DayTime - Lagunitas Brewing Company

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.98/5  rDev +23.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A-very yellow gold with a nice thick white head

S-oh wow! this smells amazing. comes in with a scent of super sweet grapefruit and just a touch of sea water. really impressed here

T-it comes in with a very crisp taste of fresh hoppy grains. the grapefruit is still there, though slightly muted. there's a certain amount of peppery spice to it as well. this just tastes amazing. there's some slightly tart nectarine in the after-taste. i'm not lying about these flavors. they're all there. this is quite amazing.

M-medium creamy carbonation with a creamy finish

O-i knew i was going to like this, i like almost everything from Lagunitas, but this time they went above and beyond. they brought so much complexity out of such a little beer. this is the sort of find that makes trying new beers my hobby. this is just beautiful.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 01:05:12 | More by AdamBear

DonDirkA

Arizona

4.93/5  rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Now you can finally enjoy a sessionable IPA that wont make you take an afternoon nap. Nose is very citrus. Orange, grapefruit, tangerine, clementine, some pine and a very subtle malt profile. The taste is lemon, tangerine, tangelo, slight grapefruit, orange peel and just a bit of honey. Really awesome hop profile for such a low ABV beer. And it tastes so fresh! I know its not a fresh hop ale but it has that fresh, wet taste. The hop profile here is actually better (in my opinion) than some of the uber-hopped ales like Palate Wrecker and Ruination. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 09:47:42 | More by DonDirkA

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.83/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Damn, Lagunitas hits it again with this brew! Served with a nice sized foamy, cream-colored head that slowly settles to a light cover and lots of lace. Color is a clear, pale gold with plenty of bubble trails. Aroma is a very pleasing and aromatic blend of hop, malt, caramel, fruit, citrus, with a bit of pine. Flavor's like nose, sweet/bitter/carbonic tang all perfectly balanced. Body is perhaps a trifle thin, carbonation is great. Finish is like flavor, average length, and superbly drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2012 01:37:07 | More by drpimento

shand

Florida

4.78/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Let me just come right out and say it - I love this beer. Lagunitas Daytime pours a gold-tinged yellow with a finger of white head. The aroma is so good. So, so good. Do you like citrus, tropical, and piney hops? Great, because that's all you'll get on the nose here. No malts, no wheat, just hops. The taste is, similarly, a hop bomb of epic proportions. Well, as epic as you'll get at sub-5% ABV, that is. There's really nothing but citrus, tropical, and piney hops here, it's like drinking a hop soda. So good. The mouthfeel is light and a bit too "oily", probably because of the massive amount of hops that Daytime has when compared to it's malt bill. The drinkability is fantastic. The fact that this beer is a seasonal absolutely guts me. Daytime is really right up there with Hill Farmstead's Edward for the extra-hopped APA or "session IPA" category. A superb brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 17:59:50 | More by shand

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.75/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very straw colored light yellow, nice white head on the top of it, .75" in depth. Aroma, massive green vegetal hops all up in your grill. Just a shitton of hops in here, oh so pleasant, I don't know if it can get any better than this! The six pack I bought, I waited on the last bottle for about a month to drink, the aroma was still great, but had faded slightly, as to be expected.

Taste, just so light, lets nothing get in the way of the pungent hops. Pine and pineapple to a lesser degree. The beer is so simple. Ultra light malt, ultra bodacious hopping. So easy to drink over and over. I had mine while disc golfing, laying around the pool, tailgating, shooting bottles. There's so much of a light body, you could really pick any type of fruit flavor descriptor coming from the hops, it can hit you with papaya and mango, then apple, pear, whatever. There's just nothing getting in the way of some pretty dynamic hopping.

While Alpha Session and Humulus XPA were my go to light hoppy beers, those are expensive and difficult to obtain. Move over, Lagunitas Daytime is now the daytime, err, session, err whatever champion in my book.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 23:20:10 | More by Beerandraiderfan

NorCalBeerBlog

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

Appearance: Pours a clear golden yellow with a fluffy white head and decent lacing.

