Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale
Lagunitas Brewing Company

hman43 from North Carolina

4.06/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Look: It pours copper with an off white head. Head retention is very good.

Smell: It has aromas of pine with caramel and low tropical fruits. There is some alcohol that is noticeable in the nose.

Flavor: It has strong caramel flavors with pine and some cherry. It also has a wood like quality with low tropical fruits.

Feel: It has a medium full body with smooth alcohol warming.

Overall, the balance is malt forward, but not as much in the aroma.

Jul 24, 2020

thesherrybomber from California

3.46/5  rDev -16%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

After "aging" in a closet for six months, poured into a chalice glass after letting it sit for 15-20 minutes.

It has two fingers off-white head, clear ruby body, On the nose, caramel, citrus, cocoa? honey, earthiness

Taste is slightly bitter, lots of fruit, some resinous qualities. Medium bodied

Alcohol is more apparent on the back end. Slight tobacco on the finish

Its definitely more enjoyable than when fresh

Jul 18, 2020

maxpower from Missouri

4.1/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle pours a clear deep copper amber color with a decent frothy off white head that leaves sticky sheets of lacing in my glass. Grapefruit and pine aromas. Grapefruit, pineapple, citrus and caramel flavors. Medium bodied with a soft and creamy mouthfeel, finishes bitter. Hard to believe this is at 8.8%, alcohol is very well hidden.

Jun 05, 2020

TBoneJones from Texas

4.47/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Deep copper, creamy appearance.
Nose is nice big sweet malts/ enticing bread & less/ nicely so...piney hops.
Tasty imperial red, probably my favorite so far. Caramel malts tasty but never too sweet. Nice citrus hints and bitterness. Well-balanced version of the style.
Full feel, creamy beer, some stickiness.
This is spot on IMO in terms of how sweet a big red should be.
It’s tough to say how this could be better, maybe if there was another distinct characteristic to set it apart? More complexity? But what’s there tastes great.

Apr 14, 2020

Rogerlb from California

4.37/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I get at least one 6-pack of this every year when it shows up. Lagunitas never really disappoints even if their categories sometimes blend into each other (is it a DIPA or a barleywine? Wheat or lager?)

No confusion this is a red. Pours a beautiful ever so slightly opaque amber with an frothy one-inch head. Aroma is malt, bit of caramel, and grapefruit peel. Rich.

Taste is maltier on first sip sliced through with hops. Amarillo up front, bitter grapefruit rind along with an undercurrent of caramel, toffee, bit of cigar in what seems a lager at its base. Definitely not a barleywine wannabe or IPA that's the wrong color. And the expected patented Lagunitas sweetness gives it a sticky mouthfeel. Fruit seems to be from the hops here.

And you let it warm a few minutes and the hops really start to scream. Bitterness in the back end more prevalent in the last sip than in the first. Pine becomes the predominant impression after 20 minutes. That's right, it took me 20 minutes to drink one beer.

As everyone else says, the 8.8% is all but hidden but it does warm.

Solid red ale with body and tons of hops asserting themselves (because it's Lagunitas) sweet around the edges. The longer you wait the more IPA/bitter/hoppy. Good beer that might scare away your Budweiser friends.

Apr 09, 2020

Jas0921 from Florida

3.77/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Big sweet red ale, with faint hop bitterness. Not exactly what I was expecting. Lagunitas usually hits you much harder with the hops. This one drinks like an aged Bigfoot ale. Lots of malt sweetness.... or like Brown Shuggas little sister. Still very drinkable.

Mar 17, 2020

Judgie from Indiana

3.87/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled 1/16/20 ?(016 0), this red ale pours beautifully amber & clear into a tulip. I could look at it forever and probably should have looked at it longer. As usual, I poured it too cold so smell was muted and taste was more hops & less malt balance. Some smokiness gives way to pine and toffee on the backside. Mouthfeel is thick & slick and compliments the heavy flavor profile. Looking forward to giving the remaining bottles more time to warm and to savor the beer at sunset.

Mar 09, 2020

Scotchboy from Idaho

3.77/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On tap in Boise ID.

Clear red pour with a sticky white head.

Aroma & Flavor: Much sweeter than I was expecting - bready caramel, touch of spice, hints of a floral & piney hop character.

Medium body, smooth and sweet. Overall, a good red ale.

Feb 27, 2020

tzbel013 from Tennessee

4.24/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

For an imperial red ale I wasn't expecting the piney formal hops coming through on the initial aroma. The Amarillo hops definitely make their presence on the first sip but immediately balanced out by the sweet malts on the finish. As the beer warms this becomes even more so. The high 8.8 abv is virtually hidden so it's way too easy drink. Overall this is an outstanding red ale and now we wait for their next seasonal Undercover Shutdown!

