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.