BREWERY: Lagunitas Brewing Company
STYLE: IPA
ABV: 6.2%
PURCHASE: Six-pack of 12-oz. bottles, $12.99
SERVING: 12-oz. bottle, poured into pint glass. Heady. Even a slow pour got two full inches. A standard one got two and a half. Very good retention.
APPEARANCE: Caramel-copper tinted body. Transparent but slightly hazy, at least initially. Light bubbling. Off-white, fluffy head. Excellent lacing.
BOUQUET: Fresh but somewhat underwhelming aroma, balanced quite evenly between floral hops, malted barley, and citrus notes. Pleasing but not particularly assertive. I suppose that could be taken as a positive in some ways.
PALATE: Entry is soft but followed by a quick ascent of hop bitterness, which plateaus just as quickly and never gets out of control. Carbonation is moderate unless held too long. Malt factor creeps in at the back. Aftertaste remains mainly hoppy but is well complemented by notes of lightly burnt grains and grapefruity citrus. Very smooth and fluid overall.
MUSINGS AND METAPHORS: Established in 1993, Lagunitas was one of the fastest growing craft breweries in the country during the '00s. Now, it's the craft brewery that's no longer really a craft brewery. Why, you may ask? Because Heineken bought a 50% stake on September 8, 2015. According to the Brewers Association, any stake of at least 25% not held by the craft brewery itself, or any comparable entity, renders it no longer a craft brewery.
Hey, every startup wants to expand at some point. No shame in that. But how was the beer? Well, it's not the most complex beer you will drink, but so what? There's beauty in simplicity.
GRADE: B+
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