Dry Hopped Censored
Lagunitas Brewing Company

a dry hopped version of the classic, which might have been dry hopped already, but this was an attempt to make this more relevant than most amber types have become, to give it the lagunitas treatment where it just becomes a hoppy version of itself, but it never really took unfortunately, tasty as this is in any form, and then censored went away, at least from the major distribution network, another iconic beer biting the dust. this version leveraged some northwestern type hops against the sweeter, fuller toasty malt body that makes this what it is, some juniper and spruce and citrus zest notes adding a vibrant freshness to the sturdy malt, never too bitter or anything in the flavor, but definitely a little more complex than the original, but like salt on meat the hops work to enhance the grain as well, a little more earthy in places, baked in others, mineral forward later on, light orange on the finish with some oily resinous hop character, but its never super intense, restrained for lagunitas, and the extra hopping breathes some needed new life into this, even if it ends up as kind of a weird style when all is said and done, too hoppy to be a proper amber, not bitter enough to quite be a red ipa, but a happy marriage of ingredients and flavors with solid drinkability for something that remains malt driven. well refined, interesting, and good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clear amber colour with white head. Aroma has resiny hops and toasted malts. Taste is bitter and resiny upfront with bread crust and earthy bitterness on the finish. Light to medium body with medium plus carbonation. Easy drinking and hoppy.

Poured radiant, clear burnt orange with a reluctant finger and a half of head that settled back to a thin layer easily replenished by plenty of carbonation. The foam clung to the side of the pint glass easily through the middle section.

Faint toasted sugar blended well with the even fainter citrus. I would have expected a little more from this dry hopped version.

The depth of color continued to belie as the sweetness lacked richness. The bitterness was subtle and reasonable weighted.

Viscosity was in character slightly greater than medium.

Overall a pretty good, solid beer. Does make me wonder how different the not dry hopped version is.

Dark amber in color with a tan head that leaves nice lacing. Nose slightly sweet and oh do slightly hoppy. Taste has a cola flavor that gives way to hop bitterness, but not too much of either. Good beer.

Coming in under the radar, Lagunitas' dry hopped red ale is anything but hush-hush once gone on tap. Screaming hops! and malt! right out of the gate, this beer isn't going to accept any gag orders quietly.

Brilliant copper and showcasing stead streams of bubbles, Dry Hopped Censored tops off with a rich ivory froth. Unlike any normal red ale, a rife scent of citrus peels and pine resins brace the nose for a hoppy brunt while simmering softly with a savory caramelized perfume. Sweet on the tongue, its the malts that strike first with a toasty, light toffee, caramel and pecan medley that suggests a rounded taste of peanut brittle.

A slow release of sweetness reveals a palate shift toward hops. Brazenly citrusy with white grapefruit and orange peels, a light citronella character precedes a deep bittering power in the form of freshly shaven pine. Peppery, grassy and laying a film of bitter resins on the late palate for a hop balanced taste overall.

Medium full on the palate, the malt sweetness suggests a richer taste while its hop dryness does so for the drying contingency. Malty dry until the bitter end, the beer's balance and lingering bitter sweetness lands the ale into the nondescript American strong ale territory. A long bitterness of peppery grasses and grapefruit rind ensure a crisp but gripping sappiness reaching into the next sip.

 

 

 

I almost glossed over this one until my local pusher, I mean, purveyor put me onto the fact that it was a dry-hopped version! Sounds good to me.

From the bottle: "Limited Release"; "So, like, you know, we were uhh doing the thing with the Hop Cannon and all, and, so, I mean, you know, we, like, did it, and whooaa ... uhh ... anyway, it was totally the wrong one. So, uhh, we tried it and, like, we thought you might, like, like it, or something, so ... right? 707.769.4495".

Like, wow, man! I could hardly wait to Pop! the cap on this one & start pouring it into my awaiting glass! Once I had accomplished this amazing feat, I performed a vigorous in-glass swirl to raise two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with decent retention that left decent lacing in its wake. Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was very hoppy - grassy, earthy, pine, grapefruit-citrus with a slightly sweet caramel malt tinge. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was sweeter than what the nose had led me to expect, with notes of blueberry and a toasted biscuitiness initially, followed by a wash of pine and grassy earthiness. It was an interesting departure from Censored, but very tasty. Finish was semi-dry, making it very drinkable. I might have preferred a higher degree of bitterness, but it was still quite tasty.

 

 

Good for an Amber.

Pours a clear copper color. 1/3 inch head of an off-white color. Good retention and good lacing. Smells of caramel malt, slight sweet malt, slight citrus hops, slight piney hops, hint of spicy hops, earthiness, and slight alcohol. Fits the style of an American Amber / Red Ale. Mouth feel is smooth and clean, with a high carbonation level. There is an elevated bitterness. Tastes of caramel malt, slight sweet malt, slight citrus hops, slight piney hops, hint of spicy hops, earthiness, and slight alcohol. Overall, simply not well blended, too carbonated and bitter, but otherwise good appearance and complexity.