Lagunitas all taste the same?

interesting, my first try of brown shugga and i was surprised by how hoppy it was vs. sweet - i've seen both opinions so it is interesting how much divergent opinions there always are for the same brew!

 

I know, to each his own, right? because to me the exceptional one out of that trio is indeed Saison Rue, and the Autumn Maple is merely very good but noticeably lesser than the other two. (And I wouldn't use the word "mediocre" for any of 'em)

 

Hmm, maybe i had a bad batch. There's no dates on the bottle, but i'll probably give it another shot some time.

I think it really just amounts to me not feelin belgians right now. I'm gonna step away from them for a while and hopefully later on i'll get the taste for them again.

 

it is also totally possible & understandable if that belgian yeast strain just isn't to your liking and it distracts you from/ruins the other flavors going on in the beer. Have you had goose island matilda or sofie? saison dupont, ommegang's hennepin, or the bruery's saison de lente? those are all pretty good examples of standard, good saisons, and if you don't like any of them then i would be willing to bet the yeast just isn't for you. it is true that saisons especially have a VERY strong and noticeable yeast characteristic so if you don't like that flavor, it will probably get in the way of you enjoying any good saison true to the style.

 

well it depends on what you're thinking as you take that first sip. If I was thinking, "OK, a brown ale, let's see what it's got" my first thought would have been, "wow, pretty damn hoppy for a brown!". But I was thinking "Lagunitas IPA, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid, dank hops, dank hops, big IBUs" so my first thought was "wow, this might be a little on the sweet side for me."

I ought to say, a beer I like less than every other Lagunitas beer...well it doesn't mean I think it sucks, thats for sure.

 

The only reason I attribute it to the yeast is due to the fact that from my perspective that is probably the only thing that is very consistent. Obviously the grain, and hop bills will vary from beer to beer. Water may or may not be the same depending on the style of the beer being brewed...chances are water is being tweaked for each individual beer. A lot of breweries do use house yeast strains, and that is why I feel that component may be the thing that creates a consistent flavor character.

Now you mentioned the mash temp...I am only familiar with single step mashing as that is what I use in my own home brew. I have not spent much time researching more advanced mashing techniques, and really do not know enough to comment weather or not that could be contributing to the consistency in taste.

 

kbuzz is right. read the tiny print on hop stoopid. it advertises the use of hop extracts. for that specific beer at least.

 

i think you've nailed it perfectly, the yeast strain is just to distracting, and ruins the other flavors. I'm going to san fran this weekend in hopes of picking up some Enjoy by IPA. Hopefully i'll be able to pick up the beers you listed as well.

Thnx

 

I finally had to search and see if anyone else thought this. Totally agree. And its annoying.

 

If you were to drink a Hairy Eyeball, followed by a Night Time, and then a 'Little Sumpin' Extra, I don't think you'd be thinking "Wow, these all taste the same."
You might, however, be thinking "... I have become comfortably numb..."

 

Their comments aren't that all their beers across the board are the same. You could argue that their range of ipas is similar and that the strong ales they release are similar as well. They do brew a lot of the same styles of beer over and over if that makes sense

 

I agree and think its the yeast because I get the same finishing taste from many of their beers. I noticed it first with Brown Shugga and Lagunitas Sucks, which i thought might have been similar ingredients since Sucks was a replacement for brown shugga, but then i started to taste it in their IPAs, and Imperial Red. All have a similar taste in the finish on my palate.

 

I think they mash all their beers really hot and that's what people are picking out

 

I agree 100%, and I love their beer so I am not bashing them here. It is the finish that nearly every brew of theirs has which is damn near identical, something slightly metallic (not unpleasantly so) and bitter. I think that having that subtle underlying profile across the board makes for a cool signature, I can nearly always tell I am drinking a Lagunitas even without seeing it poured.

 

I get the same taste from GL also and unfortunately it's what turns me off from their beers. I also get that chalky flavor from Stoudt's Gold.

 

I had a fantastic Lagunitas Lil Sumpin Extra DIPA on draft recently at the DinoBBQ in Harlem and it was 100% solid. Juicy, Citrus, Pine all the way through.

 

And The Replacements Stink...

 

Alesmith beers all have a similar flavor profile and I love it. An AleSmith beer tastes like an AleSmith beer!

 

I know this is a Lagunitas thread but when I think of a brewery's beers tasting the same I think New Belgium.

 

I've seen this discussed in other threads, but yeast is apparently what gives a lot of beers distinguishing characteristics -- I don't necessary think all their beers taste the same, but I know I like virtually everything they make and find it all very drinkable -- but it's largely a matter of personal taste. The common yeast within a brewery is why a lot of folks like certain breweries and dislike others.