Lucky 13.alt - Lagunitas Brewing Company

Chaney

District of Columbia

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

Served in a Delirium Tremens shaped-glass.

A: Poured out a pure, crystal clear gold color, with a whopping 2-3 finger dense solid white head that clung to the glass as the liquid was siphoned.

S: Wowsers... candi sugar hop bomz r'us for sure! It smelled very much like a melted "Astro Pop" with a bit of citrus added.

T: Very hoppy, full, and quite decadent, with the hops leading the way, but much more sugar in the middle, and a slap of grapefruit at the end. It sort of reminded me of Stone's "Double Bastard." Fresh and delicious!

M: This might be too sweet for some people, but hell, this IS an "American Strong Ale!" The bitterness added just the right counterpoint to the sugar and the carbonation was just spritzy enough without being too. The lacing was a sight to behold!

O: Not many breweries do these West Coast-style hop bombs like Lagunitas.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 19:22:00 | More by Chaney

TheFugititve

Illinois

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

22oz bomber poured into a Belgian style goblet

A- Copper orange color with a nice 2 finger white head.

S- Very hoppy and fruity. Grapefruit rules this beer.

T- Possibly my favorite Ale. The balance of 13 is near perfect. Hops and citrus, what more could you want.

M- Medium body with adequate carbonation, very easy to sip during the summer months.

O- One of my favorite Ale's of 2012. I highly recommend this one. (May release).

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 06:02:51 | More by TheFugititve

spratmi

Maryland

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a golden/amber straw color with a thin head that leaves a full sticky lacing.
S: Citrus and floral hops with a hint of sweet malt. Light fruity sweetness - bubblegum or banana.
T: A nice blend of bubblegum, citrus and floral hops, sweet malt, lemon, clove, and cinnamon.
M: Smooth and somewhat creamy with a touch of carbonation.
O: An interesting and solid beer. I've already tried several of these over the last few days and would definitely buy more.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 04:36:09 | More by spratmi

nickthegun12

Alabama

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

wow thats good!

appearance is orange in color with a small head....and nice lacing.

smells very aromatic!....like aroma hops of some sort maybe coming from the yeast. hides the alcohol very well.

taste is amazing...very clean and drinkable...comes out very ale like!. has sort of an orange or tangerine taste.

feel is great as well good mixture between dry and creamy

overall this beer is outstanding....they def. need to make this one again

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 00:40:31 | More by nickthegun12

StoneBrewFanatic

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours golden amber in color into my snifter with a little more than a finger of eggshell head, nice retention and sticky lacing.

S - Sweet and malty, tropical fruit, grapefruit, grassy hops, toffee and bread.

T - Hops are really present up front, lots of pine and resin, grapefruit rind, tropical fruit, sweet toffee malts and a nice lingering bitterness.

M - Medium in body, very well balanced.

O - Yet another great offering from Lagunitas, grab this one if you get the chance.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 02:26:35 | More by StoneBrewFanatic

HoustonTX

Texas

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Right off the bat, this bottle looks exactly like the regular Lucky 13. The only difference is there is a tiny .alt barely visible on the front. It would be very easy to get the 2 confused. I'll go ahead and be the first one to send in the photo so people can see the difference. Now that we have that out of the way, lets continue.

I'm very impressed with this beer. It spans many styles. Has a bit of Barleywine in it. A touch of Belgian. But mainly dominated by it's IPA edge. Regardless of it's style, it strikes me as something very similar to Pliney the Elder.

Juicy hops - sweet bubblegum, fresh citrus, lemongrass, orange peel, grapefruit rind, grassy florals, along with some cannibus and zesty tobacco. Malts blend with hops midway and actually fight for dominance. Leaves that zesty citrus bitterness that clashes with some earthy pale malt twang. Aggressive. Smooths out near the finish, semi dy mouthfeel with huge hop burps.

Aroma is exactly as described above.

One word to describe this beer, WILD. It's got tons of stuff going on, and it's hop complexity rivals PTE. It's almost that similar build and flavor profile. I'm definitely going to try and get my hands on more of this wonderful beer and try and discover even more nuances.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 19:49:42 | More by HoustonTX

FickleBeast

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle poured into a DFH snifter. Bottle has a blond chick on the front of it... hope I'm entering review in right place.

Pours a very bright yellow / pale copper color with a full finger of fluffy foam. Looks great. Aroma is both hoppy and bready... some nice pacific northwest hop aromas followed by a sweet breadiness.

First sip is sharply bitter, balanced by a thick body and residual sweetness. The sweetness is overwhelmed by the hop bitterness and crisp flavor. But as my palate adjusts to the bitterness, the sweetness comes through a lot more substantially. Quite a complex beer.