Aroma: Light citrus and pine hop aroma and toasted malts. Smells great!

Taste: Pine and citrus hops (grapefruit galore) balanced well with toasted malts. A light, crisp, refreshing beer – tastes more like a Pale Ale than an IPA, but the taste is addictive. I'm ready to open another. It really is a Day Time beer.

Overall: I am certainly glad I picked up a six-pack of Lagunitas Brewing Company’s Day Time – A Fractional IPA. At 4.9% ABV I could see drinking a couple of these with lunch without a worry of being fully functional. The cost is a bit prohibitive at $9.99 a six pack. Something about low ABV beers costing this much is a hindrance, but if you want that GREAT Lagunitas flavor in a sessionable beer, this one is for you!

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 20:47:11 | More by NorCalBeerBlog

beerpadawan

California

4.7/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Grapefruit, bathing suit, chew a little juicy fruit...

I am hesitant to give super high ratings, always thinking that I am giving short shrift to something better. Here, I don't know that Lagunitas could have executed their objective with this beer with more success.

The sprite nose bursts with grapefruit-citrus and tropical hops. Very fresh and inviting.

The flavor follows, with bright hoppiness. Throughout the quaff it is clean and light, finishing dry. Despite the light body and paleness of the malt, it is not unbalanced. The hoppiness is tilted to the aroma, with restrained bitterness that makes for a refreshing drink. It is not astringent at all. Just drinkable yet very flavorful.

I would enjoy this during the daytime, night time, or any time.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 21:57:03 | More by beerpadawan

elNopalero

Texas

4.65/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I’m loving this brew. For some reason (not completely unfounded) I’m thinking of it as the “lite” beer version of an IPA.

It pours a light, thin golden yellow with thin soapy foam that leaves thick & foamy residue.
I get the characteristic hoppy Lagunitas signature hop profile in the aroma with a freshly squeeze lemony note dominating. Additionally, there’s some orange some onion, and a light & pleasant catty aroma. It’s crisp and refreshing.

The flavor has more of the dominating lemony freshness with a lean finish and light bitterness. I can’t get enough of this one—here’s hoping it joins the regular line-up, at the regular Lagunita’s prices.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 01:30:34 | More by elNopalero

popery

California

4.58/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pale yellow, perfectly transparent. Rocky white head, slow to dissipate. Nice enough lacing.

The beer smells of hops, bright and fresh. Pineapples, lemons, mangoes, grapefruit, oranges, pine and a hint of grass - in that approximate order of strength. Little malt presence to be found. Very clean ale yeastiness in the background.

It's refreshing and flavorful, dry and crisp. Despite all of the hoppiness, the beer isn't very bitter. It focuses on more delicate, complex hop flavors over bitterness. The hop notes from the aroma show up on the tongue, and you just get a mouthful of bright fruity hop flavors. The finish has a gentle bite, and there's a lingering pine resin note. The malt is well in the background and very light, just a hint of sugary, doughy malt.

Mouthfeel is light, crisp and very slightly oily with hops. It feels bright and clean all the way down.

This is wonderful stuff, and I would love to see Lagunitas make DayTime into a year-round offering. Perfect for a long session - I've found a new Sunday football beer. It's very easy to drink and wonderfully bright with fresh hop flavors. DayTime seems like an apt name, as it feels like a sunny beer, if that makes sense. I'm loving this mini wave of session IPAs and hope to see it turn into a larger trend in the beer world.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 04:50:38 | More by popery

jjanega08

Minnesota

4.55/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

No freshness dating

A= Pours a light amber almost yellow color with a thin white head on it that leaves some spotty lacing and holds average retention.

S= Smells nice and citrusy. Big grapefruit aroma and a nice pollen to it from the hops. A nice little sweetness to back it up and add to the citrus aroma.

