Lagunitas Brewing - Bavarian-Styled Doppel Weizen

Tonight I'll be drinking a bavarian-styled Doppel Weizen from Lagunitas in Petaluma, California.  This is their 22oz seasonal brew available in September which was inspired by Rolec, the builders of Lagunitas' most recent set of brewing equipment.  Rolec is a company based in Deutschland, YAH! that builds all sorts of crazy brewing equipment for breweries around the world.  I'm guessing they've been pretty busy over the last 5-10 years, considering the boom in craft brewing we've seen in the US during that time.  Anyway, Rolec sent a traditional yeast strain straight from Bavaria, and Lagunitas "overfed it" to create this beastly Doppel Weizen.  This brew registers at 9% alcohol, and cost under $5...now that's a price I can support!

The beer is a hazy, dirty orange color leaving a small, white layer of lace on top with good retention.  The aroma is loaded with cloves, spicey apples, wheat malts, and alcohol fumes.  Also plenty of bananas and yeast-funk that reminds me of fresh pears.  The flavor starts off with over-ripe apples and lemons, combined with a hot, spicey bitterness.  There is a firm amount of pale wheat malts, grainy, but keeps things balanced.  Then comes a gritty, almost sugary tartness that rides on a wave of banana-booze.  The finish carries those bananas through, very sweet.  It only took a few sips for this thing to start warming me up - the 9%abv is definitely a player.

Overall Rating:  This is a big brew and a slow sipper, to be sure.  I enjoyed the whole bottle - plenty of nicely balanced characteristics between the sweet fruits, spices, and alcohol warmth.  It feels a little heavy in the stomach, but that doesn't take away from the experience....just sip it nice and slow!  B+

Lagunitas - Imperial Stout

Tonight I'm drinking the Unlimited Release Lagunitas Imperial Stout.  This beer is brewed by Lagunitas in Petaluma, CA.  According to the label, it's 'Doggone Good!', with 72 IBUs and 9.9%ABV.  There is also a little story on the label that I'll quote below:


"Having downed his forth Imperial Stout of theay, the wild eyed charlatan from Voldvostogniaky belched and hollered for the Czarina to enter his chamber and bend herself to his will. The economy was a wreck and revolt was just around the corner. Nicky the Czar dude was off playing soldier like any pale nobleman wioth a hemorrphagic skin condition would. Such were the final days of the old empire. Reactionary, decadent, sputnik, stroganoff, wierd, and drunk. But even as the proletariat countryside labored under inhuman conditions and a threat of being sent to futile war in the east, they wisely took the time to slam back an Imperial Stout or two. After all, life can be a real "suka", as they say in the old country. Big, black, bourgeois, bolshoy, belligerent, buxom, and scary - this is our version of the chaotic end of an era in a bottle."


The beer looks black....against the light, it's definitely black and doesn't let any of those protons through.  My pour leaves a thick layer of tan head with nice retention.  The aroma is full of plums, raisins, and alcohol.  It almost reminds me of a port wine.  Also a faint scent of vanilla in there.  


The taste starts off strange.  Then, it progresses to odd.  The finish brings a heavy dose of weird.  Honestly, even after 5 sips I still can't figure out what's going on with this beer.  I guess the first two things that come to mind are vanilla and candied plums.  Then comes a fairly hot dose of alcohol.  I'm not catching any of the roasty, coffee, chocolate malts that I expect and love in a big stout.  Instead, there is an overwhelming, and off-putting, bitter-sour alcohol.  The mouthfeel is pretty light and the carbonation is too high. 


Overall Rating:  I hate to bash Lagunitas, I'm a fan of many of their brews.  But this beer definitely falls at the bottom of the barrel - very disappointing.  I haven't sacrificed to the drain gods for a long long time, but that is exactly where this is going.  The fact that I feel zero remorse for this blasphemy just confirms it was the right thing to do.  

