Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale
Lagunitas Brewing Company

a classic from these guys, and its one of those beers that in isolation is quite awesome, but when taken in the context of a lot of other lagunitas beers, its really samey. to me this doesnt really go way away from things like undercover, imperial red, censored, and even brown sugar, dare i say it. its another reddish, toasted, not too sweet, slightly over hopped, lagunitas house yeast fermented, stronger amber, to me vastly better on its own than when considered with these others. brick red, a pretty deep shade, just off from fully clear but still well refined looking under its two inches of frothing khaki head, web lacing as it drinks and visible bubbles. the nose and taste of this show some kilned and toasted grain character, uniquely not that caramelized for a red beer like this, especially a strong one, and it seems way less sweet than i remember the blonde edition being, although its been years. there is a slightly floral, slightly citrusy hop complexion here too, bold as always from lagunitas, and just a little yeast thing, now familiar, some alcohol pushing through, smells even stronger than it really is at temperature, robust but balanced more or less, again some of the grain character that a lot of the others have, tons of crystal malt flying around this place. the flavor is similar, the hops arent super interesting, northwestern and high alpha and allowed to be relatively bitter in this, this will maybe appeal more to ipa people than red ale people, although its not crazy aggressive or anything. i like the yeast aspect, and as often as i lament it in their beers, i should also celebrate it, because this would be a little disjointed and generic without it. a bran muffin baked aspect, subtle almond, toffee too. sturdy enough for winter in terms of alcohol, but light enough in body for spring too, yet the flavors kind of hit like autumn, a three season strong ale then. good, even very good, but not incredible.

Scrappy notes from 2013. Large bottle into a pint glass.
76.9 IBU. This beer is sweet then bitter with caramel notes. There are more malt flavors than the IBU leads on and it has an oily resinous finish. It is excellent!

bomber bottle of this'n - review from notes:

This is a big beautiful red ale with a nice cap of foam. Smells kinda medicinal, and tastes very bitter and medicinal as well. A touch of danks and tropical fruit, but not enough to balance the booze malt and off-putting medicinal flavor

 

$5 for a bomber of an imperial red ale? How could I say no to that? I can only imagine thatcthis will be aggressively hoppy given the fact that it’s Lagunitas, whereas I prefer my reds with a bit more of a malt presence. Regardless, I’m happy to give this one a shot even if the hops are aggressive

Pours a hazy copper/orange with a finger of light tan head that fades to a thin cap and leaves decent lacing

Based on the nose alone, this is most certainly a heavy hitter, bringing tons of earthy spice. I’m picking up on aromas of earthy hops, pithy pink grapefruit, white pepper, toasted rye, and caramel

This is definitely hopped extensively, but the balance it finds in taste is quite good. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting smoky malt, burnt toffee, brown bread, resinous pine, and tangerine. The swallow brings notes of pithy grapefruit, toasted malt, pepper, light wheat, and a long finish of earthy hops

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in beer that is simultaneously smooth and sharp. Finishes mostly dry with a huge earthy bitterness

This is some good stuff right here, definitely worth the cheap price for how much you get

poured from a 12oz can - not dated

Laguntias Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale poured into my tulip glass a clear amber hue. Atop sat a 1-finger off-white head. Light lacing was left behind. The nose was of citrus and dominated by grapefruit with light caramel malt detected in the background. The taste of caramel and roasted malt hits the mouth first then citrus hop flavor follows. The finish is hoppy/bitter. Mouth feel is crisp with a high-medium body and medium carbonation.

Lucky 13 Mondo is a flavorful Red Ale.

Copper appearance with a small, off white head and modest lacing. Aroma bounces from sweet malt to spruce. Taste is more piney hops that play well off the caramel malt backbone. Medium bodied, nicely carbonated mouthfeel; long lasting finish.

 

Wowser...this is a really good Red Ale! It pours a dark amber and the initial taste is a bit stout but it smooths out as you drink it. I would have nooooo problem buying this again. Tasty!!

Pours a deep reddish amber with an cream colored head that leaves lace for days.

Smells of resinous pine, whole grain bread malt and floral hops.

Resinous pine with a sweet whole grain bread malt and a floral earthy dry hop finish.

 

 

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.

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

Amazing with a sweet finish.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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.

 

 

 

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.

8.8 percent nice!

 

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.

 

 

Even more fantastic for availability in a can.

 

 

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.

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!