All in all very enjoyable, but the 8.9% ABV does come across a little boozy. Many layers of complexity. Very happy with this one, another quality brew from Lagunitas.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 00:56:33 | More by FickleBeast

GRG1313

California

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Lagunitas is a brewery deserving of lots of hype simply because it doesn't make a bad beer. Period. Somehow, we all overlook it when talking about the "great" breweries of the U.S. Lagunitas is right up there with the best.

This one pours a clear amber orange with a short lived short white head.

Nose is light fresh pineapple and light citrus.

Mouthfeel is big, bold, creamy, "filling" and rich. It leaves you really wanting more and has great balance and feel. 8.9% abv but you just don't taste it/feel it.

Flavors are just big, assertive "rich, fresh bitter hop/grapefruit and lemon skin." There is a boldness but a brightness to the flavor profile. It may be one of the most drinkable beers I've had in a long time. Huge flavors yet so inviting you could "gulp it" to satisfy a big thirst.

Finish is very long bitter grapefruit skin with hints of pine. All around a wonderfully drinkable and consumer friendly brew. This could be a daily beer for me (if I had a daily beer).

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2011 00:40:00 | More by GRG1313

CampusCrew

Florida

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Interesting beer. Definitely an IPA style beer. Has some sweetness throughout. Caramel, brown sugar ix minimal but balanced nicely with the loaded citrus hops. Pours golden with some lacing head. Good beer. I would defiantly drink this again. Only knock is again most of their beers have a similar taste.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 00:28:00 | More by CampusCrew

StJamesGate

New York

4.22/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Whipped egg white head that rims like crazy over orange blonde body. That candied pineapple Lagunitas nose I love with a touch of tangerine.
Cookie sweetness with apricot tangerine jam then clementine and pineapple hops. Grainy sweetness as it warms, like zweibeck biscuits.
Zesty finish and slightly oily linger. Light-medium, crisp, soft, some chew.

Is this an alt? Blonde? Strong ale? Related to Lucky 13? Who cares, it’s another Lagunitas aroma hop bomb and that’s enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 15:10:57 | More by StJamesGate

BucannonXC5

California

4.21/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Type: 22-oz. bomber
Glass: Lagunitas mason jar
From: Clem’s Bottle House and Deli
Price: $5.99
Misc.: N/A

Poured a caramel orange clear color with two fingers of white head. Nice uneven, foamy lacing all the way down. Decent retention as well.

Smelled a refreshing surprise of hops up front. Got very sweet floral hops first. Also pine, citrus, sharp, but light grapefruit, lemon, light lime and orange peel. Basically smelled like a floral IPA.

Tasted similar to the smell, which is a good thing. Still reminded me or an IPA more than an American Strong Ale. Got those sweet, sugar floral hops. Nice bitterness on the tongue after. Citrus, lemon, lime, pine, sharp grapefruit. Very good.

Light body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Long, bitter finish.

Really liked this beer. I really didn’t even know what type it was when I bought it and found out home when I checked Beer Advocate (hiding the rating with my hand of course). Another good beer from Lagunitas.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 08:47:16 | More by BucannonXC5

diamondc

Texas

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

A: Crystal clear, bronze, about a finger's worth of head. Not much lacing or foam.

S: Pungent hops here.. grapefruit, lemon, tropical fruits are huge. Awesome.

T: Balanced just right .. toasted caramel malts with a touch of cinnamon balanced out with some great resiny pine hops with not much bitterness aftertaste.

M: A really great drinker. Can't taste the high ABV.

O: Another good Lagunitas beer, nothing extraordinary though. They got the hoppy beers down pat.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 07:16:02 | More by diamondc

dfillius

Michigan

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

Poured into a pint glass
A: Moderate pour yields 1 finger of off-white head with good retention. Crystal clear brass color. Very nice. Slightly better head retention would make this perfect in appearance.
S: Nice tropical fruit hops - mango, candied pineapple. Man Candy. Juicy aroma very similar to Lagunitas Sucks. Sublime and ideal. Slight honey/caramel.
T: Sweetness up front with moderate bitter finish. Hops become dominant not far in with grapefruit and slight pine. Sweet caramelly malt takes a back seat and hangs out in the finish. Some orange juice, some green grape. Complex but a bit cloying. Sweetness brings the score down.
M: Quite bitter. No apparent warmth despite 8.8% Full feeling and round. Dry finish.
O: Loving it! Would order another and buy again. What a deal lagunitas bombers are, $4.49! Alcohol comes through late in the first pint. Not sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 20:58:28 | More by dfillius

Lledd

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

A: Golden straw color with very little head fading quickly leaving little-to-no lacing.

