Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild Ale

Another day, another beer from Peteluma, CA's biggest brewery... Lagunitas Brewing Co.  Lagunitas, known for good brews and creative names (I'm not aware of any other company who had a brew name banned from printing like Lagunitas Censored *cough-"Kronik"-cough*).  I picked up a bottle of what I thought was Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale, but as I pulled it out to drink I realized is actually Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild Ale, one of their monthly seasonal beers... here's to new things!

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild Ale poured a light honey color into the glass, crystal clear with several focused points of effervescence on the bottom of the glass that formed a sudsy, sticky off-white head that nearly exploded out of the glass no matter how careful the pour.  The nose was gentle with citrus and persistent undertones of banana. 

Little Sumpin' Wild Ale opened with a well carbonated front that tasted like a sweet peach that was both sticky and slightly cloying.  As the ale closed, banana bread and brown sugar flavors with a slight medicinal bitterness took hold and lingered for a half minute or so.

At 8.75%, Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild Ale isn't a lightweight beer and falls somewhere between a sipping and a session beer.  It was admirable of Lagunitas to let the yeast lead the flavor in this beer, but as someone who hasn't bonded with Belgian style ales I found the combination of sweet and astringent a little off-putting despite a relatively strong hopped front.  Most beer drinkers I know should try it because of it's uniqueness, but I doubt most will grab a second bottle.

Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale Brown Shugga' Substitute

Well, Lagunitas is nothing if not overly honest.  Apparently they blew their production schedule and didn't have room for their winter seasonal Lagunitas Brown Shugga'.  Rather than moving on and hoping no one would notice, they released the self-effacing Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale (Brown Shugga' Substitute).  Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale poured a transparent gold color with medium carbonation trailing to a bright white, half inch foam head.  The nose carried pure mango and pineapple, and immediately reminded me of last night's beer in its similarity to Russian River's Pliny the Elder.


Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale did not fully follow through on the promise of the nose, with the expected sweet pineapple juice at the start almost immediately met with an underlying, resinous bitterness.  Notes of pineapple and tropical fruits lingered throughout the taste, but the roughness of the bitterness and a bit too obvious alcohol heat ultimately stole from the show.  


Make no mistake, there are a lot worse decisions one could make than picking up a six pack of this limited released, but Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale Brown Shugga' Substitute is so close to being a well balanced, sublime beer that the flaws (which are common and not flaws in most IPAs) take away from the experience as a whole.  Cheers to Lagunitas, regardless, and their dedication to honesty and the pursuit of great beer.

Lagunitas Lucky 13 Anniversary Alt Ale

Lagunitas Lucky 13 Alt Ale, a summer seasonal offering from Peteluma’s ubiquitous Lagunitas Brewing Co., poured a lighter color into the glass than I recall from years past; a light, copper brown hue topped with a small white head.  The nose brought forth butterscotch, peach, orange, and a slightly off-putting resinous pine.

Lagunitas Lucky 13 Alt Ale opened smooth, with caramel malt supporting a huge, but somehow blurred, hop profile.  The hops carried forward typical flavors of fruits, citrus, and pine, but were haphazardly formulated and, at times, at odds with each other.  Heavy carbonation exacerbated the issue by adding spice, minerals, and zest to the palette.  The ale ended on an escalated heat and sweet note, not quite cloying but a little rude in the alcohol department. 

Lagunitas Lucky 13 shares the same blessings (and curses) of most Lagunitas offerings- a huge malt and hop bill for a bigger-is-better aesthetic, heat and sweetness that stand out too much in the fade, and an almost reckless hop pairing that leads to some interesting off-notes.  Not really fitting into any one style, I believe Lagunitas was successful in their attempt to make a big, somewhat generic ale to occupy the sub-$4 22oz bomber spot on the shelves for someone looking for something different. 

Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Wild

Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Wild, a special-release from the tricksters at Lagunitas Brewing Company, poured a crystal clear, soft golden brown into the glass and was topped by a small, sticky white head.  The nose carried funky banana, herb, and pepper notes... very wild smelling.

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild ale opened with a spicy orchard fruit start.  The middle became very herbal, with mint, basil, and grass coming through surprisingly strong.  As the ale faded it became very peppery and dry, with some heat being picked up from the high ABV.

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild is exactly that, WILD.  Having spent months exploring the funky world of farm and wild ales, this is one of the more surprising, especially coming from Lagunitas.  Frankly, the herbality of the yeast brings this ale close to drinking like a gruit in the middle.  Hats off to Lagunitas, heading to the fridge to grab another.

