A Little Sumpin' Wild - Lagunitas Brewing Company

Gavage

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: pours a hazy orange color with a big three inch head.

Smell: yeast, citrus, and ripe fruits come through to the nose.

Taste: caramel, strong yeast flavors, grapefruit, some pine tones, ripe fruits, some pepper, and a hearty bitterness. Alcohol tones are lightly noticeable.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp throughout. Somewhat dry at the finish. Long-lasting yeast flavored aftertaste.

Overall: a very tasty beer. Easy to drink and well balanced. A nice change up from the standard version of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 20:33:12 | More by Gavage

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on-tap at the Happy Gnome in St. Paul. No, it wasn't terribly wild, but it was a fine hoppy Belgian pale ale. I was surprised how well these guys pulled off the mix of peppery Belgian yeast character with fruity hops. I'd say the brewery has made good use of the Westmalle strain. Check it out.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2010 21:35:57 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a bright honey golden hue with a bright white head, speckled scattered lacing. Aroma has strong American hops with citrus/pine, and tropical fruit notes. Seems like they are following suit and making a hoppy Belgian style west coast IPA. Westmalle yeast strain, brings out banana/pineapple spicy esters. Flavor is competing with the Belgian yeast strain and American brash hop bitterness, sometimes this works sometimes it's a rough combo. Really great tasting version here spicy Belgian yeast with tropical fruit edges/banana/spice and upfront hops with citrus/grapefruit tones. Mouthfeel is medium bodied a tad oily with hops and smooth bodied carbonation. Drinkabilty is nice but after 22 ounces I'm good even splitting with a friend is a good idea but the flavors here worked well together.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2010 01:57:26 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This seems a bit of a hybrid to me. There are definitely Belgian tones here, but they are subdued and smooth and not overly showy, besides a somewhat pronounced yeasty thing. The other side of this (opposite the Belgian one) are the distinct hoppy tones. Which I guess would make this...a Belgian IPA. Just my opinion. And a pretty nice one too; except it's a bit boozy.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 06:07:38 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.8/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Poured a golden color with good carbonation and a nice white head

S: Citrus, honey, hops

T: WOW! Where do I begin. Starts off crisp with pear, honey, citrus, apple nice hops belgian yeast, some booze and a bubble gum finish with a nice subtle hop bite

M: Wel carbonated, lighter to medium bodied, tasty and the taste is still very strong on the palate.

D: Among the best IMHO

Serving type: growler

06-01-2010 02:42:33 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a near-clear gold. Lumpy eggshell white head that leaves a thick ring of lace after each sip.

Fruity (sweet) with a grapefruit hop aroma.

Lots of effervescence on the tongue. Good pale malt start but it fades quickly to a strong hop of black pepper and grapefruit rind. Could easily pass for a Belgian-style IPA. Rich feel to the mouth despite the high carbonation. The finish has a bit of piney hop to it

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 19:03:07 | More by smcolw

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer pours a slightly hazy orange body with a beige bubble cream head that last and last with a sea of microbubbles swirling around pushing to the surface.

S- The fruity green hops aroma is not juicy but has a great dry tropical fruit aroma to it with a bright full hops flavor of unripe pineapple.

T- The mellow hops flavor has a leafy green hop flavor with some more unripe pineapple and a hint of sweetness to follow. The yeast esters are just a hint and blend with the fruity flavors of the hops. There is a bitter green hop note that lingers.

M- The medium mouthfeel has an alcohol warmth that compliments the hops flavors in the finish.

O- The nice full hops flavors have some good support from the yeast even though it is a bit hidden. The hops are bright and dry without being juicy which gives a nice twist on the flavor. Very sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 22:21:09 | More by rhoadsrage

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a super white fluffy head of 1 finger that leaves a slight messy lacing. THe beer is a somewhat hazy golden wheat orange nectar color.

