Equinox Ale
Lagunitas Brewing Company

Equinox AleEquinox Ale
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Lagunitas Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
Ranked #210
ABV:
8.4%
Score:
90
Ranked #9,125
Avg:
4.03 | pDev: 7.94%
Reviews:
250
Ratings:
1,148
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 22, 2023
Added:
Apr 23, 2002
Wants:
  49
Gots:
  348
A creamy, pale oat ale hopped up with a huge charge of Equinox and Simcoe hops for a piney, eucalyptusy, cedary, sprucey, foresty blast.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by scottfrie:
Photo of scottfrie
Reviewed by scottfrie from California

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bottle into imperial pint glass.

A: Pours a clear dark golden with a couple of fingers of greasy off-white head that faded into a rocky, oily film. Sticky streaks of lace were left down the glass.
S: Resinous, oily, slight medicinal, and vegetal hops dominate the nose with hints of roasted malt and creamy oats beneath. Leafy and spicy overall.
T: Bitter, leafy, vegetal hops hit up front with flavors of forest, sap, and earth. I get notes of toast, oatmeal, and spicy grains beneath, almost like rye bread. The finish has kiss of sweetness before a lingering leafy bitterness takes over.
M: Creamy medium-full body and chewy mouthfeel from the oats, with soft and fluffy full carbonation.
O: Not my favorite hop profile but certainly an enjoyable beer. The use of hops with oats is a great sensory combination.
Jun 09, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
this one was cool when it came out, oats werent in every ipa back then, and equinox hops were still called just that, i liked what this brought, but its moment has certainly come and gone, lots of beers like this now, probably even ahead of its time when it dropped, subtly ambitious from these guys. not that hazy for being oat based, we associate that with new england types now, and this isnt that. instead its sort of brassy and unfiltered looking with a super creamy almost nitro inch plus of white head, no let up, sturdy looking and kind of rich. the equinox hops are more subtle than the simcoe in this, grapefruit and juniper notes in front of more mild key lime, dried herbs, tangerine, and kumquat from the equinox, maybe canned pineapple too like i sometimes get from mosaic, and the nose and taste are pretty similar. i get a little green grape, wet milled lumber, hefty crystal malt and the protein of the oats, toasty, warming, and with a little alcohol there too, the hops are fruity and summery but the grain and body and everything make it wintery. love the texture from the oats, creamy and full and really satisfying, nice carbonation on this too, drinkable for its size. neat back and forth with the grain and hops, they flash back and forth the whole way. lagunitas house ale yeast also evident. cool beer, rightly rated very highly here on BA.
Jan 22, 2023
Photo of gatornation
Reviewed by gatornation from Arizona

3.77/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a nice hazy golden color with a frothy head and lacing. Smell has citrus,pine and grapefruit . Taste has pale malts oats grapfruit ,melon and pine . A nicely bitterd pale ale thick and chewy ,,tasty.
Nov 23, 2022
 
Rated: 3.79 by bismarksays from Iowa

Jan 10, 2022
 
Rated: 4.06 by dd53grif from Michigan

Aug 13, 2021
 
Rated: 4.46 by chiefz1 from New York

Mar 20, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by Velivolus1 from Vermont

Aug 02, 2020
 
Rated: 4.41 by lebrisa from Connecticut

Jun 03, 2020
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.53/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
First consumed late June 2015.

Pours a light amber/orange color, 1/2" white head. Interesting aroma here, commercial tug job speaks to the tree like notes. Sure they're there, but it has just as much of that dry cat pee, green pepper and grapefruit rind going for it as well.

Firm bitterness, I simply get more Simcoe out of this than Equinox hops. Yes, the Equinox/Eukanot are here, but I dunno, just a little peculiar for me. While its an oat contribution to the beer that is supposed to smooth it out, and it is a bit of that bready chewiness compared to all barley, there is no reduction in ibu mouth feel for me here. Taste had just as much green pepper as the Sabro hop does at times. That seems to bring out the alcohol sting combo with the bitterness. I think brewing this in the 6% range might do wonders for the beer. Not bad, but I dunno, dozens of other beers I'd rather have from this company.

Good price on these though.
May 07, 2020
Photo of dkoehler42
Reviewed by dkoehler42 from New York

3.41/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This Lagunitas offering looks attractive enough, with a mostly translucent pale orange body, and a solid white-ish head. I do taste the hops, along with what I'm assuming is the oat structure. It almost comes across as chewy. The ABV is a little high for what I'd like on this type of beer; it's going to be restrictive on how much I can drink of it and when I would. It's not a bad beer, but I wouldn't buy it again.
Jan 19, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by Velivolus from Vermont

Nov 22, 2019
Photo of Mister_Faucher
Reviewed by Mister_Faucher from Washington

3.84/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bottle picked up at Ballinger Thriftway in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.
No dating on the bottle. Served in a pint glass.

Look- Clear honey color, nice frothy off-white head that recedes quickly, leaving a decent amount of lacing.
Good amount of carbonation visible in the glass as it sits.

Smell- Pine, citrus, caramel malt, a little bit of berries, floral herbs and oats.

Taste- Pine, citrus (grapefruit, lemon pith), sweet caramel, bready grains, slight melon and a bit of booze.

Feel- Medium-heavy bodied, somewhat sweet and thick on the tongue, slightly creamy. Decent carbonation. They did a good job of masking the 80 IBUs, minimal bitterness.

O- Tasty brew, a little too heavy to drink more than one, especially in 'warm' weather. I'll get another one or two later towards Fall.
Aug 15, 2019
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

3.94/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks, Dad!

A mildly hazy orange with a dense, off-white head with good retention and lacing, this looks solid. The nose is soft and doughy with a definite oat aroma, along with a noticeable pine and citrus hop character. A touch of eucalyptus, a little lemon, some orange peel, a little melon are all present. Creamy oats with a touch of caramel are present. The palate opens quite bitter and a little pungent with plenty of fresh hops tempered by oats. Citrus, eucalyptus, a little pine and some additional fruit, the hops here are so Lagunitas. The mid-palate is creamy and soft with a blend of dough, light caramel and a moderate amount of oat. Bitter and fruity on the finish, this beer is medium-light in body and softly carbonated. ABV is way higher than necessary, but otherwise, this beer is quite excellent.
Jul 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.92 by DrMurcielago from Colorado

Jul 09, 2019
 
Rated: 3.3 by SamuelMiller from Montana

Jul 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.08 by BlueJay2852 from Texas

Jul 03, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Marvicsin from California

Jun 24, 2019
 
Rated: 3.93 by peachy-tay from California

Jun 24, 2019
Photo of HoppingMadMonk
Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Medium carbonation with about a medium body.
Aroma is bitter grapefruit peel and fruit, bitter hops, some grain,grass,and malt.
Taste is similar to aroma, mild sweetness with a bit of a sharp bitter kick that lingers. Not much oats in the taste,bitter hops,grapefruit, and mildly sweet malt dominate.
Jun 05, 2019
Equinox Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 1148 ratings