Lagunitas Baravian-Styled Doppel Weizen

Lagunitas Bavarian-Styled Doppel Weizen, another unlikely, European-inspired one off from the typically hop-centric Lagunitas Brewing, poured a hazy dark orange into the glass, capped with a thin, bright white head fed by a mild amount of carbonation.  The nose carried candy-sweet Belgian yeast notes of banana, clove, candied-orange peel, and a noticeable amount of alcohol.


Lagunitas Bavarian-Styled Doppel Weizen opened sharp and sweet, with aciduated wheat tang lying under layers of candi sugar and glaze sweetness.  The cloves came through in the beginning, but were quickly overtaken by bananas and alcohol.  The Weizen went through a series of transitions through spices and dried fruit as it firmed up and ended on a sweet and peppery creamy fade.


Lagunitas Bavarian-Styled Doppel Weizen accomplishes what Lagunitas set out to do, and tastes miles away from their typical offerings.  Leaning on the sweet side of the spectrum and not hiding the alcohol well, I don't see this being beer one would go back to in the same night, but as a sipper it works just fine.

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale, a seasonal offering from Lagunitas celebrating their 20 day shut-down by the California Alcohol Control Board after freely gifting marijuana to tasters at a beer tasting, poured a deep amber color in the glass with a large, frothy tan head.  The nose was aggressively hopped, withe grapefruit and other citrus fruits leading over a sweet, caramel background.


Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale opened surprisingly sweeter than its nose, bready with candi sugar, before the citrus hops came in to lighten up the body.  As the ale mellowed a distinct alcohol heat came through that warmed more in the chest than in the mouth.  


Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale is another brash, unapologetic offering from Lagunitas that makes no bones about showing off the ABV in heat and aggressiveness.  Undercover Investigation is less thick and sweet than their similar, high ABV offerings, which both helped in making me want to open a second one and hurt in hiding the heat with a dessert-like taste.

Lagunitas Limited Release 2011 Olde GnarlyWine Barley Wine

The barley wine style is to beer what port is to wine… big, audacious, something to be sipped on and relished for those with the patience and fortitude.  That said, some drink easier than others, and last year’s release of GnarlyWine by Lagunitas proved to be one of the most easy to drink and session-worthy barley wine style ales I’ve tried.  With great expectations, I open Lagunitas Limited Release 2011 Olde GnarlyWine.   

Lagunitas Gnarlywine poured a slightly carbonated reddish orange into the glass with a foamy, yellow-orange head.  The nose was centered around a pine hop profile, with more exotic hints of anise and caramel.

 

Lagunitas GnarlyWine met my palette with a piney start that was immediately rounded out and mellowed by sweet melon and vanilla flavors.  Hints of licorice and brown sugar showed up as the hops faded and the ale warmed, but not as aggressive or cloying as I’ve come to expect from a barley wine.  GnarlyWine ended with a warm, alcohol and toasty, dry mouth feel.

At 10.12 ABV and only sold in 22oz bottles, Lagunitas GnarlyWine is a commitment one shouldn’t make before an important meeting, but it’s an enjoyable drink for starting off a night of relaxation… just make sure it isn’t drinking so easy you pop open a second!

Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Ale

Big, bold and aggressive, Lagunitas is never one to pull punches, so I'm walking into this tasting eyes wide open and cracking open a bottle of their New Year's seasonal release; Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Ale.

Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball Ale poured a crystal-clear deep crimson in the glass with mild carbonation and a thin, sticky head.  The nose was piny and had strong tones of brown sugar and alcohol.

Lagunitas Hairy eyeball Ale drank very aggressive, with an oak-like grip to the mouth feel (no oak flavors) and a dark sweetness that hit the back of my jaw.  The body of the ale was pure sugar and alcohol, and the ale ended on a long, dry bitter fade.

Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball Ale is more a physical experience than a tasting one.  It is big and bold, and maybe a little less nuanced than one would think once they get past the aggressive start.  Certainly an American strong ale worthy of drinking, but the newer waves of craft brewers are doing strong ales easier to drink and with more complexity... just not in an affordable six pack.

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale

Wow.  Yesterday's beer was terrible!  I'm leaning on a NorCal favorite, Lagunitas Brewing Co. to make up for it.  As a hop head, I turned to Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale for a redemption. 

Hop Stoopid poured a clear orange in the glass, with a soapy head.  Big mango and tropical fruit (am I just getting lucky with my IPAs?) dominated the nose. 

Despite it's aggressive name and 102 IBUs, Hop Stoopid drank smooth, with a big strawberry-mango front aggressively hopped, leading to a bright middle where the hops took center stage and closing on a slightly syrupy, bitter note. 

Lagunitas' Hop Stoopid is sure to titillate beer drinkers who have earned their stripes but isn't likely to make a convert out of a hops hater.