StereoHopic Vol. 2
Lagunitas Brewing Company

StereoHopic IPA Vol. 2 (Elixir &
Loral)

Lagunitas Brewing Company

IPA American
Notes:

Floral and sweet fruitiness pulls from the first sip. This hop juice is a sweet current of ripe wild berries and candy. The Alsatian Elixir and Yakima Noble hop sure is a unique and interesting combo. The Noble really does bring out some heavy spice. A bit on the mild side of current IPA complexity norms. Not bad in a pinch.

Purchased at Jake's 5 Star Convenience >

definitely one of the more unique beers in this series so far, a step up from the first volume for me, elixir and loral hops in this, a much less common combination and thus this beer teaches us a little something, way more engaging i reckon, and i liked this a lot. the look is very similar to the first one, maybe a half step richer in tone, but similar clarity and head, nice looking brew. the nose here is noble-esque to me, the loral leading the way i suppose, but elixir is pretty new to me, so i guess the unfamiliar notes are from that, earthy and wet, lightly spicy, fresher than the first one ever seemed, but with a similar grain build, a touch bigger than it needs to be, and the always present lagunitas ale yeast. the flavor shows a little more than the nose does on this one, dried stone fruit, green apple, not quite ripe citrus, spring meadow, floral in that way, and with some zesty bite on the finish, more bitter than expected but in an herbal kind of way, hints of bay leaf, grapevine, and mowed grass. distinct, and nicely fast finishing, this is almost refreshing for its size. i wish the beer was a tad lighter overall, which i guess is true of the whole series, but this hop combination is cool, makes this worth buying. definitely a little more of what i was looking for than in the first release. fun and different, if still very obviously a lagunitas beer...

 

 

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a golden/orange color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of malts, melons. Taste is malty, melons, light resin notes, moderate bitterness and a bit unusual. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a mediocre beer.

Man did I think this beer sucked. Had this in September '21.

Pours golden with good clarity, 3/4" white head. Looks like a good beer. Also this is where the positivity train has its last stop. The aroma was lacking a hoppy aroma. Mostly wood and bitterness. Caramel. Not even the good kind, this was the kind you find underneath your great grandma's couch.

The taste, ooof. Moldy wood and caramel, nothing in terms of fruity aspects of a hop. Or trees. Like man, these elixer and loral hops suck. Loral has never been anywhere close to my fave, but there have been some decent beers with it (Loral Compass for example). Elixir? Never had 'em, and based on this sample, I would say they suck. There was plenty of bitterness to the beer, but that seems to the hops sole contribution.

I don't really get it, I've been a pretty big Lagunitas fan boy, loyally buying everything hoppy (and some non hoppy ones) at the grocery store feeling like I've outsmarted all the craft nerds lining up for a $6 can of beer. This was one of, if not the worst hoppy beer I've ever had from them. Blech.

12oz bottle

Orange snowglobe. Smell is surprisingly malty and has a hint of pumpkin(?) along with the hefty hopping. Malty, floral, pine, orange rind, is okay

this beer is crisp, bready grains, moderately bitter, straight forward beer taste with a slightly mineral finish. For an IPA, it seems more like it wants to be a European Pilsner or even Maibock so some IPA purists may be puzzled.

 

 

 

 

 

I so wanted to love this IPA but as I drank more I found the candy-like mid--taste hard to like. I think I just like a simpler formulation - one which doesn't demand this much analysis while I'm drinking it.

 

Good beer. Arguably not your classic west coast monster but carries nice piney, resin character. It's gorgeous to look at, for my tastes at least. Lovely soapy head that bounces around a thin film. And yeah, major notes are a malt sweetness from a substantial body, soft on the palate and in the mouth, orange peel, some general citrusy pith, a mild amount of bitterness but just easy drinking, tasty stuff. And Lagunitas always tends to come in at a good price point which is not negligible.

 

Loving Vol. 2...reminds me of Waldo's just toned down a tad!

Pours a clear golden straw color with a small creamy white head. Small wall of lacing.

The aroma is of floral hops; a touch perfume like. Hint of citrus. Not a very strong aroma.

Again the floral hops come out in the flavor which is paired with a light pine note which isn't very bitter. Some honey like sweetness to the brew.

Light to moderate on the palate with tingly carbonation. Starts sweet on the palate but just enough hop bitterness to offset. Drinks easy.

The hop blend works well together but not very strong. The beer is a tad sweet for the style as there is a sugary note. Enjoyable and drinks very well.