Lagunitas 2019 Willettized Coffee Stout

Snatched 2 four packs for $10.99 each.. tried one the other night and was definitely incredibly pleased with it.

Let me be the first to say:
This beer is an absolute steal

 

It sure is if you have the ability to purchase it.

I went to one of my local Retail Beer Distributors and by the time I arrived they already sold the six 4-packs (only one 4-pack per customer) of the one case of beer they received. I sent an e-mail to my other local Retail Beer Distributor and luckily he did not put his one case up for sale yet so I was able to purchase one 4-pack from him.

And then my luck got a bit better and a BA tipped me off to another local beer retailer that had it in stock and I went over to purchase two 4-packs before they sold out (which occurred later that day).

Lagunitas Willetized is indeed a high quality beer but very challenging to come by (at least in my area).

Cheers!

 

Does anyone know whether it is brewed both in CA and in IL? I can't find any info on the label.

 

It is part of the fun

 

In black ink just under the bottle fill line I am reading
288 9 2

Bottled on the 288th day of 2019 and the 2 is for Chicago. 1 would be bottled in California.

 

I still wish a 6 pack was $12 not 4 pack like 2017.

 

Purchased a 4 pack of this for $11.99 before the long weekend.

Really fantastic beer. Insane value when you consider what Founders KBS/CBS and Goose Island Bourbon County is charging.

This beer is just as good at a fraction of the price. Think I'm going to buy another 4-pack this week.

 

I still wish a new car sold for 6 grand.

 

Had a buddy blind sample Willettized, KBS, and BCBS. Granted he isn't a Stout guy, but on a palette of one and knowing nothing about any of the beers other than they're beer, he gave Lagunitas top honors for taste.

 

Has anybody seen this beer anywhere in Virginia?

 

For me, this is a very reasonably priced alternative to BCBS and similar barrel aged stouts.

 

finally found a location with some. Last had it in 2017 when they had the 6 packs. It's just as good I as I remember it being.

 

Found a 4 pack for $12.99 here in the Boston area. Very tasty beer, if a bit on the sweet side. Very, very excellent price.

I do have to say that I personally don't understand the desire/demand to throw flavorings into barrel aged beers though. If you're going to go to the time, effort and expense of barrel aging then why water that down with flavors you could cheaply and easily add to any regular beer?

I at least sort of get the point of accentuating existing barrel flavors with things like vanilla, or things that go well with bourbon like cherry, but coffee in particular is a bit of head scratcher for me.

 

Have you ever had a Bourbon Barrel aged Stout augmented with coffee?

A number of years ago (I can’t recall the exact year) I was fortunate to purchase a 4-pack of Coffee BCBS (25 bucks for the 4-pack of 12 ounce bottles). Those beers were OUTSTANDING!!

Cheers!

 

I've had a number of them (though never BCBS). I don't mind them at all, but I always find myself wishing I could have the same beer without the coffee. The Lagunitas is as good as any I've had so it's not a knock on this particular beer.

I know I'm in the minority on this one, though if memory serves @TongoRad feels similarly.

 

FWIW, for the year I was able to purchase my 4-pack of Coffee BCBS I thought those beers were much better than 'regular' BCBS.

Cheers!

 

Oh, definitely. I usually prefer a deft touch with any flavorings, but especially coffee. It seems to take over very easily. The first year we got BCBS Coffee (2012?) it was a well integrated ingredient, but after that it became way too prominent for me and I lost interest. That's probably also about the time people started going crazy about it.

 

Good beer and good value, but it's not on KBS, CBS or BCBS level. Even though, I do think this year's BCBS pricing is bullsh!t.

 

I may need to revisit kbs but I do not understand the infatuation with it. I would gladly take the beer over kbs even if they were the same price

 

During the last release of Willettized, so little of it arrived in MN retailers were selling it by the single bottle. I snagged a single. Loved it. I'm a big rye fan.

This time around, there are stacks of cases at Total Wines. Bought 2 four packs, came home, & was grievously disappointed. The rye so prominent in the last batch is drowned in loud, raucous coffee - so faint I can barely suss our the rye. I don't drink coffee, so the imbalance between coffee & barrel is displeasing, & nothing like the last batch. Luckily my wife is a coffee addict, so she loves it.

Not a bad beer, but it's a testament to the delicate balance of brewing with coffee - too much & it turns into a cup of Folgers.