T= The taste is about at citrusy as I've had in an IPA. The toned down alcohol lets the hops shine through a little more leaving a very very drinkable beer. Most IPAs have a grapefruit flavor for the citrus taste but this is almost mellow enough to taste like an orange with a little zest in it. So good.

M= Light and easy drinking.

O= A very very very solid beer. I'm happy this was made because I can't drink a normal IPA when I study because the ABV is a little high and kicks my ADD into high gear. This is just about perfect. Keep up the good work Lagunitas.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 01:34:02 | More by jjanega08

tzieser

Arizona

4.55/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: poured from a 12oz bottle into a standard pint glass. crystal clear, straw in color with a fluffy white head that sticks to the sides of the glass for a long time. good carbonation.

S: lots of citrus hop aroma with some bready malts.

T: bold citrus hop flavor with a crispy malt bill. finishes clean and slightly dry. alcohol is very well hidden. well done

M: good mouthfeel.

does a perfect job of being a session IPA. light body, not too bitter and low abv. highly reccomended.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 18:50:03 | More by tzieser

djbreezy

Washington

4.53/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - transparent yellow, strong carbonation, medium head and lacing, good retention

Smell - aromas of citrus hops, refreshing and light

Taste - grapefruit hop profile dominates, body is there more in mouthfeel than flavor, lemon and citrus

Mouthfeel - medium body, well carbonated, light dryness but not too bad

Overall - delicious, crisp, hop forward and citrusy ipa, great session beer, amazing flavor for the abv

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 02:34:37 | More by djbreezy

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12 oz bottle. cant seem to find a bottled on date.

A: very clear blond body. pretty to look at. head is bright white and full of bubbles. retention is good as is the lacing.

S: an onslaught of inviting aromas. pine and lime. passion fruit. pomegranate. kiwi.

T: mangos, kiwi. bubblegum. perhaps even a little minty. definitely minty. the hop profile is so fresh and refreshing it is very hard to not take massive gulps at each visit to the glass. finish has a twang of grain, but it is so light the grain is certainly fleeting at best. there is a herbal linger in the finish, but it is not overly lasting.

M: moderate amount of carbonation. light bodied. very light bodied.

D: reminds me a little of bodied down west coast ipa from green flash. really fucking tasty. super drinkable. couldnt ask for much more. hope to see this as a year-round from the brewers at lagunitas.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 03:31:35 | More by Jimmys

Hatzilla

California

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Clear straw body with a fluffy white head and nice lacing.

S: Very tropical nose. Mango, peach , grass, grapefruit and pine.

T: Piney, grassy and grapefruity. Nice hoppy flavor, and much lighter than standard Lagunitas fare.

M: Light body, smooth, medium carb with a very dry finish.

O: This is a great low-ABV offering that I hope becomes available year-round. As much as I love their stronger offerings, it is nice to have a sessionable beer from Lagunitas. I will agree with others that the style seems odd, more of an APA in my book. Extremely drinkable and highly recommended. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 03:59:18 | More by Hatzilla

MrMcGibblets

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a: straw/light gold color, clear, minimal white head. looks like a macro lager, actually.
s: unbelievable aroma for a lower abv beer. citrusy, piney hop aromas burst out of the glass. some melon/tropical fruit as well, and some biscuity, crackery malt underneath.
t: follows suit. the touch of very lightly sweet crackery malt is just barely enough to manage the hop flavors. surprisingly, the hop bitterness doesn't overwhelm-it seems as if they extracted more hop flavor than bitterness. finish is very crisp and dry-moreish.
m: this is where i'm sure his beer comes down for most, but i think it may be what they intended. very light body is very refreshing and clean, begging another sip.
o/d: love that they went for a flavorful, low abv hop bomb, and got away with such a pale malt base. i'm no brewer but i think this showcases their expertise-this is flawless considering there is nowhere to hide with his one. wish this was in their standard lineup. this grew on me the more i had, had to force myself not to have "just one more" after a few.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 12:16:35 | More by MrMcGibblets

Gatch

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Light, clear, golden-yellow in color with a big, bubbly, frothy, white head that leaves behind great lace and some good retention.