Nose is beautiful. It starts with some golden malts, some Belgian somewhat strong malty aromas, adding a little sweetness and almost a hint of light candi sugar. Under that is a fuse of a nice hop and wild combination. It's really hard to describe. There's plenty of fruit, tangerine, peach, mango, pineapple, some tropical and citrus hops with hints of grassy hops. Also some very light yeasty almost funk aroma, that doesn't really have funk. It's like lots of bottle conditioning with strange Belgian yeast strain that was once crossed with Lacto or something. A slight dry farmhouse aroma. It's dreamy.

Taste comes with more of the same as the nose. This time it starts with a spicy hop character. Some light citrus and pine on the hops, but more tropical fruit, citrus, etc. Some light fruit too, little tangerine, touch of orange peel, little peach. Some sweetness coming from some light Belgian strong malty flavors, touch of bready taste, just a hint. Again more of the almost wild tasting Belgian yeast strain, adding some light dry farmhouse like flavors, an almost funk that never really comes. A little astringency starts to come through, but remains manageable. As it finishes it dries more, adding to the bitterness and the lingering hop flavors, more spicy and even a little musty. As it dries it starts to get more of a dried Belgian light candi sugar taste surprisingly. A lingering musty slight hop oil and little astringency, as well as dry slightly yeasty funk, it's almost as if that yeasty funk is adding it's own bitterness.

The mouth is medium bodied with decent carbonation.

Drinkability is decent, it doesn't drink like 8.85% at all, and dries well. However, a slight lingeirng astringency and bitterness, as well as that lingering yeasty almost funk flavor are there.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2010 03:03:00 | More by jlindros

Jason

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz brown bomber with no freshness date.

LOOK: Peachy hue, excellent head and lacing

SMELL: Papaya, peppery, pineapple skin, blood oranges, bready, yeast, phenolic, taffy, gummy, spicy

TASTE: Medium bodied, semi-creamy, very smooth, soft hoppy resin, moving bitterness, biscuity, herbal, slightly medicinal, nutty, vegtal, a bit alcoholic

Love the whole Belgo-American movement, love Lagunitas as well. Very well balanced, Westmalle yeast battles dank hop in a higher alcohol arena ... everything a growing palate needs. Giving this brew a hearty HELL YEAH!

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 03:13:43 | More by Jason

mdfb79

New York

3.78/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a tulip.

a - Pours a hazy orange-amber color with one finger of fluffy white head and light carbonation evident. Great lacing.

s - Smells of orange, citrus, fruity malts, and grapefruit. Citrus dominates the nose but it's very nice.

t - Tastes of grapefruit, orange, citrus hops, fruity malts, and bready malts. Huge bitter bite to it.

m - Light to medium body and moderate carbonation.

d - A pretty nice pale ale. Smell was very nice with a lot of grapefruit/citrus, and the taste had some huge bitterness to it. Would try again.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2010 22:29:50 | More by mdfb79

Billolick

New York

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I enjoyed several samples of this at the recent ACBF in Boston, this review is from a follow up visit enjoyed at the Birdsall House in Peekskill, NY. Poured pretty typical looking medium almond amber, near clear. Light tan head, that stays at about 1/2 inch, develops a nice looking maraingue and leaves ample sheeting and strands of lace. Floral, grassy, and Belgian yeast/spice nose, yum, my kind of beer. Boldly hopped, notes of light clove, Belgian infused yeasty/spiciness, more then moderate hops presence continuing to exert itself and adding to the sizzle. Quite worthy example of a style that I love. Fine folks at Lagunitas, please make lots more of this one and send it to the NYC area.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2010 15:40:00 | More by Billolick

Zorro

California

3.9/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Brilliant golden amber colored beer with a perfect white head. Looks really great in the glass.

Smells strongly of hops and spice. Smells like a Belgian IPA might want to move it in the future. Lots of grapefruit and pine here. Honeysuckle malt aroma with the smell of ginger. The expected coriander is present once you get past the hops.

