The Hairy Eyeball
Lagunitas Brewing Company

I was on quite a kick of this strong ale style at the time, and always a fan of Lags brews. This was no exception. I believe it's the best I've had to date, though the hopping level combined with the malt character is not really what I'm after these days.

 

 

650 ml bottle, bought in the brewery store, consumed in Sacramento. Reddish brown colour. Nutty and moderately roasty malts in aroma and flavour, followed by piney American hops, seems somewhat unbalanced. The alcohol is not very well hidden. Not my favourite from Lagunitas this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

22oz bottled poured in to a nonic glass.

Look- Clear dark mahogany/cola color, nice light khaki head that recedes fairly quickly to a thin cap, a light amount of lacing. Light carbonation streaming as it sits.

Smell- Caramel/toffee type malt, brown sugar, dates and raisins, cocoa, light coffee and nuttiness, light spice notes.

Taste- Follows the nose well, fairly sweet with a bit of a light cherry cola type finish.

Feel- Medium/light bodied, smooth with a lightly bitter finish, nicely balanced. Moderate carbonation on the tongue.

O- Good but not one of Lag's better offerings. Pretty inexpensive but I doubt I'll be going back to this one.

 

This beer is awesome.

 

Fresh 22 oz bottle pours clear dark brown color. Creamy off white head with some large bubbles that quickly dissipates. Not much lacing. Aromas of raisins and coca, Perfect meld of sugar and dark fruit flavor. At $3.99 a 22 oz. bottle is amazing!

does the fact that it was only a few bucks play into this rating? hopefully not. poured into a tulip a deep slightly amber, mostly brown color with a big foamy off white head. some bits of lacing left behind, stream of bubbles constantly flying from down below. nose is a whole lot of roasted, nearly burnt malts and sugars. caramel/toffee is the star here, with some dried fruit, char and a touch of booze also seeping out of the glass. flavor wise it's a lot smoother than i was expecting, with brown sugar and biscuit/toast mixing with caramel/toffee. there's a good chunk of sweetness but i'm not against that with something like this. various dried darker fruits, the slightest hint of bitterness and an ever increasing warmth fill in the profile. does remind me of a belgian/german malt bomb without the hop/yeast balance. smooth drinking overall, not particularly full bodied and plenty fizzy. i'll probably grab a few more while they're around, good stuff.

 

 

Poured from a bottle - clear very dark amber / brown with quickly dissipating off white head leaving bubbly lacing. Nose is mild dark earthy malt with a hint of sweetness. Taste follows more or less. Finishes a bit thin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Original rating 2014-03-01] Pours dark reddish brown with a thick light brown head. Aroma is sweet malt, faint earth. Taste is sweet malt, too sweet for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(22 oz bottle, no indication of age... purchased at State Line... poured into a fat Delirium tulip)

L: crystal-clear, ruby red liquid; tall, spongy, off-white foam that upon collapsing leaves chunky lace around the lip of the glass... upon refill with remainder of bottle, specks do suspend but do not offend

S: wood embers, hearty bread and med-dark crystal malt, hint of pine, mellow phenolic cinnamon/potpourri spice, hint of dried strawberry... floral aromas creep up back out of the nose as it goes, while the scent from the glass gets doughier... shows some raisin and brandy later on

T: candy malt with light sweetness which gives a tail to its dried-fruit hop flavors... the taste seems pretty typical for a darker Lagunitas beer - dried cherry, subtle candy-bar caramel, faded pine essence - the little extra baby fat in its malt foundation being the stand out element here... hints of light chocolate and hard candy push to the front with each sip, as well as some lingering (candied) citrus rind in the aftertaste... it's almost as if this was a Belgian holiday ale hopped like a West Coast barleywine - tasty but maybe too much

F: foamy, fuzzy, semi-thickish but flat like a puck... subtle oily viscosity at the bottom... the alcohol awakens but only delicately heats the palate... could probably drink pitchers of it while sporting, playing billiards - it's got that touch

O: I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the flavor profile here doesn't deviate all that much from their shtick (nothing that bad about having a signature framework)... the taste degrades, leading me to believe this is an older bottle - I will likely revisit this in fresher states

 

 

 

The appearance has a semi-dark brown colored body with a thin less than a half fingered white foamy head that ends up leaving a very good drastic clingy lacing to the glass. The smell has some very sweet roasted caramel malts. The taste is exceptionally sweet, bready, and sticky in the flavoring. There is a super sweet sticky caramel aftertaste with a dry sweet finish. On the palate, it sits about a medium on the body with a decent sessionable aspect to it. The carbonation is decent for the style and for me as its semi smooth and barely anything harsh. Overall, pretty nice American Strong Ale.