Lagunitas Sucks Ale

 

 

To say that  I love this brewery would be an understatement. Since I first had my first tasting of Hop Stoopid over two years ago, I've been pimping this brewery around as though I owned it myself. They're masters of the manipulation of hop profiles, and manage to get some of the most complex hop aromas and tastes on the planet. They've mastered IPA's in all of their forms, and I tell anyone who asks me for a good IPA to try anything Lagunita's has put out. Hop Stoopid, Maximus IPA, IPA, Lil Sumpin Sumpin, Lil Sumpin Sumpin Wild, and the Imperial Red Ale are all some of my favorites on the planet. When I want hops, I want Lagunitas. It's as simple as that.

 

I've heard about Lagunitas Sucks Ale for the past couple of winters, but before this past winter I had yet to get my paws on a bottle of it. I asked my local distributor if they would be getting it in a week after its release in December, and they couldn't tell me jack shit. So, I waited patiently...very patiently. I went to the distributor every single day for three weeks straight to see if it had come in yet. Then, one glorious Wednesday evening I went on to the beer distributor's website and saw Lagunitas Sucks listed as one of their beers recently added to the roster. Sure enough, I ran down to the store the following day and quickly swiped up a six pack of it. I was like a little kid, boring the hell out of my girlfriend by going into great detail of my excitement about mynew acqusition. Surely, she couldn't have cared less, but I needed someone to share my excitement with. So now, I will share it with you, my trusty readers who will appreciate the love I have for this brew, and this brewery. Alas, let my review begin...

 

Name: Lagunitas Sucks Ale

Brewey: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Location: Petaluma, CA

Style: Double/Imperial IPA

ABV: 7.85%

Packaging: 12oz bottle

Price: $13/6 pack of 12 oz bottles

 

Appearance: Beautiful bright copper hue, with a thick, creamy white 2-3 finger thick head. Loads of lacing on this one that sticks rather firmly to the glass.

 

Aroma: A graefruit explosion on the nose! Load of citrus esters (grapefruit, orange peel and lemon zest). Also floral hops aromas, reminiscent of orange blossoms. Also some mild sweetness on the nose.

 

Taste/Mouth feel: Medium bodied brew, with plenty of carbonation and a dry mouth feel. The citrus hop characters really add to the dryness of the beer, and give it an almost dry Riesling type of mouth feel. I am also getting a moderately thick mouth coating, especially on the roof of my mouth, which also rolls over my tongue toward my throat on each sip. Beautifully complex citrus notes up front, which fade slightly to allow candied fruit esters to settle in for a bit before a clean, bitter hop finish. The candied fruit esters are reminiscent of fruit esters you'd get from Belgian ales. A very complex flavor profile, as well as mouth feel.

 

Overall: 10/10 This has taken the lead as my new favorite brew from Lagunitas. If you like hops, you'll want to marry this beer on the first sip. The aromas, taste, and mouth feel evolve and tease you with each sip. It's an insanely clean, dry, crisp beer that bombards you with citrus esters, and a medium bodied malt sweetness. If you like Lil Sumpin Sumpin, this beer will surely throw you for a loop. Highly recommended. Cheers!