Lagunitas Decimator

Formerly brewed at Lagunitas Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Petaluma, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

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10th Anniversary Decimator Ale 22oz bottle And a *damn* fine beer this is! I can't believe I'm reviewing it in OR before anyone in CA found it. Hopefully there's much more where this came from. Appearance is light amber with a beautiful head that lasts through the entire beer, dissapating only to leave one of the most beautiful laces I've seen down the sides of the glass. A perfect 5 as there truly is no way it could look any better. Smell is mostly of hops (Cascade, among others) with some interesting malt scents. Very nice; even the scent is complex. Taste is very complex. Cascade hops are present. The first thing I noticed was the alcohol (keeping it from a perfect 5, perhaps unfairly), but that taste quickly faded into a remarkably well balanced hop/malt sensation. This is certainly hoppy but it's not overblown at all as some light fruits are present as well. Mouthfeel is nice and full, but a wee bit on the astringent side. Drinkability suffers *only* from the high alcohol content. Bottom line: I'm going back to the store tomorrow to see how much of this they have left. At 7.8% ABV, this will age *very* nicely. If you see this beer, grab it. You won't be disappointed.

UPDATED: JAN 15, 2004 -rerate: more bitter with 6 weeks in the cellar? I dunno, but I like this - I want to know the hop bill!!. Original - Oh no, not just grapefruit - we have some other very Germanic hop influence here - iron and earthy bitterness abound! Joy! Some Hallertauish spice? - oh yeah! A tiny wee bit of sweet malt? Not much - This is NOTHING like some of the other American Strong Ales we've all been drinking and I applaud the effort - ya gotta be into the herbalness, however, or you need not apply. Take Spezial Rauch's Lager and amp up the aroma a million fold and add in 1 part dreadnaught to 3 of this and you begin to approximate the aroma. Lighter in color then expected (gold). Yum. Flat out bitter! Eat a pencil.

Orange gold color. Large foamy head. Aroma is fruity (orange and grapefruit), spicy and sweet. A big full-bodied Strong Ale. Lot of flavors. Malts are nutty, fruity, big and bold. Hops are grapefruity and spicy. Flavors are way over the top, but the bitterness of the hops is nicely balanced by the malt fruitiness and sweetness. There is a touch of alcohol in the taste, but its harshness mellows as the beer warms. Mellow and smooth, sort of cognac like. NICE beer. A little bottle aging will really make this beer excellent. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is smooth and a touch dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Ok looking for a beer to reveiw in Salem , I haven't aleady had..in desperation I entered the cheap cigarette outlet type store ( cash only)..they sometimes have a surprise and right there in front of my eyes in the walk in cooler..was this. The beer comes in the 22 oz bomber with the typical rambling Lagunitas label..plus the dog. In appearance this beer is almost like a stong ice tea in appearance..with a smallish white head and attractive carbonation strings, A very very spicy hop aroma greets my nose tough I do detect some malt in the background. A very hoppy type ale in taste..especially for LagunitasI am impressed the hops bitterness is very fresh and hangs around for quite some time..there is below all this hops a pretty strong malt backbone..the 7.3 alcohol is well hidden Pretty nice ans smooth on the palate. For a 7.8% beer this is so very very drinkable.

10th anniversary ale from Lagunitas.Gold and crystal clear, with slight head. Fantastic "alpine" aroma, not strong but just very positive, mountain wildflowers and subtle spice with citrus rind sorta thing. Tastes bigger than the stats on the label would indicate, sorta like a more balanced Avery 10, with nice cognac-like finishing complexity...another winner from Petaluma.

Bottle. Great hoppy aroma on top of an orange beer. The first taste is a huge presence of hops, but there's enough body to stand up to it and leave a slightly sweet presence that again fades to hops and a high alcohol presence. It does have a slight sharpness, but otherwise a bit of grapefruit and pine. A fantastic strong IPA.

Nice color, just a pretty beer. Nice and and hoppy with chewy malts. This is a well balanced beer loaded with flavor.

Wonderful glowing orange color, slightly hazy, with a large off-white head. The aroma was pure hops...pine tone dominated with a mix of citrus fruits. The flavor was again dominated by the wonderful piney hops bitterness, but had a solid malty sweet character to round things out...alcohol present in the aftertaste. The feel was thick, creamy, and sharp on the tongue. This reminds me of a great west coast IPA...almost perfect in that respect.

Pours an IPA-like golden color, with a good head and good carbonation. Nice aroma of hops. Strong-tasting with excellent hop flavor, again almost IPA-like. I enjoyed it quite a bit and would certainly buy it again.

The beer as it warms a bit in the glass a nebulous orange-amber color with the head super massive, frothy in texture and a winsome light tan in color. Nose has a hop floral front with a nice slightly sweet malt backing, lime like in its crispness, also a hint of fresh pine needles when you rub them between the palms of your hand and they give you a fresh and clean aroma, quite appealing to the senses, especially if your one of those “Tree Hugger Types”! Start is rich in malt, sweet and the top fair to middling in feel, finish has whacking hop presence, spicy and potent with the acidity middling and the aftertaste dry and bittersweet, quite a treat and more like and “Imperial IPA” than a “Strong Ale”, but “No Matter” the name a damn fine drinking beer IMHO.