Lagunitas Waldos' Special

If memory serves me correctly, 2016 was the first time that Waldos' was bottled. Back then, it was so limited that every place I found carrying it had limits. However, after a whiff and a sip...I was hooked. Ultimately scored 3 6-Packs and they were poured down my neck with alacrity.

2017 rolls around and I was poised to get as much as possible...3 6-Packs the year prior turned into 3 cases thinking that it (like other Lagunitas beers) would hold up without issue for the (mostly) agreed upon freshness window of a hoppy beer to be 90 days. However, I greatly assumed incorrectly and as soon as 60 days (from packaging date) passed, the nose fell off the edge of a cliff, the hop flavor diminished and what was left was something akin (but not really) to an American Barleywine. It was unpleasant enough that I ended up <gulp...then tears> dumping a number of them. Without that pungent aroma and hop flavor, the beer (for me, at least) is not very pleasant...chock it up for experience!

Here we are in 2018 and I will definitely be picking up some...but only enough that I'm assured of finishing my stock in as timely a fashion as possible. When, oh when will them Waldos' show up in my area...I'm ready for the treasure hunt!

 

i have not intentionally aged any for an extended period of time - just hoping it'll smooth out a bit over the course of ~1-3 weeks. has worked well for me with other beers with significant "hop burn" and the like. i don't think this beer would benefit from extended aging and will probably be drinking it for only the next month or two.

 

Still trying to track some down here in MO. Funny, I remember thinking last year I was glad I didn't get a 6 of them, but that's probably what I will do this year. The nose on this beer is incredible!

 

I respect your game. I could not even fathom putting away three cases of a beer with this gravity within such a limited freshness window.

 

It's best enjoyed as fresh as possible. After enough time it turns into a syrupy sweet mess and one dimensional. The same can be said for Hoptimum.

 

Anyone see this in PA yet?

 

Getting my taste buds bashed in at the moment.

 

I haven't seen it yet but noticed it is posted on Beeryard's (Wayne, PA) website as a recent arrival there, so it must be around SEPA now.

 

We never get the one hitter series here in Montana but ordered a couple 6 packs on craft beer kings. $12.99 each. Should be here Monday. Super stoked.

 

I'm 2 hours south of the brewery. and I still haven't seen it. Gonna grab 2 cases as soon as it hits my town.

 

Still waiting for this in Houston it dropped April 6th here last year

 

I could have sworn I was using Ad Blocker!

 

Some how, some way, this has made it to Hawaii. Just picked up two sixers on Oahu for $11.59!

 

Seems like this year Publix is the place to find it in FL

 

I passed on it today, but now I'm wishing I didn't. Damn FOMO... I could spend so much on beer if I just had a third fridge

 

drink more or store stouts and barleywines in a cool spot out of the fridge ?

 

Beer Rev in Lakeland received 10 cases. $12.99.

 

Wegman's KOP has it on the floor, about one case left, $12.99 I think the price was. I considered it but passed, beers like this I typically enjoy one and then it can take a while for me to want to finish the others. If I happen to come across a single somewhere I'll definitely try it.

 

I love resinous DIPAs like this, but what really impresses me is the value. Outside of April is there anything like this beer that I can get for anything close to the price point?

Seems to be widely available in Chicago, though packs are noticeably disappearing, $12.99.

 

On tap Friday afternoon, you know what time, at Platypus Pub in Bend, Oregon. I am sad to report -- like last year -- that this is no 2016 Waldos' Special.

The 2016 absolutely blew me away, it was all dank hops. Like rolling around in a sticky, resinous wheelbarrow full of freshly-picked ones. Last year, 2017, didn't measure up.

I can't really say whether I like 2018 better than 2017. If anything I would say it is more boozy and less hoppy than 2017. It is certainly not a bad IIIPA in any way, but I'm not going to go out and drink every bit of it I can find like I did in 2016. In fact, other than buying a bottle (if possible) to compare to the draught version, I'm unlikely to have it again. It just doesn't smack my taste buds in all the right places like 2016.

So now it's back to Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing and and River Bend's Hawaiian Crunk -- I'm currently on a hazy kick. BTW, Hawaiian Crunk is available in cans now, only in Oregon AFAIK, so any of you into beer trading and hazy might want to try to get some.