinnamon and spice as well. Seems as though I have run into this before with another of their one off's, just seems really familiar. Letting it open up gives me nice touches of caramel and bready malts, a rich and well balanced hoppiness that seems to fade in and out during the session. Nice feel, hearty with great carbonation that still allows it to have some pop to it. Whatever the ABV was it was well hidden and I was able to enjoy this one thoroughly without issue and leaving that nice dry, lightly bitter finish capped it wonderfully.

Overall it was better then I expected. Nice and rich and very drinkable. I would have no trouble enjoying this one again any day.

Serving type: on-tap

04-20-2010 23:28:08 | More by mikesgroove

Overlord

California

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thought this was a brown ale. Huh?

Pours a slightly ruddy brown. Light tan head. Maybe an inch of it.

Smells strangely of pine and grapefruit hops. What? Some sugary malt underneath. Sugary is about the best adjective I can think of.

Taste adds just a splash of caramel malt and ... chocolate/molasses?.... to a resiny, sugary backbone that's offset by a surprising amount of fresh hops. What? What the hell type of beer is this? Oddly enough, I think it reminded me more of Arrogant Bastard than anything else.

Serving type: on-tap

04-18-2010 06:08:07 | More by Overlord

Aenema

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4/8
Appearance - Pours a clear, maple syrup brown with nice lacing.
Smell - Nutty, caramel malts, resin.
Taste - Caramel malts, piney hops, nutty finish.
Mouthfeel - On the lighter side of medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability - Very enjoyable, well-balanced brown with no noticeable alcohol presence.
Overall - Enjoyed this one a lot and look forward to having it again.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2010 03:40:50 | More by Aenema

Lunch

Maryland

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

Served from on-tap at Victoria Gastro Pub in Columbia, Maryland into a 20oz. Imperial Nonic pint glass at the appropriate temperature (04/10/10).

A: Pours a murky rusty brown capped with 2 fingers of an off-white head. Good retention and lacing.

S: Hoppy aroma that has a lot of citrus and pine along with a nice mild sweet malt in there as well.

T: The citrus hops continue and dominate the initial taste, but they are quickly followed by pine and a somewhat caramel-like malt. The malt is also quite bready and it works nicely with the hops.

M: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation and a bit of creaminess.

D: Great drinkability and the 7.83% abv is completely hidden. I really enjoyed all 20oz. of this.

Overall I had no idea what to expect from this beer as it falls under the less than specific style of "American Strong Ale". Having always enjoyed beers for Lagunitas, I decided to give this one a try and I am glad that I did. Recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

04-15-2010 18:56:31 | More by Lunch

Haus

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

According to Lagunitas this beer is "A big Ol' Imperial Brown Ale to help you with your slipperly slide on into springtime. Rich, smooth, dangerous & chocolatey".

It's a good brew.
A - Rich, deep, opaque brown color with tan frothy head that lasted only few minutes.

S - A rather mild aroma hints of caramel malts and citrus hoppiness...pleasant aroma. I didn't really get any chocolate though.

T - Tastes like it smells... Caramel comes through nicely, citrus hoppiness...faint chocolate. Something kinda spicy at the end...nice though.

M - medium in body

D - refreshing and damn drinkable...especially at $4.50/pint

Serving type: on-tap

04-14-2010 17:33:18 | More by Haus

tpd975

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at hopcat and mellow mushroom. I love lauganitas. Awesome beer insane prices.

A: pours a dark shade of amber with dark brown highlights. Tall offwhite head with insane sheets of lace.

S: rather mild aromas hints of caramel malts and citrus hops. Too mild.

T: mmm tasty. Lots and lots of citrus hops. Enough caramel malt to push through. Hints of sweet pine...and spicy rye?

M; medium in body nice and smooth.

D: tasty and damn drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2010 17:00:59 | More by tpd975

homebrew311

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Served in a pint glass at the Sugar Maple.

A: brown, auburn, some clarity, not very dark for a brown ale, some white head that doesn't have good retention

S: very subtle malts, cereal grains, bread, roasty notes, light earthy hops on the finish... I had to search for these aromas as the beer warms, at serving temperature, the aroma was next to nothing

T: very mild flavors, the ABV is non existent, a great balance makes for an easy drinking beer but this is so mild and subtle, I wish there was more character

mf: thin, slightly watery, medium carbonation

D: very easy drinking but not a whole lot of flavor, considering this is an imperial brown...I've had brown ales with loads more of flavor (aka Bender), not bad but will not seek out again

Serving type: on-tap

04-13-2010 03:30:36 | More by homebrew311

PDXHops

South Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Half-pint on tap. See-thru brownish amber with a small off white that manages to leave some impressive crackly lacing.

The utilitarian glassware blunts the aromas at first, but as it warms up and I cup my hands around it, there's some nice stuff going on here. Piny/grassy bitterness, some caramel, a little fruitiness, a little toasted and dark roasted malt.

