Fusion 9
Lagunitas Brewing Company

Very wheat-esque pour, super cloudy, hazy, clarity is muddy waters. Aroma was wheaty, a little bit of orange rind. Smelled like sun dresses and afternoon beers in the trendy part of town.

Flowery greenhouse and herbal taste. Somewhere between a white belgian ipa and a witbier, the conclusion and mouthfeel sure doesn't rock me all that well.

 

 

 

In my notes, I wrote "is this a wheat fusion?" Well, yeah, it seems so according to BA. Anyways, a wheaty pour, cloudy yellow, mild white head. Aroma was of grist, citrus and a mild hoppy presence. Enjoyable for a summer whiff, but not for a Lagunitas beer. I demand only the sticky icky aromas when it comes to Lagunitas, but here, they kinda disappoint. Damn you adventurousness in the brewing process!

Some weird herb and flower presence, like jasmine and dandelions were somehow an integral part of the recipe. Hops don't really jump out at you. The citrus is a nice touch, but it can't overcome the sensation that they dumped someone's garden of herbs and flowers into the batch.

Its like, if they got rid of just about everything made in the white ipa vein, this would be decent, but its just got too much of that stuff in it. A nice, lighter version of sumpin sumpin you could hope for, but this beer is not it.

32 ounce growler filled at DeCicco's in Brewster, NY, last night. Part of their Lagunitas tap take over event.

Pours hazed lighter tangarine, near golden. One finger of off white head, stays nicely, then leaves nice lookin' fine, scattered, and high on the glass fields of lacing.

Fresh grapefruit pervades the nose. Pungent and aromatic.

Hoppy freshness continues onto the palate, more grapefruit, some honey, some melon. Nice stuff. Super easy drinking.

Pleasantly soft on the palate.

More well crafted, hoppy, fresh and tasty beer from Lagunitas. Refreshing and palate cleansing. Would likely do great with some summery cheeses, salads, shelfish etc.

Go get some if this becomes available in a fine beer establishment/bar near you.

 

 

I had this masterwork at the Ginger Man in New York about two weeks ago. This review is from notes. If they still have this beer, then run out and get a glass immediately.

This is a pretty light yellow beer. The single finger of head really held on really well. I like the light lacing on the glass.

The nose had a lot of hops. I get a decent amount citrus there. I really like the over the top double hop flavor. This beer had great balance. I was surprised that there wasn't more bitterness considering all of the hops in there.

This was the best beer of a five beer night.

 

 

 

 

 

Lagunitas NYC Fusion 9 Ale is a one-off brew created in Petaluma in collaboration with the New York beer establishments Brooklyn Homebrew, Fourth Avenue Pub and The Stag Head.

"A White IPA brewed with roughly half Northwestern Pale Malt, half Wheat Malt & Flaked Oats. Dosed with two varieties of experimental hops from Washington State’s Perrault Farms and a clandestine “Ghost Hop” so secret that they have not dared to name it! Finished with a healthy charge of Citra hops and Grains of Paradise"

Appearance: On tap at Pony Bar in Hell's Kitchen, NYC. Clear yellow, a cross between Troegs Perpetual and Budweiser. Almost two fingers of lily-white head and great retention. Nice lacing.

Smell: The weakest link. Distant hops, sticky honey... not much. Clover, spice, oregano.

Taste: Fruity-sweet-aromatic. Honeysuckle, lavender, clover. Fennel pollen. Spicy-hoppy finish. Gentle all around, like a field of wheat in a breezy summer day.

Mouthfeel: A little harsh in the beginning, bone-dry, begs for water. Mighty spicy at the end. Medium body, flavor and carbonation.

Overall: Drinks great, enjoyable. Nothing earth-shattering here but fine and well-done. Refreshing and summery, in the range of Raging Bitch, Sumpin' Sumpin' and Cali-Belgique, but smaller.