S: Beautiful hops dominate the aroma. Mostly bitter with pleasant notes of citrus. The malt aroma is hard to detect under the hops, but what is there smells sweet and brown-sugary.

T: Delicious. The hops and malt are balanced very nicely and both follow the nose, except the malt is more pronounced in the flavor than it was in the aroma. There is a sourness to the taste. Not a Brett sour however.

M: Thick. A little more carbonation would be nice to cut the sweetness of the malts. My lips are left sticky.

O: Great beer. It smells great and tastes better. I love the balance between the bitter citrus hops and bready sweet malts. I would have liked more carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 22:53:07 | More by Lledd

BucBasil

South Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass from the bomber.

A: The beer is an almost pure orange color with some gold when held to light. Plenty of carbonation rising up in the middle. Head was about 2 fingers, offwhite, and stuck around for about a minute.

S: Surprisingly malty with plenty of bread in there. Also a big sweetness of citrus and/or some berries. Hoppy twinge throughout.

T: At first, I thought to myself, this would be a somewhat weak IPA... then the balance and subtleties start coming out. The malt profile is perfect and there is a nice sweetness throughout. Bread, fruit, some pine in the back. An almost perfectly balanced beer.

F: Nice carbonation, goes down pretty smooth. Some slight stickiness in there.

Overall: This is 8.9%? What?! I feel like I'm drinking a session here with the balanced character, but there is just enough bite to keep me wanting more and focused on the flavors which seem to keep changing. A very nice and very surprising beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 00:54:21 | More by BucBasil

jsprain1

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Pours a dark dull honey color with a thin off white head that stays at a slick but still leaves lots of lacing.
S- The aroma is sweet citrus. The best description I have is candied grapefruit.
T- More of the same here. The citrus flavors are big and bold. There is a certain candy sweetness to it as well. The alcohol is slightly noticable.
M- A bit light for style and abv. There is a certain oily characteristic to it.
O- A good and very tasty beer. Worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2012 23:16:49 | More by jsprain1

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-Pours a glowing marmalade color. Head has orange highlights too. Head is thinner but very concentrated. Sticky, sappy lacing.

S-From the bottle I get a ton of caramel malt and candied grapefruits. When poured, there is plenty of tropical fruit and resiny pine. A bit of booze and also some deluxe malt.

T-Whew. Big, sticky pineapple juice and a ton of grapefruit. Juiciness is matched with big resinous pine. Malt is thick caramel. Finishes very dry and bitter and hempy. Tropical fruits are great. All of the flavors are rich and sturdy.

M-Very resinous and dry. Bitterness lasts forever. Sappy pine. Booze cuts like a dull blade.

O/D-I assumed this was an Altbier because of the name. Turns out this was a beastly hop-laden ale. I really loved it. Not the best Lagunitas, but definitely in the upper tier of their brews. Big, brash, bold and beautiful. Oh, and bitter.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 22:27:06 | More by VelvetExtract

Lemke10

Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I got a single 22oz bottle of this at Woodman’s in Janesville, WI in fall 2012 for $4.39.

Pours a mostly clear amber color with a slightly off-white head. The scent is yeasty mixed with citrus and malts. Taste is bold and delicious. It is a mixture of sweet malts and bitter hops creating a unique blend that finishes slightly dry. Smooth, refreshing and fulfilling for an overall great beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 02:36:00 | More by Lemke10

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance is amber with a hint of gold. Head is relatively light and disappates somewhat quickly to a thin ring around the edge of the glass. Mouthfeel is ok. Smell is heavy hops despite just a 60 IBU. Sweeter malts and sugars help enhance the hoppy flavor which I get mostly spices from. Citrus is present maybe from grapefruit.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 22:43:12 | More by Oakenator

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.16/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

There's no date on the bottle so I'm hoping it's still good. I bought it knowing there was no date but also knowing that it's an ASA near 9% ABV so it should hold up fine.

A: Clear, golden-yellow with a huge, soapy, frothy, bright white head that caves into craters of foam leaving behind tons of lace and really good retention. Very nice.

S: Has the qualities of an Am. BW or ASA that's been in the bottle for a while, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Plenty of older, sweet, resiny hops. Also plenty of sweet, sugary booze. Some lightly toasted, almost caramelized malt and molasses.

T: Boozy hops hit you first. Followed by residual sugars. Then some roasted malt. Great finish. This is definitely an Imperial Blonde. I think that describes it best. Delicious malt presence with a good hop profile to balance it out.

M: Smooth and boozy. Hops don't become cloying which is a surprise judging by age on this beer. None of the sweetness is cloying which is great. Enough hops to almost cleanse the palate with each sip, coercing you to have another mouthful. A pleasure to drink.