Tastes pretty good, too. There's a moderate amount of grassy/leafy bitterness with a touch of pine in there. Restrained malty sweetness that slowly dries out a toasty finish. The alcohol is quite well hidden. A bit of tangy tobacco leaf in the swallow. Medium-thick body with moderate carbonation. Can't quite put my finger on it, but there's a bit of a generic 'Lagunitas' taste that some of their brews seem to share. Wonder if they use the same yeast for several different beers?

Pretty solid brew.

Serving type: on-tap

04-09-2010 13:22:50 | More by PDXHops

SShelly

California

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at blue palms.

Comes out dark brown, big poofy white head with little retention.

Big hop nose, citurus and vegetale(what word am I looking for???)

again big hops, nice upfront bitterness, rounded out with biscuty malt.

Pretty darn drinkable, highly hopped, probably the last glass of this I'll have.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2010 05:45:48 | More by SShelly

glid02

Georgia

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

On-tap at the Brick Store.

Pours a clear chestnut brown color with a 1.5-finger tan head. The head recedes into a thin layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of muted caramel malts with large amounts of citrus and tropical fruit hop aromas.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Light caramel malt flavors up front are augmented with small amounts of toastiness. Soon afterward large amounts of citrus and tropical fruit hop flavors join in and carry through to a mildly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is also good. I finished my glass without a problem and could have another.

Overall this is a much better strong ale than it is an American brown. If you like most other Lagunitas beers chances are you'll be a fan of this one - worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2010 03:44:29 | More by glid02

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.35/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Prime 16 into a 3/4 pint glass.

A: Clear reddish-brown body with a finger of creamy tan head. Good retention and tons of lace. Great.

S: Hops jump out, with smoothly spicy floral and grapefruit notes; a little caramel malt underneath. Smells like a nicely balanced DIPA.

T: Lots of citrus and spice, with a bit of sweet, toasty malt on the finish. Clean, bitter aftertaste with just a hint of booze. Delicious.

M: Medium body with tons of soft carbonation. Nice, if a bit thin.

D: Well balanced and tasty. If there weren't so many other tasty things on tap, I'd happily order another.

Notes: This is a beautifully balanced dose of hoppy goodness. Good show, Lagunitas.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2010 23:35:36 | More by woosterbill

plaid75

New York

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Mr. Beery, Bethpage, NY.

Poured a deep copper hue with a one finger frothy off white head. There was very good tetention and sticky lacing.

The smell featured a juicy citrus hop with a touch of pine.

The taste consisted of a full potent balmy citrus hop with a nice caramel backbone.

The mouthfeel was full and typical of the style.

Overall a superior ale.

Serving type: on-tap

03-27-2010 19:32:20 | More by plaid75

Bierguy5

Ohio

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

Pours a darker amber color, with a stable off white head. Pretty good head retention, and nice patches of lace.

A nice citrusy hop aroma with a layer of darker caramel. Nice fruity notes abound.

Nice malt base, similar to other Lagunitas beers, but maybe not as heavy. Slightly toasty, with a bit of a bready feel. Citrusy hops, not overbearing. A nice grapefruit, slightly piney flavor.

Medium body, good carbonation. Alcohol is very well hidden. This seems close to some others in the lineup. Very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

03-26-2010 21:39:08 | More by Bierguy5

champ103

Texas

3.15/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a dark ruby/brown color. A small beige head forms with little retention. Light lace is left behind.
S: Tons of piny hops. A light sweet caramel aroma lingers.
T: Again, tons of piny hops. Lots of bitterness. Some alcohol. A very light sweet malt flavor lingers.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. A soapy and oily consistency. Some fusel alcohol and bitterness makes this harder to drink than I would like.

I am not that impressed with this. Kind of in the "Black IPA" vain if that makes any sense, and I really hate that term/style. More style than substance. Not something I am going to get again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2010 01:52:06 | More by champ103

Zekezilla

Maryland

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

What a nice surprise. Found this on tap @ a local place here in Baltimore. Just bursting with flavor. I've only recently begun to appreciate hoppiness in beer. The hops come through but so did a nice underlying fruitiness. Crisp and very drinkable. Would definitely drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2010 22:11:46 | More by Zekezilla

Reaper16

Alabama

4.13/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Looks like I've got the first review of this beer on-tap.

Served on-tap into a tulip @ Flying Saucer, Kansas City, MO

Pours a ruby-inflected shade of brown. It is too dark to see through but there is enough clarity when held to light to suggest that this isn't a hazy beer. The cappuccino colored head sits at 1.5 fingers with tight, wall-like lacing. This is a very pretty beer.

You can tell before you even get your nose up to the glass that this is one of those hoppy strong ales. The nose is very hop-forward. Cascade hops is what it smells like (though I could easily be incorrect on that). Lots of grapefruit. Underneath the hops there is some roasted malt character and mild sort of milk chocolate aroma.

