Lagunitas Maximus Review

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. | Beer: Maximus
Style: American Double India Pale Ale | ABV: 7.5% | IBUs: 72
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

Not quite as big as Hop Stoopid, but bigger than their IPA, Maximus is Lagunitas' "small" Double IPA. Apparently, it's a similar recipe to the IPA, but with "more hops, more alcohol and more body."

Unfortunately, Lagunitas doesn't disclose the hop or malt varieties employed, but I think it's safe to assume there are hops in here that start with the letter "C."

As is tradition here on PintLog, with any Lagunitas beer I post the lovable and sprawling madness found on the bottom of the six-pack holder:

Big beers are good and Big IPAs are even better. But it's kinda like, well, first you ride some great wheelies and then you get it in your head to try jumping stuff. Maybe you start with a ramp in the driveway and then you move on to bigger things like a real cougar and rattle snakes. It's a rush and all your friends think you're pretty cool, but eventually even that's not enough so you jump through fire, over some trucks, some Dodge's and Semi's, a fountain, and later a pile of wrecked cars. While making strong beers it's hard to screw the pooch and end up steppin' off into a rag doll boogie, but your taste buds can get bent and over time you start thinkin' that only bigger is better. Eventually you jump your beer over the Snake Canyon and end up on the news in the river with a headache. We do dig our beers big and we do dig an occasional Flip n' Whip, a solid McMetz, or a Nack grab... but balance is still the most important skill and the MAXIMUS IPA is exactly that. Ask anyone. Ride a pint. Taste the hops. Slurp the malt. Drink the Juice. Live to ride another day...

Hmmm, alright. Well, let's pour this bad boy out and "ride the pint."

Appearance: A crystal-clear clear, orange-brown body. On top, a finger of fluffy, off-white head that leaves good lacing.

Aroma: A complex hop profile that's hard to pin down: perfumey, floral, earthy, piney, and candied citrus. Underneath it all, a solid dose of caramel malt.

Taste: Much the same combination here: pungent, earthy, and citrusy hops over caramel malt. While the hop character is certainly not as big as you'd expect with the name and marketing, it's still very tasty. With everything going on, the alcohol is masked well. The aftertaste is nicely bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full bodied and almost creamy. Somewhat dry.

Drinkability: With a milder hop profile and alcohol content, this is above average for the style.

Verdict: Despite it's name, Maximus is certainly on the lower end of the Double IPA intensity scale. If you like pungent hops in your beer, this is certainly worth trying; just don't expect a total hop-bomb.

Grade: A-

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale Review

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. | Beer: Hop Stoopid Ale
Style: American Double India Pale Ale | ABV: 8.0% | IBUs: 102
Serving Method: 22 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

Lagunitas is a company known for hoppy beers, so when their hoppiest beer showed up here in Houston, I was thrilled. As good as their IPAs and Double IPAs had been to me, I couldn't wait to try their biggest hoppy beer was.

Apparently, the idea behind Hop Stoopid was to cram as many different types of hops into the bottle as possible. Unfortunately though, they don't list the hop bill so we'll have to take their word for it. They also don't provide any details on the malt bill, so we'll just have to guess there, too.

With Double IPAs, you usually get lots of "extreme" marketing that challenges or dares you to try the beer. Tired of all the weak innuendo, Lagunitas has thrown down the gauntlet and upped the game with the the text found on Hop Stoopid's label:

"Give it to Mikey, he'll drink anything!" Up the bomber went in toast, then to his lips, and what happened next could not have been foreseen. Hop Stoopid, a slick re-animator green fluid oozed from the bottle. When it crossed his teeth and came in contact with the bitterness flavor receptors on his tongue, his eyes rolled back in his head, he did sort of a death rattle, a cloud crossed the Sun, an all his hair fell out. A spot on the side of his cheek blistered and a little bit of juice squirted out laterally starting a small fire. The rest of his head did the Indiana Jones melting Nazi thing, and as his head drained down his shirt and into the open stump of his esophagus, a little whistling noise came from the navel, which burst open and onto his pals, one in the forehead and the other in the eye. Finally, the carcass slumped forward in a gelatinous mess, caught fire, and burned for three weeks.

Here's hoping there was some level of hyperbole in there, because I have things to do later today.

Appearance: A crystal-clear, orange-amber body that's lighter than most Double IPAs. Up top there's two fingers of creamy, off-white head that features great retention and lacing.

Aroma: Moderately pungent and citrusy hops over sweet, biscuity malt.

Taste: Up front, a hop profile of pine, pineapple, grapefruit that is mildly bitter given the style. The malt backbone, as one might predict given the hue, is notably paler than the average Double IPA. The aftertaste is mildly bitter and biscuity but trails off a little quickly.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with good carbonation and a dry finish.

Drinkability: Above average for the Double IPA style.

Verdict: Hop Stoopid is a tasty beer, but perhaps a little plain compared to other Double IPAs. Maybe it's the way the beer is hopped, maybe it's the paler than normal malt base, or maybe it's the combination of both factors, but at the end of the day this comes off as an easier drinking and slightly less bitter take on the Double IPA. Also, props for the price point.