S: Bitter, piney, fresh, citrusy American hops. Lemon, grass, and pine/cedar show up the most.

T: Like the nose but there is a malt presence in the finish that balances this beer out. The taste and body seem a little watered down but the hop flavor is full and delicious. Flavor is great when the beer is poured cold to when it warms up after being in the glass/bottle for a while.

M: Dry and refreshing with the right amount of bitterness and a perfect amount of carbonation. It should go without saying...incredibly drinkable. But also a joy to drink.

O: It was easy to put down five of these on a Sunday during football. Lagunitas didn't sacrifice flavor or the drinking experience when they brewed this "session" IPA. Highly recommended.

Note: I'm reviewing this beer based on the subcategory of "Session IPA," therefore the high score.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 22:20:50 | More by Gatch

RBassSFHOPit2ME

California

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled the 234 day of 2012 (August 22) Today is 9/4 so just under 2 weeks old.

A - A Clear light yellow straw color, solid activity and head retains throughout each sip, pretty good.

S - Pow!! Potent aroma for a beer under 5% ABV. Smells like an IPA for sure. Huge Grapefruit, earthiness, prickly pine and as it warms the classic house lagunitas profile becomes apparent. Crackery malt there in the background...but you know this one is all about the hops.

T - I originally wanted to give this department a 4. But as it warmed up, I had to realize that this much hop forward flavor at 4.65% is unheard of. Warrants a 4.5 for sure. All the same attributes as the nose. So much better as it warms...

M - Again, as it warms, more body becomes apparent. Crisp, Dry, Clean and easy drinking. This is the best sesssion hop forward beer I've had under 5%.

O - Are there better IPAs out there? Well...yes. But my high scoring comes from the amount of hop aroma and flavor packed into a beer under 5% as I believe Lagunitas NAILED the session IPA style better than anyone else for my palate.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 23:55:28 | More by RBassSFHOPit2ME

bsp77

Minnesota

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Imperial Pint.

Appearance: Wow, this is a really light colored beer. Straw yellow with initial, bubbly, stark white head.

Smell: Very tropical, with mango, grapefruit and a butt-load of sweet peaches. Underlying dry spiciness as well.

Taste: Dry malt backbone of tea and biscuit (very English for Lagunitas). The hops are definitely not English with the same tropical notes evident in the aroma. The finish is a little spicy, but not bitter at all.

Feel: Light, firm body with lively carbonation. Very dry finish.

Overall: Excellent session beer, and (other than the hops) much more English-like than I expected. Certainly not really an IPA; more like a Tropically Bitter. I am going to be blasphemous here, and say I think I may like this better than Sucks.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 21:20:01 | More by bsp77

bound4er

Wisconsin

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A. Light yellow to straw appearance with a nice, slowly receding white head.

S. Tropical fruit (lemon, pineapple, mango) and a bit of piney, weedy funk.

T. A hint of bready malt upon entry and then a nice wave of tropical and pine hop flavors takes over. Steers clear of being overly bitter while at the same time revealing no malt sweetness. Well crafted stuff.

M. Light to medium bodied with just the right amount of carbonation.

O. This is an excellent session beer - may be the best tasting <5% ABV beer I've had to date. It is packed with flavor and is very easy to drink - a wicked combination. Nicely done and hopefully this will be back around for next summer's warm weather quaffing.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 01:59:39 | More by bound4er

nickfl

Florida

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours with one finger of white foam on top of a clear, golden body. The head settles fairly quickly but leaves good lace on the glass.

S - Lots of fruity hops with a background of light malt, notes of pineapple, mango, and orange.

T - Light, bready malt up front with some pine and orange hop flavors. A more tropical hop profile comes out in the middle with notes of pineapple and mango. The beer finishes with dry, bready malt, frity hops, and light bitterness.

