Lagunitas IPA
It’s been a while since my last story. That’s due to a variety of things, from work, to the ladies. But mainly I blame it on that small storm that wiped out my power. A power outage can wreak havoc on the life of a beer drinker. What to do when the TV and Internet isn’t working? Drink. What to do when both of the prior things are non functional and so is the fridge? Drink faster so the beer doesn’t get warm.
Needless to say I depleted my beer stock, while it wasn’t impressive in size, it had a few gems in it. And if I had my computer, and my camera had a charge, I would’ve taken notes. Alas here I sit, after drinking several new beers, and I am without a post. Basically that just means I’m gonna have to drink them again. That means you Rouge Coffee Stout.
But let’s talk about a classic that I like to revisit often. I know my last post was an IPA, but it wasn’t a typical one, so let’s go to one that has a bit more hop to it, and as far as IPA’s go, this one ranks up there with the better ones. Not over complicated, tastes as you expect. And I find its name hard to forget.
I’m talking about Lagunitas IPA, by Lagunitas Brewing Co. Let’s break this hoppy lady down.
The Basics
Type of Beer: American India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.2 percent
Color: Amber/Orange
The notable character in IPA’s is of course the hop. Honestly, when I first started drinking I couldn’t take it. The flavor was more than undesirable to me, made my stomach turn, and reduced my drinking speed to a crawl. I’m not saying I promote fast drinking, but by the time you drink 50 percent of the beer, it shouldn’t be warm, which started to become a regular occurrence for me.
So what changed and made me love the hop that many beers embrace? Well it was a gradual process. Started with an understanding and exploration in the difference of Pale Ales, then moving from less intense to more intense flavored beers, and finally, brewing my own beer, and tasting what the ingredients do.
Now I love the hop, and am beginning to be able to sense different floral notes, which differs based on the type of hops added. Of course I can’t taste and identify, and I don’t plan on ever doing that, but now I can see that the type of hops do play a role in the flavor. The blend and breed of the flower does make a difference, which just goes to show that this world of beer we live in has near limitless possibilities for mixing recipes.
Oh, right. The beer. I forgot Lagunitas has a beautiful presentation, and a nice floral taste with slight citrus notes. But buyer beware, as I talked about above, it does have a decent hop to it. Nothing overpowering for the standard IPA lover, but it does hit as a surprise if you aren’t expecting it. It’s not overly hoppy, has a nice sweetness to it, with a good balance for the malts. It is definitely something that should go on your list of beers to try.
I shoot this one at a 8/10.
This company isn’t an unknown name. It’s a California beer, and has been doing well in the beer community. And as for pricing? Decent. You cheap kids might not like to dish out money, but it’s well priced. And considering it’s from the other side of the country, I’d say its not too shabby. From what I can gather online, they have a lot of different brews they dish out, but like most craft breweries, only certain ones make it out of the local market.
So if you see any of Lagunitas beers, go ahead at give it a try, let me know what you think. If you see the IPA, try it. Tell them the Brew Dude sent you. They won’t know what it means, but I’d like to get people to start saying that.
And like I said in my last post — “Stay safe, and drink responsibly.”
Brew dude Out.
Got any beer suggestions? Email me at [email protected]
Thomas Conner, the ‘Beer Dude’ has known to taste and make some of the finest beers in Charm City. He figures he has made more beer than he drank or is that vice versa. He doesn’t remember. If you catch him at a nearby Baltimore establishment drinking a beer, he reminds us sternly, it’s solely for research purposes. He doesn’t jot down notes. In fact, he highly recommends not drinking and writing because it interferes with the tasting. As always, he brings along a designated note-taker who also multi-tasks by driving him home. Drink and write responsibly and never at the same time is his motto. If you would like him to test out your establishment’s home brew, just pretend you’re at the O’s game, and yell, “Beer man.” He’ll hear you.