Lagunitas - Hop Stoopid Marinated Chicken Tacos

Tonights BeerCraft mealtime creation comes courtesy of my cooking fiend of a friend Kasper.  Earlier in the week Kasper was telling us about the delicious meals he crafted over the weekend.  It included bacon wrapped steak tenderloin medallions marinated in an amazingly complex sauce that I couldn't even begin to describe.  He also cooked a full slab of brisket and marinated a bunch of chicken and ground beef for tacos throughout the weekend.  While all of that sounded delicious and made me want to drive down to Kansas City immediately, the marinated chicken sounded the best to me at the time.  So I figured I would take Kasper's creation and modify it to include beer!  Because we all know everything is better with beer.

Suzy and I started this meal the night before.  We made a marinade for five chicken thighs, bone-in with skin.  The marinade consisted of lime juice, cumin, cayenne, chalotes, fresh thyme, sage, a bit of rosemary, salt, pepper, a shot of Tres Generaciones Anjeo and half a 750ml of Lagunitas Hop Stoopid IPA.  We threw the chicken in some plastic bags with the marinade and let them sit overnight.  Its a well known fact that if you dont marinate your meat in a plastic bag then you think too highly of yourself.  If you don't believe me, just ask these guys.  After about 24 hours in the marinade it was time to cook!  We sauteed some bell peppers and chalotes before adding the chicken and marinade in the pan.  We brought it up to a boil and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the chicken was done.  The marinade turned into a nice creamy sauce and the peppers were nice and soft.  The chicken was removed from the bone and placed into my hard shell taco.  Add a little Mexican cheese and some bell peppers and you have yourself a delicious beer taco!

The chicken was tender and full of flavor.  The cumin, lime juice and herbs played the main role in the overall flavor.  The cayenne gave hit a bit of heat and the Hop Stoopid was there to provide some citrusy support.  After being boiled down the hoppiness of the beer feel out more than what I would have liked.  Next time I think Ill be adding some fresh beer after the chicken is done marinating.

As for the beer, it was delicious on its own.  Lagunitas makes some decent beers but I have always liked this one the most.  The aroma is extremely inviting with a sticky citrus and pine hop mix.  The color is a pale gold/amber hue with a off white head that recedes rather quickly.  Drinking this hop bomb is a treat.  Its almost all hops with hardly a malt backbone in play.  Those citrus hops play the primary role with a hint of caramel malt in the bitter finish.  The mouthfeel is smooth with hardly any alcohol showing up throughout the drink.

Overall, this was a great meal and well worth the time and preparation.  I would have done a few things differently with the chicken after it was done marinating.  I would have added some fresh beer and herbs to accentuate some of the flavors and bring them center stage.  I would have also used soft shells but thats just preference.  I think the Hop Stoopid was a great beer to use.  Its not too expensive that you cant buy two bottles for both days and the flavors it provides play nicely with the herbs and spices used in this taco creation.  Give it a shot for yourself.  Its easier to cook than it sounds!

Hop Stoopid - 102 IBUs, 8% ABV, 1.085 OG.

Lagunitas - The Hairy Eyeball Ale

This evening's brew comes to us from Lagunitas Brewery out in Petaluma, CA.  Steve and I have had a lot of great Lagunitas' brews over the last couple years, but for some reason, we've only written 1 Lagunitas review.  So tonight, we are going to DOUBLE that amount, and give this bottle of Hairy Eyeball a try.  Hairy Eyeball is a split personality American Strong Ale / Imperial Brown, and registers at a bold 9%ABV.

The beer pours a dark mahogany brown that only lets a couple rays of light through.  The nose is elusive, but after searching there is some candi sweetness, some sour dark fruits and a little cinnamon.  The first sip brings a punch of flavor that frankly caught me by surprise after being lulled by the soft aromas.  There is a strong mix of bittering hops and heavy, sweet caramel malts.  Also some banana nut bread, and some cinnamon raisins make an appearance in the middle.  Then, the alcohol budges in and bullies everyone out of the room.  The mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy, and carbonation is appropriately low. 

Overall Rating:  (4.5 out of 6.0)  This was a nice, barley-wine-esque brew from Lagunitas.  Full of flavor, and the alcohol prominence in the finish reminds you that this is a big beer.  I would certainly recommend this, especially if you like the barley-wines!

