The Waldos' Special Ale
Lagunitas Brewing Company

The Waldos' Special AleThe Waldos' Special Ale
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From:
Lagunitas Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #147
ABV:
11.7%
Score:
96
Ranked #1,142
Avg:
4.31 | pDev: 8.35%
Reviews:
654
Ratings:
2,530
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 22, 2023
Added:
Apr 21, 2011
Wants:
  180
Gots:
  694
In 1971, the Waldos met one afteroon at 4:20 in the front courtyard of their school near the statue of Louis Pasteur. They set out in a '66 Impala armed with a "treasure map" on a journey to find a secret garden near Point Reyes. They met there at the same time every day and continued their quest. They never found the secret garden....But they keep lookin'. The dankest and hoppiest beer ever brewed at Lagunitas was made with help of the Waldos for all treasure hunters.

100 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of QuietlyJudgingYou
Reviewed by QuietlyJudgingYou

4.69/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Appearance: Pours a crystal clear dark copper with a ring of eggshell colored foam. Lots of lacing.
Smell: Dried mango, peach, herbal.
Taste: Big and flavorful. Peach, loads of pine, little bit of grapefruit. Malty sweet finish with big notes of bread crust. Equal parts bitter and sweet. Delicious. Alcohol is buried under all those hops.
Feel: Approaching full bodied, slightly chewy, perfect carbonation. No real alcohol warmth.
Overall: One of the best beers I've ever had. Big, sweet, syrupy, hoppy and perfectly balanced. Hop stoopid on steroids.
Nov 22, 2023
Photo of LesDewitt4beer
Reviewed by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

4.85/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
12 oz bottle purchased 6/15/23 into a snifter.
L: Pours mostly clear rusty dark orange caramel with a slightly dense 1/4" light tan head, some fine carbo bubbles, OK retention to edge foam, scratchy lacing with light sheeting and light banding lines.
S: Rich caramelized malts, toasted grains, moderately sweet smelling, alcohol esp with warming.
T: Intense caramel malts, resinous hops, leafy, boozy, fruit cake, brown bread, slightly woody, cedar, quite sweet but not cloying, a mix of fruit notes emerge, citrus, zest, plum, cereal grains, dried fruits. Has a long, resinous linger.
F: Smooth then lightly bracing medium-heavy feel with a long finish that is fairly drying.
O: Powerful and bold overall with profound malts and sentimentally emphasized resinous hop notes. Aroma, taste and feel all morph with warming. Complex flavors deliver a masterfully brewed and beautifully balanced bountiful beer. It is world-class in its style.
Oct 27, 2023
Photo of guitarguyny
Reviewed by guitarguyny from New York

4.89/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Great sweet nose, amazing chewy mouthfeel, taste was great. As I got toward the bottom, much more fruity flavors presented themselves. Such a great beer. I’ve read that this years batch is nothing compared to past batches. I cannot speak to that as it’s my first time trying, but will be a staple.
Jul 11, 2023
Photo of buckthehog
Reviewed by buckthehog from Texas

4.23/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Sweet and syrupy! Nothing remarkable on the nose. Taste is faint hops and sticky malt. Not hot but the alcohol is in play. Balanced and mature. Lagunitas knows what’s up.
Jun 22, 2023
Photo of DMarlinJ
Reviewed by DMarlinJ from Michigan

4.7/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Great chewy triple! The head was a bit weak but maybe I should've given a more aggressive pour and out of fridge it may have been a bit to cold. Good hoppy and malt smells, citrus, pine, grass and caramel. Taste follows smells. A tad sweet but only up front finish is hop bitter and clean. Feels thick and chewy but not sticky. Nice smooth and dry finish with just enough carbonation. Sensuous mouthful! I love this one.
Jun 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4.46 by IsaiahHoogendyk from Washington

Jun 01, 2023
Photo of Kabong
Reviewed by Kabong from California

2.91/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Waldos has been an absolute staple on my seasonal beer calendar for many years.

That may end this year. The latest batch is rank: you would have been very hard pressed to find a better tasting 11.5++ abv beer that tasted as great as Waldos prior to 2023. I dunno wtf happened, but the taste went right into the rotten fruit mead zip code this year.

Sad.
May 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4.78 by SeymourDunn from Wisconsin

May 21, 2023
Photo of jbolger
Reviewed by jbolger from Connecticut

4.55/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Yes it is! It’s dank. It’s hoppy. It’s bitter - 100 IBU. It’s strong- 11.7 ABV. It’s flavorful, delicious & I love it. And I want more but can’t find it.
May 15, 2023
 
Rated: 4.09 by PittBeerGirl from Ohio

May 15, 2023
Photo of Rocknrao
Reviewed by Rocknrao from California

4.35/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
I used to think of Waldos 420 as the poor man’s Pliny The Younger.
It seems like it’s gotten maltier and sweeter over the years. More like a barley wine. Still a must get at least once for the season.
May 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4.47 by PaleAleWalt from New York

May 03, 2023
Photo of evanwoertz
Reviewed by evanwoertz from California

4.78/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
exquisite notes in the taste and smell, sappy and piney, a touch of sharp floral, a nice bite, hint of caramel, almost no foam or head whatsoever, fresh, feel is crisp and not heavy or buttery at all. tastes sweet and smooth.
Apr 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.49 by RalphStanley34 from French Polynesia

Apr 27, 2023
 
Rated: 4.42 by not2quick from Missouri

Apr 21, 2023
Photo of Parmesan
Reviewed by Parmesan from Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
L: Pours a beautiful golden orange, with a large foamy white head that leaves sheets of lacing all around the glass.

S: Sweet tropical fruit including orange and pineapple mixes with a sweet malt backbone and a light hop. Smells quite sweet but very nice.

T: Sweet malt mixes with a strong tropical happiness to create a very sweet beer finishes with a medium bitterness definitely on the sweet side for a imperial ipa, but still very good.

F: Smooth carbonation mixes with a large body

O: This is a very good IPA that definitely leans to the sweeter side.
Apr 19, 2023
 
Rated: 4.3 by LA2ED7

Apr 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.39 by Jacob313 from Michigan

Apr 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.02 by zestd from Idaho

Apr 14, 2023
Photo of LucidoMMA
Reviewed by LucidoMMA from California

4.18/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pours very nice golden brown color with a semi-retentive head.

Aroma is floral with some pine notes, and some citrus notes.

Very nice hop bite right away followed by a white grape and pineapple flavor. Finishes dry and bitter.
Apr 07, 2023
The Waldos' Special Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Company
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 2530 ratings