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

D - Very nicely done, this beer has the body and bitterness of a cream ale, but the hop aroma and flavor of a well made hoppy pale ale. Some other session IPAs get caught by excessive bitterness that ruins the drink ability but this beer is perfectly balanced yet extremely hoppy. A six pack of this would not last long around my house.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 03:46:23 | More by nickfl

Mosstrooper

California

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from 12oz bottle into Duvel tulip glass.

Appearance: Clear, bright gold with a small, thin white head that leaves behind more lace than expected.

Smell: Tropical fruit and citrus (grapefruit and lemon). Also some pine notes in the background.

Taste: Begins with tropical fruitiness that turns into breadiness and finishes with pleasant citric hops and a balanced bitterness in the background.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with balanced carbonation and a mildly dry finish.

Overall: A solid all-round IPA. However, I'm going to give this category a 5- it is rare to find a beer with this much hop depth that is also so easily drinkable and has a low enough ABV to be this sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 22:06:45 | More by Mosstrooper

alexgash

Connecticut

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz. bottle.

Light golden straw body. Clear. Finger of creamy, eggshell white head. Good lacing. Big hop nose, with notes of mango, pineapple, grapefruit, mandarin orange, and some pine resin. Faint traces of sugar cookie malt, but this is all about the hops.

Mineral water bitterness starts out, along with lightly toasted grains. Fresh, juicy citrus hop flavors take over, as bitterness increases. Strong flavors of pineapple, orange, mango, cat pee, and pine sap take turns delighting the palate. Some cookie malt underneath it all, but the hops steal the show. Medium bodied with moderately creamy feel. One of the best "session" ipas I have had. Makes me excited for the next arrival of Lagunitas Sucks...

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 21:29:15 | More by alexgash

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

12 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a medium straw color with fantastic clarity. I'd say it looks like a pilsner, but not many pilsners I've seen featured the kind of frothy, thick head this one does. The two finger eggshell colored head retains acceptably.

S: This has the smell I'm accustomed to from Lagunitas IPAs, with a combination of herbal 'green-ness' and grapefruit peel. Just a faint hint of sweetness abounds, as well.

T: The malts here are very neutral and crackery, and are seemingly only there to provide a canvas for the hops to shine. Speaking of, the hops start out as being slightly piny and herbal, before gradually transitioning to a citrusy finish. This has a combination of lightness and balance, which equals massive drinkability.

M: Clean, dry, and refreshing. There are some accumulating hop oils after a while, but hardly enough to ruin drinkability. It's not 'watery' per se, but it goes down like hop-flavored water.

O: I'm not normally this much above the rAvg on one of my reviews, and even less normally willing to give out 5's, but this has everything I look for in an IPA. It's light, crisp, juicy, somewhat inexpensive, and even slightly complex. Put simply, I could buy this stuff by the case and never get tired of it.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 21:27:19 | More by ThisWangsChung

Bitter_Echo

Michigan

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours and looks like a pils! The lightest IPA I've tried: Chrysanthemum yellow, with low head and extensive lacing. Smells floral and citrus hops, with few piney, resinous notes...maybe I'm getting mostly cascade hops. Taste is terrific, I think. Not very malt forward, which is good, and the bitter notes are prominent but not too large, with a bit of everything I like, and a little dry. But bitter notes don't float long, which is too bad. Mouth-feel is smooth, fast, carbonation is moderate, overall good here too. I think this is designed and is a terrific session IPA...and one I'd be happy to have another time. Hopefully soon.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 22:20:15 | More by Bitter_Echo

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

4.45/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Clear light yellow with a foamy white head. Fairly light for an IPA.

S - Hoppy and resiny with tropical fruits and green hops. The green hop aroma has been very dank and weed like when fresh. Light malt in background but is not needed when there is such a wonderful hop aroma.

T - Citrus sweetness followed by tropical fruits and grassy hops. Light malt character, maybe just enough to balance it out but the hops shine in this one.

M - Light and crisp. Very smooth.

D - This might be my favorite beer of 2012. I like the fairly low abv with a ton of hop flavor and aroma.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 01:13:12 | More by brewcrew76