Starts out a little sweet and savory with a peach aftertaste. This is quite mild in taste everything is mellowed out only leaving a pleasant hop aftertaste. This doesn't have a strong flavor, mostly just mildly herbal.

Mouthfeel is good.

Super easy to drink. The hop load clearly pushes this beer in to the realm of the Belgian IPA. Tasty and well mannered I could see making this a permanent resident in my house.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2010 02:23:15 | More by Zorro

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazed golden with yeaste particulates in suspension. Nice doughy belgian yeastiness on the aroma mixed with citric hops. Flavor is bright and citric, a little farmhouse sour/funk, and doughy belgian yeastiness. Lemon comes through pretty big in the citrus department. Quite drinkable...especially for 9.4. Wouldn't have guessed. Good brew. Lagunitas is just a solid, solid brewery.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 06:50:44 | More by Bighuge

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at Pinocchio's, Media, PA

Very nice beer from a brewery that I generally find to be a bit underwhelming. Poured a burnt amber color, clear, with a moderate eggshell head. Pleasant hoppy aroma, cirtus zest and a dab of funk. Nice and crisp in the taste, a solid malt base with plenty of citrus and piney hops up front, juicy fruits, and a certain yeasty complexity. Medium-bodied, with a crisp, dry finish, and quite drinkable overall.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2011 22:53:23 | More by Rifugium

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.45/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours out another great color, just like all 3 varieties of this beer. Orange in appearance, and a fluffy head with lots of retention. Carbonation was just right.

Aroma, a little bit mango-y, hops. Taste, all that malted wheat and tons of hops, and then that Westmalle yeast strain? Jeez, I think I like this even more than Mischief. I know I do. Very hoppy, very dry. You wait for a few seconds after tasting, and then the yeast profile takes over the flavor profile. Expands to a dry, almost as if aged in a white wine oak barrel, so dry, fruity and woody (yet light on the palate). So unique, so flavorful.

$4.29 a bomber at Whole Foods in Reno. That makes this extremely drinkable, in combination with the fact that it hides almost 9% alcohol completely. Another fantastic, widely available option from Lagunitas. If it were more rare, it would be a very sought after and higher rated beer. Well I give points for the cheap price and availability in drinkability, so its a perfect 5 there, and almost everywhere else.

EDIT 8/11
Love that they put these in 6 packs, and now the alcohol is 9.4%, still not noticeable. Great deal for $9/6.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2010 16:36:58 | More by Beerandraiderfan

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a clear golden yellowish orange color with golden yellow hues when held to a light source and a 1.5 finger frothy white head that slowly fades into a lasting ring. Spots of soapy lacing left behind.

Sweet citrus hop aroma with lots of tropical fruit notes and subtle pale malt presence. Hints of pineapple, grapefruit and lemon peel along with subtle graham crackery malt and subtle creaminess. Slightly earthy with faint pine needle but mostlythe nose is bursting with fresh citrus hops.

Medium bodied with a nice dry hop bite up front with hints of earthy pine that are quickly balanced by swee tropical and citrus fruit notes as well as a pale malt backbone that has hits of graham cracker and biscuit. Hints of mango, grapefruit, pineapple, lemon peel and orange along with some subtle spice and a sweet yet bitter dry finish. I'm also picking up some crisp light fruit, mostly apple and pear, and slight alcohol sweetness but overall the ABV is excellently masked. A very unique hybrid of a west coast IPA and a belgian strog ale. Complex, uber fresh, delicious and dangerously drinkable. I have to stop myself from pounding the whole glass down too quickly. Highly recommended!

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2010 01:19:11 | More by corby112

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.98/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a mostly clear, but very slightly hazed golden orange colour, with a full and thick head of large-bubbled white foam. Lacing is sudsy but consistent. Lots of streaming carbonation, and the body looks surprisingly light. Not bad overall.