Grade: A-

Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Review

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. | Beer: The Hairy Eyeball
Style: American Strong Ale | ABV: 8.8% | IBUs: 57
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

Here we have another Stong Ale from Lagunitas. Once again there's a little bit of confusion as to what category this beer falls in—Strong Ale or Barleywine. From what I can tell, Strong Ale seems most fitting, but who really knows. These jerks sure like making it difficult for me to fit their beers in neat little boxes, don't they?

Anyway, The Hairy Eyeball is Lagunitas' Winter seasonal. There's not many published details about specific ingredients out there, save for a mention on their website that "several types of crystal malt" are used.

It's become traditional here on PintLog to post the wonderfully batshit-insane text that accompanies each Lagunitas beer, so without further ado, here's what can be found on the six-pack holder The Hairy Eyeball:

We hope you enjoy our Mondo-ultra-mega-super-premium Holiday Offering. We first brewed this five years ago while in our Ross Street Petaluma brewery and have looked brewery and have looked forward to its' return every solstice season since. For us, these are days of light and hope in the midst of the darkest months of the year. A time when we reflect on the possibilities of the coming year even as our present days are bourne ceaselessly and forever into the past. Hold close what is important to you this season and share what matters—thoughts, meals, long walks, a knowing look from across a crowded room, maybe even a beer. We all are all we have left, and in a world that is ever less forgiving, it's good to have friends.

That was a little sweeter and less rambling than normal—warms the heart, doesn't it? To be honest, I'm slightly worried this might end up a little too similar to Brown Shugga', but I'm optimistic. Let's get to it.

Appearance: Dense dark brown body with ruby highlights. A tannish head clocks in just shy of a finger high and great curtains of lace.

Aroma: Lots of sweet, caramelized, almost burnt malt with some dark fruit and a healthy dose of booze.

Taste: Still lots of sweet caramel malt and dark fruit with a little spiciness mixed in and a decent splash of hops for some balance. The alcohol is kept in check, but is a constant companion.

Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and smooth with low carbonation.

Drinkability: A sipper, but perhaps a little above average for the style.

Verdict: Hairy Eyeball is somewhat similar to Brown Shugga', but certainly different enough to warrant its existence. Perfect for a cold and drizzly day like today. I'll be aging a couple of bottles next to the bottles of Brown Shugga' to see how it evolves.

Grade: B+

Lagunitas 2009 Correction Ale Review

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. | Beer: 2009 Correction Ale
Style: American India Pale Ale | ABV: 6.3% | IBUs: 74
Serving Method: 22 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

It's that time again, time to review another hoppy limited edition Lagunitas brew with a nebulous style and oddball name. Always an enjoyable, though perhaps not earth-shaking, experience, these beers are usually worth a try (or two).

What we have here is 2009 Correction Ale, what the label claims that is is "NOT a Double IPA, just a good American Ale." I'm calling an American IPA based on it's vitals: 6.3& ABV and 74 IBUs.

As is the case with most Lagunitas brews, the label here features some pretty wacky copy. Check it out:

I think we're all Bozos on this bus... I mean, really—who would ever have given their money to a guy with a name like 'Made-Off'? If one day an oily guy named Soprano showed up at your door wearing a suit that said Countrywide offering free money; who would have taken it? Isn't 'free money' an oxymoron? If it was all too good to be true, it was. Wasn't the end in sight when 'Flip This House' went on television...? In the future 2009 will be there with 1929, 1941, and 1968. OK, we ALL partied down and, YES, we took some liberties with some of our female guests. Nut now it's the day after Mardi Gras when everyone kneels down and prays. Apparently, it really is possible to have too much fun. But it is far better to have partied and lost than never to have partied at all. Gracefully surrender the things of 2008. Smoke a fag, drink a beer, and buy toothpaste... in that order. Live to party again...

Alright... Well, let's crack the bottle and see what the beer is like.

Appearance: A crystal-clear golden-amber body capped by two fingers of creamy off-white head that features good retention and lacing.

Aroma: A blast of bright, floral, and mildly pungent hops with fruit character that ranges from citrus to pineapple. Underneath the hops is a somewhat meek pale malt base.

Taste: True to the aroma—piney, citrusy, and mildly bitter hops over a toasty pale malt backbone. As you'd expect from an IPA, the balance is certainly tipped towards the hop side of the equation. A nicely bitter aftertaste that endures well.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with good carbonation and some oiliness. Dries in the finish.

Drinkability: A very sessionable IPA; the bomber disappeared rapidly.

Verdict: Correction is certainly a tasty little IPA, and I could drink it all night long. I'd love to see this start showing up in six packs, rather than 22 ounce bombers.

Grade: A-

Note: While this review is being published in January, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh last June.

Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale Review

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. | Beer: Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale
Style: American Strong Ale | ABV: 9.7% | IBUs: 72
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into tulip glass

Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale takes its name from an incident in 2005, when undercover California Alcoholic Beverage Control agents busted the brewery on charges of "disorderly house" and "moral turpitude" when they found people smoking weed on brewery premises. The organization revoked the brewery's license, and they ended up enduring a three week suspension (during which they installed a new bottling line).