Big hit of grapefruit right as the beer first hits your tongue. It has you thinking IPA as you swish it around your palate and then, on the back end, a decidedly chocolate/coffee malt flavor combination develops. It isn't super-roasty but it is there; it is roughly akin to the roast quality of a nice brown ale. The finish makes this seem more like a hoppy imperial brown ale than anything. As the beer warms the hops take on a more grassy note, which muddles the flavors a bit.

WTF feels very light on the tongue. It feels like an IPA, frankly. Normally this lightness would be utterly insubstantial for the kind of roasted malt character it has but the bountiful presence of hops helps to turn that detriment into a positive. Medium carbonation; I wish it was more active. The crisp flavors and smooth finish lend the beer to big, continued gulps.

This was a very nice experiment on the part of Lagunitas. Strong ale? Brown ale? Whatever it is, WTF is a good beer. Look for it if you can.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2010 06:41:20 | More by Reaper16

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.74/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours a dark chestnut color. The head is a towering four-finger pale brown shade. It features an incredibly thick, soapy texture, along with some beautiful lacing.

S: Citrusy hops befitting a Lagunitas product jump out at me first. Sadly, I kind of wish more of the brown ale qualities jumped out at me. Still, it has a decent nutty tone beneath all the grapefruit - but there's also an acidic note to the hops that's somewhat overbearing.

T: The first sensation on the palate is tons of citrusy hops. It comes across as if you're biting into a grapefruit. Just like I feared in the aroma, there isn't much 'brown ale' to be found (maybe a touch of caramel, toffee, and nuts in the middle of the palate), yet there's just enough to balance out the (excellent) hops without overshadowing them.

M: I love the crisp lightness of this. I really thought this would be sweet and heavy, and instead it goes down superbly. It does become a bit sweeter as it warms up, though - nothing that's a dealbreaker, though.

O: This drinks more like an IPA with darker malts instead of a brown ale with a bit of hoppiness. The aroma threw me for a loop, but once I accepted it was the former instead of the latter, I really grew to like this one a lot. I have to wonder: does Lagunitas make anything that sucks? Don't answer that.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 22:33:37 | More by ThisWangsChung

Dope

Massachusetts

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

Don't see any date on this, approximately 2 years old.

A: Pours a nice medium brown with a big fluffy and fizzy light light brown head. Closer to an off-white than brown I guess. Head fades surprisingly slowly with a nice island remaining behind. Tufts of light lacing everywhere.

S: Lots of nice caramel and a little bit of roasted nuts.

T: Sweet caramel. Some nuttiness and a little bit of toasted bread into the middle. Nice touch of brown sugar in the finish. Drying toffee and toast lingers between sips.

M: Medium bodied, smooth.

O: A nice mellow brown ale. Age seems to have made this silky smooth. Goes down like water, very drinkable. Sweet and smooth, I enjoyed it a lot.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 05:14:32 | More by Dope

aty11b

Texas

4.7/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured in a Tulip glass.

A- pours a beautiful ruby red body with not much head retention.

S- Dark fruits, Fig, and hops

T- A combination of Grapefruit, Fig, Raisins, hops, and slight notes of orange and caramel. The hops are not to overwhelming leaving a satisfying bitter after taste in your mouth.

O- One of my new favorites from Lagunitas. A nice ruby body with fresh ingredients that do not overwhelm each other. Its a definite must have.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 01:06:24 | More by aty11b

Kuaff

Alaska

4.3/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured at cellar temperature into a snifter.

This beer is a very dark, deep ruby color when poured. The head is a sizable off-white cloud of fine, compact foam. When held up to light, you can see a tiny bit of clarity and dark red accents.

This beer smells fantastic! There's the herbal hop aroma, a hint of citrus and some mysterious tropical fruits, as well as a sweet caramel-like malt smell. Truly a heavenly blend of great scents.

The best way I can describe the taste is to say that it parallels the aroma very closely. Reminds me a lot of Arrogant Bastard Ale, which is a very, very good thing. The after-taste leaves me with the lingering, deeply satisfying bitterness of a double IPA.

The carbonation is just right. Drinks real smooth.

This is really a wonderful ale. I'd call it a cross between Hop Stoopid and Arrogant Bastard, and everone knows how great those two are. Highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 19:17:39 | More by Kuaff

Chris_Mac

New Hampshire

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

An aggressive pour yields 2 fingers of soft white head. Color is deep copper brown, smell is mild caramel malt, without much hop overtones. Lacing becomes apparent even before the first sip. The taste of the beer fills every corner of the mouth in a pleasant mix of carbonation, malt, and hops. No apparent bitterness for me, and it soothes the esophagus on the pleasing journey to the stomach. Very well balanced, with no overpowering elements, it can meld to fit almost any occasion.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 22:40:35 | More by Chris_Mac