Hmm, not sure what I was expecting on the nose, but this isn't it. Lots of tropical fruit characters implying a large west coast hop addition. More spice than usual though, with a lightly phenolic yeast note coming through. The more I smell, the more pronounced are the characters of Belgian yeast, but there's still something quintessentially American about it as well.

Taste is very interesting, and again different to what I was expecting, my expectations having been put through a turnaround by the nose. Here, there are more lightly phenolic yeast characters, a light boozy strain and a nutty finish. Some hop bitterness is present on the back, but it's subdued, and just lends a tropical undertone to the other characters. Feel is quite light. It feels like it's jangling a little uncontrollably through a number of odd flavours, but it does work.

An interesting brew, almost feeling like a hybrid style, or just a Belgian ale brewed with the American stamp all over it. I'm not sure if it really wows me, but it keeps me guessing, and that's something.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2010 05:16:13 | More by lacqueredmouse

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Mahaffey's today. Yet another impressive beer from Lagunitas.

The beer pours a golden amber color with very good head retention and considerable sticky lacing. The beer is every bit as impressive on the nose, and showcases that telltale perfumy, hoppy nose I've come to expect from Lagunitas. This beer just reeks of grapefruit, spice, and light sour funk. The latter is no more than an afterthought, and just adds another layer of flavor both on the nose and palate. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely, and reminds me very much of a little sumpin extra, but with the added sour funk. It really enhances both the aroma profile and the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, with a long, bitter finish. Also, this a West Coast all the way still of wild IPA, so there is very little sweeetness in this beer, and the finish is dry and hoppy/bitter. Drinkability is the only area where this beer drops off a bit. The beer is close to 9% abv., and you can kind of tell. It's not alcoholic or hot, but still, the high abv. wears you out a bit at the end. Regardless, this is another excellent beer from the talented folks at Lagunitas. I'm starting to expect it whenever I see something new from these guys.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2010 21:00:00 | More by johnmichaelsen

DoubleJ

California

4.3/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

How did Lagunitas get their hands on the Westmalle yeast strain? And they're using it in a 72 IBU beer? I don't think of Laguintas when it comes to Belgian styled beer, but they do that hop thing pretty well. I guess that I'm to test the waters alone. On to the beer:

The oversized wine glasss shows a dark golden color with a low, but lace giving head. Aroma weighs more Belgian that American with fruity notes. There's candi sugar, candied apricot, and to keep it honest, a handful of clean hops.

It's sweet and hoppy at the same time. Golden fruit esters are recognized before a wave of hops arrive to make the beer slightly more hoppy than sweet in flavor. The hops add a dimension of pine and tangerine to the standard Belgian character. Despite the style its marked under, this is much more Belgian IPA. As the beer warms up from its slumber from the refrigerator, the beer's flavor gets fruitier, making the beer more addictive. The beer has a medium body to it, and the alcohol is not seen anywhere.

A Little Sumpin' Wild has got it. It's got a good American hop flavor, and it's got the Westmalle yeast to yield sweet flavors from the malt. This is like A Little Sumpin' Extra taking a trip to Belgium. Excellent stuff at a great price; only $4.49 for a bomber at Total Wine.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 07:05:21 | More by DoubleJ

glid02

Georgia

4.2/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Leon's Full Service in Atlanta.

Pours a slightly hazy gold-copper color with a one-finger white head. The head recedes into a patchy layer on top leaving solid lacing.

Smells of pale malts with large amounts of tropical fruit and bright citrus hops. Also present are absurdly clean and crisp earthy malts with hints of spices.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Slightly grainy pale malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by tropical fruit, citrus, and slightly herbal hops. Joining in shortly thereafter are hints of pear and solid amounts of earthy hops that dry things out. Midway through the sip the flavor profile dries out further with clean malt flavors. The tropical fruit and malt flavors carry through to a moderately bitter ending.

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

Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have a few more.