O: This beer held up really well. I'm surprised and happy with this bottle. A great beer by itself but as an Imperial Blonde, this was awesome.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 03:48:53 | More by Gatch

Fenris244

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

poured from a 22oz bomber into my jester king grand opening snifter

Pours a pale amber almost gold, thin off white head, little retention, thin strings of carbonation are apparent, this beer is a looker i must say, great clarity and color.

Sweet up front, bits of cider and then the hops set in with some pine, brown sugar notes are there as well, interesting.

Sweet, apple up front then a burst of hops, piney and floral, then the malt sets in, very bready on the finish and it blends with the hop bitterness well.

Very light in mouth feel, crisp and smooth, alcohol is nonexistent.

Overall, weird, nice flavors though, and i would certainly buy this again, hell im thinking of looking for the extra bottle i bought right now

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 05:03:32 | More by Fenris244

JMad

Texas

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I drank this from an English pint glass...

Pours a golden amber color with a thin off white head that left plenty of lacing. The aroma is like candy, lots of caramel and juicy, fruity hops. The taste is bitter up front with some piney hops, sweet caramel malt, a little toasted malt, and a bitter lemony finish. The beer is kind of heavy at first but the finish seems lighter, the carbonation is on point and it has a nice dry finish. I would drink this again, seems more like an IPA to me though.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 03:22:08 | More by JMad

Dope

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Crystal clear reddish amber pour. Decent off-white head but great retention and lacing.

S: Smells like an IPA or a hoppy amber. Strong citrus smell (grapefruit, orange, mango), some resin. A little banana? Hard to tell if that's part of the malt or not. Gotta be some simcoe in here, distinctive smell (or similar) Maybe a little bit of bready malt and brown sugar? Mostly overpowered by the hops.

T: Also tastes mostly like a good hop-forward IPA with maybe a bit of extra malt backbone. Strong citrus hop bite that follows the nose. Some resin in the middle and in the aftertaste. Malt is bready and brown sugar I think.

M: Pretty heavy, accentuated by low carbonation. Hops are bitter and stick around well.

O: Pretty pleased with this. Basically like drinking a big DIPA with a stronger malt base. Strong hops, good balance, smells and looks delicious. Definitely a winner. I'll have to try to find the brunette version to compare.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2011 04:17:54 | More by Dope

adam42381

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 ounce bomber into a New Belgium globe. Bottled on July 6, 2011 according to the Julian dating code on the bottle.

Appearance: Pours a light golden-orange color with a 2 finger fluffy eggshell white head. Excellent head retention which leads to a nice pooling effect in the middle. Very nice lacing.

Smell: Grapefruit, pine and pineapple with a touch of malt in the background. Has that typical Lagunitas aroma I love.

Taste: Bitter citrus and pine up front followed by bready malt and a touch of brown sugar in the middle before ending with a light amount of toasted malt and lemon zest at the finish. Aftertaste is bitter with just a hint of malty sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a good amount of carbonation.

Drinkability: High drinkability. The alcohol is well-masked so you shouldn't have much trouble downing a bomber.

Overall: Very good beer overall. I prefer the original Lucky 13, but this is by no means a miss. Another very good offering from Lagunitas.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 18:11:03 | More by adam42381

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Got this for my parents anniversary. As in, I got it so that I can have an excuse to be piss-drunk on such a special occasion. Poured into a Williamsburg Winery red wine glass.

A: Has a slightly reddish copper color reminiscent of an IIPA, along with a one-finger, near-white head. While it's not particularly sexy by itself, it has decent retention and it leave plenty of spotty lacing on the glass.

S: The nose on this is very tropical. Grapefruit, apricot, mango, whatever citrus fruit you can think of inhabits the nose quite beautifully. There's a little bit of maltiness as well.

T: To me, the taste is primarily IPA, albeit one that's malty, well-balanced, sweet, and pleasantly bitter on the back end. The sweetness of the amber malts open up the body nicely, while the lingering bitterness, though not on the same level of a typical Stone offering (not necessarily a bad thing), is quite pleasant overall. 8.9% ABV? Who the hell are you fooling, Lagunitas?

M: Smooth but slightly syrupy as one would expect from an IPA, and a finish that's a bit sticky and bitter, but as I said, not in the same way a Stone IPA is. Carbonation is moderate.

O: Let's be honest, this fits the winter months in the same way Tim Curry (present-era Tim Curry, by the way, not the sexy bombshell we remember from Rocky Horror Picture Show) fits into a speedo. And while it's more IPA than impy blonde to me, it's still an incredibly enjoyable, almost world-class brew that was a great value to boot ($5 for this?! HELL YES). Get it while you still can!

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 23:26:25 | More by ThisWangsChung