Feb 23, 2020

Act25 from New Jersey

4.07/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

#4 Imperial Red Ale, and deservedly so, but behind Bells, G-Knight Oskar Blues and Nosferatu.
A) deep red color, bold lasting head, splashes lace.
S) Toasty Malt Dominant, red/malt/barley/biscuit, with some pine and hop notes. A bit stinky pulls it down.
T) Big smooth, rich caramel and roast malt tempered by fruit and hops.
O) A must to taste vs top red ales. Big, smooth, creamy, malty.

Feb 20, 2020

JasonQKing from Texas

4.96/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Limited release from Lagunitas so I had to try it on sight being that I LOVE this company's IPA flavors, epsecially APA and Red ales.

Pours reddish, alright. Lots of foam. Smells perfect. Very crisp and bold hops to the smell and taste. Put an immediate smile on my face.

8.8%abv is well-hidden behind this delish piney red ale. The kind of ale Thor himself would beg for more of.

I would have to say that this beer is equally as amazing Undercover Investigation Shut-down APA also limited seasonal from same company.

5/5 cheers!

Feb 12, 2020

hophead723 from California

4.52/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I saw them building a pyramid out of this at a nearby Whole Foods and it was on sale for only 849 a six pack so I had to give it a try because my brother hopphead31415 had it. Poured into a classic pint glass.

Look: Pours a deep red color, with polished copper edges and sturdy carbonation. The head is creamy smooth and fine, light tan and dense. The lacing drags sheets down the glass.

Smell: On the nose I get a lovely toasty aroma with notes of red fruits and caramel. I also detect fresh pine and citrus peel.

Taste/Feel: Absolutely delicious full-bodied smoothness that carries complex fruity flavors and malt character. The fruitiness is yeast derived but also perfectly intertwines with the hops that show mostly pine but also underlying citrus fruit and grapefruit peel. The malts give a lovely backdrop of caramelly, biscuit goodness that is exquisitely balanced by the 76 IBU.

Overall: This is very good, drinkable, and fresh with so much going on. They really nailed it with this one. This is a beer style I'm always seeking a really good example of. Top notch brew.

Feb 04, 2020

PathofChaos from Maryland

4.56/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance:
Pours a coral amber, the color of orange blossom honey. Forms a tiny off-white head that huddles the edges of the glass when it dissipates. Brief retention.

Bouquet:
Substantial pine balm, breezy citrus, pungent hops, molasses, and a wisp of bubblegum sweetness. Tantalizing complexity.

Feel:
Porcelain smoothness, medium body, and tame carbonation with a playful bite at the end.

Taste:
Savory spices and caramel malts waltz across the tongue, accompanied by an entourage of fresh strawberries, orange marmalade, and a sensational bittersweet pine resin to balance the whole parade.

Overall:
For a red ale, Lucky 13 tastes suspiciously like an IPA and could easily pass for a close relative of Troegs Perpetual. While cold, bombastic hops dominate the pallet, almost exclusively---which was a big disappointment. Still very tasty, but not the sweet-malt red ale I was expecting.

But like so many beers whose flavor is not initially imparted as promised, the true nature of Lucky 13 shines forth only with air. So I patiently set it aside for 30+ minutes to breathe. That done, the exciting aspects of this beer hold a revolution and overthrow--but don't altogether depose---the hops. Sweetness overtakes bitterness, malts contrast hops, and now Lucky 13 could pose convincingly as a cousin of Lagunitas Brown Shugga.

So it's amazing, but give it a little time to settle into your glass first.

Jan 24, 2020

Luna_Budroess

3.14/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Red hues on brown ale. After taste is flat. I love lagunitas, and it pains me to score this as low as I have considering how excited I was for a Lagunitas red ale. However this beer isn't anything that stands out on its own. Great to drink, easy to forget. 'Whats the saying?' People mumble, but beer speaks. I don't feel like this ale speaks "up" much.

Jan 23, 2020

PMakowski from New Hampshire

4.84/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

12 Oz bottle poured into glass
Look - about as good as it gets, crimson red color, medium foam head with tons of lacing on glass
Smell - I think Lagunitas arguably the best aromas in all of mass produced beer, it almost always smells super fresh. It literally reaks. Sharp hop flavors, mostly tropical ripe fruits, watermelon.. Sweet, sweet malt.
Taste - Bubble gum, strawberries, honeydew melon. Very, very sweet. Not a whole lot of bitterness, so could say it isn't balanced, but then again it's not an IPA, it's a red ale which means it should be on the sweet end. Body is medium and carbonation is medium-low. Zero alcohol detection at 8.8%. Dangerously easy to drink.

Overall, i don't know how you can make a better red ale, this about as good tasting as it gets. It is a bit sweet, i would like some more hop bitterness, but it's so enjoyable as a dessert beer. Grade is an A+

Jan 23, 2020

Peach63 from New York

4.25/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a beautiful amber with a 1/2 inch cream-colored head. Heavy lacing.