Overall I'd been waiting a while to try this beer and I wasn't disappointed. A very well done beer with some interesting idiosyncracies. Well worth a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2011 04:05:06 | More by glid02

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

- fermented with westmalle yeast.

A: A glass consuming feverish pitch of rapid effervesce rises within a bengal tiger orange colored body. A crowning foamy cream colored head was rock steady on the hold providing a generous shellacking of lacing smoothering the vessel with much love.

S: Sweet sugar laced grapefruit arrives on the aroma with some speciality grains sweetness. Fresh wet pine hopping is wet and aromatic.

T: For flavor there is a toasty sweetness upfront, pine and grapefruit hopping with a spicy bite of tropical fruitiness (pineapple-orange). Nice dry touch of toasted grains, the hops have a spicy bite on the finish of flowery grapefruit.

M: sparkling, crisp from the carbonation, malty good substance.

O: Overall nice grains base, balanced hoppiness with a spicy bite of hops and zesty bite of carbonation that brings things to life. Solid recommend and repeat, very good overall.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 16:37:50 | More by beerthulhu

kojevergas

California

3.55/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Excited for this one; I enjoy Lagunitas' beers even if many of them taste very similar. 8.8% ABV confirmed. 72.5 IBU. 1.079 original gravity. Cost was $4.99 at the Cap N Cork Junior market. 1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a Samuel Smith's conical pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are fairly high; I expect it to be about a B. Probably a B- on the low end.

Served after a slight warming period following removal from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a three finger white colour head of no real cream, but decent thickness and good retention for the high ABV. Body colour is a rather pale copper. Transparent and translucent. Not horribly vibrant, but also not dull. There's nothing unique or special here. It's to style. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Lacing is weak and thin.

Sm: Floral hop notes. Grassy. Lemon citrus. Hop extract. Pale malts. Some saison-esque yeasty notes; I asssume this is the Westmalle yeast manfiesting. A bit of light spice. Straw. Borders on brett-y. Light fruit esters from the hops. Hop oil. A moderate strength aroma, and a pleasant one. No alcohol is detectable. Fresh and inviting. Peppery.

T: I definitely get the peppery biscuity yeast on the climax - a very clean and enjoyable yeast flavour often unseen in IPAs. Pale malts for the foundation, of course. Some blood orange fruit/esters. Pleasantly lightly oily. Saison-esque light spiciness. Some pineapple. Clove. The yeasty notes are rich and delightful here; wow. Floral hops are the dominant hop character, but there a lurking hints of pine. It's well balanced all around. Vague tropical fruit hints from the hops. Quite nectary. Has sufficient body. Clean and fresh, but also somewhat chemically hoppy as though from extract. The finish is crisp and evocative, giving a twinge of fruit before the flavour departs. The sweetness lingers in the aftertaste, a pleasant effect that leaves me wanting more. No alcohol comes through. Nicely built for the style, with no hop bitterness coming through at all. I like it.

Mf: Lightly oily, but primarily smooth and wet - just as it should be. Somewhat overcarbonated and a touch too thick. Nectary. Sticky. Chewy. All things considered, it supports and enables the flavours quite well, but it doesn't add to them. It doesn't feel custom-tailored to the taste, but the texture does a good job nevertheless.

Dr: Quite drinkable, though the aforementioned carbonation and thickness issues do hold it back. The high ABV is nicely concealed, though - making this one a bit dangerous. All around it's a solid beer in the style. The yeasty notes are a highlight; I commend that choice. A clean refreshing summer IPA, and another solid brew from Lagunitas.

That said, it does possess that mystery factor that makes most of these hoppy Lagunitas brews taste the same. I think it's the distinct hop extract notes; something about the hopping is always the same with this brewery - though I'm not sure that's a bad thing. I do wish it was more distinct than Lagunitas' other hoppy beers, but I can't say I don't like this one. In any case, it's far from unique.

I'd get this one again, and I'd even casually recommend it to friends. Definitely a seasonal release worth picking up.