Lagunitas refer to all of this as the "2005 St. Patrick's Day Massacre." This beer is a nice little middle finger the California ABC, and yet somehow won label approval from them. If you end up trying this one out, I recommend you read the ramblings on the bottom of the six-pack holder, though they might make more sense if you read it after drinking some of the contents.

Undercover is categorized by the brewery as an "Imperial Mild," which they freely admit is an oxy-moron. Since that style doesn't really exist, I (as most others) have classified this as an American Strong Ale. The American Strong Ale style is a bit of a catch-all, but I think it works for this beer. You could probably make a case for this being a Double IPA, as the lines can be pretty blurry. But, with just 72 IBUs, I'm sticking with American Strong Ale.

But that's all just splitting hairs—what really matter is how it tastes.

Appearance: A beautiful red-orange body with two fingers of off-white head that leaves good lacing.

Aroma: There's a flood of hops the second the bottle is opened. The hop profile is intense and smells grapefruity, piney, and almost candied. Underneath all of this there's lots of sweet, almost syrupy, malt.

Taste: It's much the same in flavor. A hardy does of grapefruity and piney hops over a big, sweet malt backbone. Most of the alcohol is hidden rather well, and what remains is pleasant. The aftertaste keeps the hop-fest going.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full bodied with good carbonation and a little alcohol in the throat. It coats the mouth well, allowing for some great aftertaste retention.

Drinkability: Despite the high ABV and large flavor profile, this still goes back relatively fast, giving this above-average drinkability for the style.

Verdict: Since Laguintas has quite a full lineup of American Strong Ales, one would expect them to be pretty good at crafting them by now. So, it's no surprise that Shut-Down is a solid example of the style. It's may not be the most intense or interesting Strong Ale out there, but it's tasty, quite drinkable, and features an interesting focus on hops.

Grade: B+

Note: While this review is being published in September, the tasting notes contained within were taken when the beer was fresh this past March.

Lagunitas Brown Shugga' Review

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. | Beer: Brown Shugga'
Style: American Strong Ale | ABV: 9.5%
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

While brewing a batch of their Old Gnarlywine back in 1998, things went a little askew at the Lagunitas brewery. But instead of just ditching the batch, they saw the process through and ended up liking the finished product so much that they ended up bottling and selling it. And that's how this beer, Brown Shugga', was born.

There's a bit of confusion as to whether this is a Barleywine or an American Strong Ale, but I ended up going with the latter based on what I could find online. Unfortunately, Lagunitas doesn't provide much information about Brown Shugga' on either their website or the packaging itself. Here's what the bottle reads:

Feeding brown cane sugar to otherwise cultured brewery yeast is akin to feeding raw shark to your gerbil. It is unlikely to ever occur in nature without human intervention. And it looks weird besides. But it has happened and now it's too late.

Bizarre label aside, let's see how the beer is.

Appearance: A crystal clear, rust-colored body with brilliant orange highlights and a finger-and-a-half tall, off-white head that dissipates quickly. What's left leaves passable lacing.

Aroma: As you would expect, the nose is very sweet with a big brown sugar malt body. There's also some dark fruit, maybe cherries. Not much as far as hops go, but there's plenty of booze ready to bite your head off.

Taste: Lots of spices over a very solid brown sugar and caramel malt base. That big 9.5% ABV really makes its presence known, but never steps over the line (given the style). The hops perk up a little in the finish but are soon beaten back by the booze and residual malt.

Mouthfeel: A thick and chewy body that leaves a good coating on your mouth. You can easily feel the booze in your cheeks.

Drinkability: For sure a sipper, based on both the intensity of flavor and alcohol content. If you sessioned this, it would knock you straight on your ass.

Verdict: Brown Shugga' is a decent enough little Winter evening sipper. Having tried it now, if given the choice between picking up a bomber or a six-pack, the bomber would win for sure. Six bottles is a little much for me, so I'm planning to cellar what's left of the six-pack I bought to see what happens.

Grade: B

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout Review

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Co. | Beer: Cappuccino Stout
Style: American Stout | ABV: 8.0%
Serving Method: 1 Pint, 6 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

I picked this bottle up a while ago and it has been languishing in my beer fridge ever since (as you can tell by the discoloration on the label). Coffee, stouts and dogs all rate quite high on my "favorite things" list, so I'm hoping this beer lives up to my expectations.

Appearance: Dark almost impenetrable red-black body with a tall, brown and fizzy head that settles quickly

Aroma: Nutty, hoppy, sweet, tones of roasted malt and a slight hint of coffee at the end

Taste: Surprisingly bitter with roasted malt and hints of coffee, you can certainly detect that 7.99% ABV lurking beneath

Mouthfeel: Velvety and smooth with mild carbonation

Drinkability: The pint goes down slowly and smoothly, but I might just leave it at one (especially with the alcohol content)

Verdict: I didn't pick up the coffee I was hoping to, but this is a fine bitter stout. A good beer to throw into the rotation every now and then, but not something I'd buy regularly.

Grade: C+