Aroma is piney, citrusy, resiny, floral.

Taste is pine, grapefruit, malty, spicy. Excellent bitterness.

Medium bodied, moderate carbonation. Slightly sweet, bitter finish.

Outstanding! A masterful example of a red ale. To quote Maxwell House: "Good to the last drop."!

Jan 22, 2020

puck1225 from Texas

4.19/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Haven’t had it a while and am surprised I haven’t reviewed it before. One of my favorite styles and this is a good one.

Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass. Golden reddish brown color with excellent head and lacing. Pleasant caramel/ toffee smell and aste with some nice citrus hops backing it up. A bit of vanilla and nice earthy malt. Very nice beers, glad I bought the six pack!

Jan 21, 2020

defunksta from North Dakota

3.3/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Appearance: Pours a medium, deep, clear amber color with a strong off white head. SRM of 16. (4.00)

Aroma: Faint aromas dank orange citrus, grapefruit, and pine. Hint of bubblegumNotes of sweet syrup woft toward the nose. (3.25)

Flavor: Boozy, candied syrup upfront. Then some orange maramalade sweetness in the middle. Hints of pine bitterness and red apple get washed away by a syrupy, caramel sweetness. Not as much bitterness as I expected. (3.25)

Feel: Heavy, sticky, resinous. Carbonation is no match. Sweetness overpowers any bitterness present. A boozy, candied sweetness lingers. (3.25)

Overall: Slightly underwhelmed here. A sweet sugar bomb, but the aromas were weak the the flavor really doesn't stand up to the booze. If you like sweet beers you might like it. In my opinion it lacks aromas, flavors, and bitterness in exchange for boozy sweetness. Try it for yourself though. (Final Rating: 3.30)

Jan 18, 2020

cjeep from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

this is a very tasty beer that easily deserves its strong rating.
L: very pretty beer. rich red-orange color with a generous lasting head.
S: piney, citrusy, resin. very inviting. a hint of sweetness.
T: big, big, big. sweet, caramel malt, with lots of hoppy notes coming through. pine, grapefruit, bitter. it's really good.
F: smooth rich mouthfeel. gentle carbonation level that fits the beer.
if you haven't had it, youre missing something really good...

Jan 13, 2020

Quenchers_Jon from Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle. Good red ale reddish copper color and parchment color head with decent retention. I was expecting something more typically uninteresting but instead it has a balance of some malt on the palate and yet more buttering than I expected. Nice balance and good finish and seven with the 8.8 abv not boozy.

Jan 05, 2020

mushroomcloud from Texas

4.37/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

32oz growler filled 12-30-19, opened 1-4-20.
2 finger off white and dense head, fine bead and excellent retention. Beautiful clear and clean amber / red ale. Sticky lacing forms as the head slowly falls. Really good looking beer.
Pine and citrus - mainly bitter grapefruit pith. Caramel malt, smells sticky resin. Super clean and powerful aromas - very appealing.
Well balanced with more of a caramel sweet malt base then I've had in a while...earthy with a touch of early sweetness that gets blasted away by a big earthy, leafy, piney, grapefruity hop attack.
Medium body and carbonation. Slick and slightly oily mouthfeel and a long hop laden finish.
Very good to Outstanding - a great first beer of 2020 for me. Full of flavor and fairly complex.

Jan 04, 2020

Mindcrime1000 from South Dakota

4.09/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a bottle.

Pours deep auburn/amber with a two-fingered foamy off-white head. Just a slight bit of haze. Good retention and lacing.

Solid aromas of citrus, caramel malt, and a touch of resin.

The flavor delivers solid caramel and toasted malt on the tip of the tongue, which is balanced on the back end by an equally solid dose of pine resin hops with some booze. In the middle, sugary, peppery, and bready flavors round things out.

The brew is very well carbonated although somewhat beyond medium bodied.

This is an excellent imperial red. It may be a bit boozy, even for the style, but it's tasty as heck.

Dec 29, 2019

HopsAreDaMan from Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

6-pack, 12oz bottles.

Based on the reviews, I remember being a bit disappointed with this beer. It's wasn't bad, and I enjoyed drinking it, it simply didn't stand out in any way.

Sep 16, 2018

Troy-Hawaii from Hawaii

3.75/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bought a 22oz bottle $4.79 Tamuras
Citrus smell
Clear amber color
Medium mouthfeel
Medium-high carbonation
Some sweet taste to start then bitterness finish.
Overall OK. Doesn't taste like a red ale, more like an IPA

Jun 08, 2018

twosheds from Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Orange Amber in color with white head.

Smell is fruity and bready with a little bit of hops.

Bold flavor that is bold sweet and bitter. Tastes similar to smell with the hops coming in stronger at the end.

This beer is both well balanced and has an intense taste, which doesn't always go hand in hand.

Jun 08, 2018