Low B

*I had to reduce the mouthfeel score to give the right letter grade to this beer. I do this to keep my reviews fair and consistent. Please see my profile for more information.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 02:42:51 | More by kojevergas

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Its golden-yellow colour has lost its luster and is faded like a tired autumn sun. While it still has a healthy glow, its highlights have dwindled and its sharpness has languished and is, relatively speaking, quite listless. Haziness prevails. All that said, so what? It still looks good to mine eye. And its head is positively Belgian-esque and evidently quite artsy-craftsy.

The bouquet is... indefinite. Possibly a case of too many chefs in the kitchen? There certainly are a lot of players at hand: a motley yeast, bready malts and a (somewhat muted) herbal, piny hoppiness give the nose plenty of options. Light alcohol vapors actually compliment the other components which are, honestly, to some degree underwhelming.

Bready malts are complimented by a honey-nougat-like sweetness while leafy, grapefruit-y hops stay to themselves off in the corner somewhere. The Belgian yeast crowbars itself into the conversation with drying esters and vaguely clove-like phenols. With so many contributors, picking out flavours is like guessing which elevator comes next.

That hoppiness is gruff and scratchy and leaves a croaky bitterness in the throat. No fruitiness is perceived less it's either drenched in pine serum or cloaked in the esters of the alcohol. The Westmalle yeast has definitely made the beer dryer and it - surprisingly not the hops - has last word, imparting that absolutist dryness and yeast character.

Just as there's nothing 'little' about Little Sumpin' Sumpin', there's nothing 'WILD' about Little Sumpin' WILD; the beer is dry, tame and acclimatized. Its alcohol is noted, but housebroken. Its phenols are noted, but submissive. Its bitter hoppiness is noted, but disciplined (and surely short of the 70+ IBUs the brewery claims). This thing's harmless.

If the brewery really wanted 'wild' they'd have been better off with any number of Belgian (or American) yeast strains than Westmalle. I tend to equate 'wild' with funk and tartness and a whole pocketbook of ludicrous descriptors where as I what I know of Westmalle is tradition and precision and a predictable (albeit exceptional) Belgian brew.

Little Sumpin' WILD lacks the vivacity, charm and siren drinkability that Little Sumpin' Sumpin' possesses. It's like a stand-in for that beer and, having paid full price for this bomber, makes me a little disappointed to find out. It wouldn't make any Beer Gone Wild videos, that's for sure. No matter, this bottle was still an unregrettable one night stand.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 17:46:00 | More by biegaman

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from notes taken on 12/9/10.

Poured into a snifter, this brew appears a very clear orange color with a finger of white foam that is slightly stained yellow and retains quite well. Long leggy patches of lace cling all along the glassware.

The aroma displays plenty of hop character including scents of citrus, minty herbs and pine is the leading character. There is Belgian yeasty notes through the nose like spicy clove and sweet bubblegum. As it warms, the hops seem green and leafy coupled with a seemingly candy-like sweetness. A faint touch of fruit like mango makes it through the back.

The taste of this brew is green leafy hops coupled with a semi-dry fruit like pear mixed with mango upfront. Moderately bitter that clings and lasts on the tongue. A bit of green yeast taste is evident mid-palate. There is an herbal aftertaste that mixes with a light grainy sweetness and a touch of mineral quality in the finish.

Medium bodied brew with a modest level of carbonation. Very drinkable ad well balanced. This is an interesting take on a quasi Belgian ipa. For almost 9% abv it is hidden quite well but the Belgian phenols become increasingly evident as the brew warms.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 15:12:02 | More by stakem

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark golden with a head that sticks around and leaves some spotty lacing. Smells fruity and a little sharp with wheat and lemon, tangerine, and melon notes. The taste is similar, with the addition of some passion fruit notes. Fruity and slightly sour and soft in the mouth. I like this beer, but perhaps not as much as the regular sumpin sumpin.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2010 23:34:50 | More by Georgiabeer