**Side Note - I'm having a hard time finishing this glass - the beer is heavy.....doesn't take away from the awesome flavor, but I think I'll finish this glass and go take a nap ; )

Lagunitas - Little Sumpin' Wild Ale

So I'm sitting here watching the news, and it sounds like the Koreans are doing their typical mumbo-jumbo posturing chest-thumping again today.  I'm so sick and tired of these little turd countries babbling back and forth at one another.  They are like brothers that share a bedroom - they talk shit to each other, every once in a while one punches the other.  They do everything they can to be annoying.  Grow up, Korea.

Watching the news is dangerous for me....it gets me all riled up.  Time to focus on this beautiful bottle of beer.

This is a limited release Lagunitas brew - 72.51 IBU, 1.082 OG, 8.85%  and fermented with the Westmalle Yeast strain.  Westmalle is a trappiste brewery located in Belgium, operated by monks since 1794.  There is a lot of history behind Westmalle - we'll definitely review some of their brews in the future.  Anyway, back to this little sumpin' wild....it pours into a pint glass a clear gold-amber color with nice frothy white head that leaves a light lace. 

The aroma is fantastic - fresh hops and orange citrus, almost tropical.  The first sip is a bit of caramel malt and some nice bitterness.  Again, the hops have a freshness to them, grassy and kind of oily, but this is balanced nicely with a fruity sweetness that I think probably comes from that Westmalle yeast.  There's also a bit of spice towards the end, accompanied by a dry warmth.  The carbonation is nice, and the beer has a crisp medium body that goes down smooth. 

Overall Rating:  Good (3.1 out of 6.0)  I enjoyed this beer - the combination of hops, fruityness, and caramel malt backdrop worked well together.  The sweetness does catch up to you towards the end of the pint, not necessarily a bad thing but, not a good thing either.  It's a pretty unique beer and I recommend everyone, especially those of you that enjoy Belgian style ales, give it a try. 

Lagunitas - Censored Rich Copper Ale

Tonight Dunz, myself and our ladies went out to go see the Christmas Schooner at the History Theater in St Paul. It was a great performance with plenty of Christmas cheer. I would happily watch the performance again. A bonus to the performance was a German beer tasting that we attended prior to the show. We sampled six different brews that all originated from Germany. Some of these breweries dated back to the 1040's! We took notes and pictures and will be writing an overall tasting review tomorrow. For tonight, however, I wanted to share a bit of Lagunitas with you!

Lagunitas is a brewery that is known for its big, full bodied, overly hoppy beers. These guys are brewing beers for the craft beer drinker and wouldnt be happy anywhere else. Censored Ale seems to stray slightly from that craft beer way of thinking. Pouring a very clear copper (which would make sense considering the name) you are greeted with a head that quickly dissipates into a off-white ring around your glass. The aroma is caramel with a touch of roast. You would miss the roast if you werent looking for it. Your first sip will be a nice big malt bomb in your mouth... (Ill give you a malt bomb... thats what she said???). As it warms a touch of alcohol enters the flavor profile and grows as the brew gets warmer. At 5.9% abv it would almost be expected but doesnt fit in this beer. Hops take a back seat in this Lagunitas brew where their only role here is a finishing bitterness on the back of your tounge. Something you wouldnt typically expect from a brewery who labels one of their beers "Hop Stoopid". You will want to drink this one cold. But not any cooler than 35-40 degrees otherwise you will lose the sweet, caramel aroma. Any warmer than 50 and the alcohol starts to interfere with the primary, and frankly only flavor this beer has got. You have to search pretty hard to find other primary flavor characteristics.

Overall, lets give this one a 3.2 out of 6. I enjoy it and could drink a few at a time but eventually the sweetness catches up to you. It has a dry finish which helps keep it drinkable. If you are looking for a sweet beer with plenty of caramel malt in your face then this will be right up your alley and you could probably drink a number of them until you fall off your bar stool. I, however, prefer my beers to be a bit more complex without being overly sweet. This one doesnt quite hit it all the way home.

Interesting fact nugget for all of you illegal cigarette smokers out there, the name under the "Censored" bar on the label is actually "Kronic". And yes, the nugget pun was intended.

Statistics:
1.065 O.G.
25 IBU's

www.lagunitas.com/beers/censored