Lagunitas Gonzo

	Score
91		59
	OVERALL	Style

Brewed by Lagunitas Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Petaluma, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

bottling
unknown

on tap
unknown

distribution
unknown

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RATINGS: 34 MEAN: 3.69/5.0 WEIGHTED AVG: 3.64 SEASONAL: Special EST. CALORIES: 255 ABV: 8.5%

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
It is just a plain old 'punch-in-the-mouth' of a beer, meaning that it is SG of 1.075 or so and a robust bitterness... The beer is, in a word; Dark, Alcoholic, Bitter, and Unapologetic. Brilliant. Hunter has long been one of my personal heros and inspirations. From the label: Hunter S. Thompson occupies an honored seat in the pantheon of our heros. We have appropriated much from him, both stylistically and literally. From a direct and unattributed quote on the BrownShugga about "...The short-changed children of the eighties..." to the tone from the Imperial Red Ale story. We didn't ask permission to use this image or make this beer but Hunter did not ask permission to spray-paint "F---the Pope" on the America's Cup boat in Newport Harbor way back when either. Hunter looms as large as Kerouac, Hemmingway, Baudelaire, and Dylan in our thinking. His subersive Thursday columns in the also gone Examiner propelled our own processes and in that were changed. Gonzo is dead. Long live Gonzo!

Most Recent Top Raters Highest Score Rated By

4.1

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

OhioDad (2491) - Hilliard, Ohio, USA - JAN 31, 2006

22oz bottle via trade with DarkElf - Thanks Stephen! Pours a nice deep mahogony color with a short offwhite head that laces down the sides of the Trappist Glass. Aromas of sweet caramel, some raisins, bread, and nice citrus and pine hops. The taste begins very sweet.. Notes of caramel, cherry, dough, and even a touch of roasted malt, but it gives way to those pine and grapefruit hops that finish of the brew wtih a nice bitter balance to that early sweetness. Palate is full bodied with a very pleasant soft airy mouthfeel. A great beer to pay tribute to this icon. Very nice.. Glad to have a chance to try this! Oh and the label is one of the best ever... Very cool

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

CaptainCougar (6749) - Boz Scaggsville, Maryland, USA - JAN 23, 2006

Bottled shared by goldtwins, courtesy of DarkElf: Dark transparent mahogany color pour has a nicely-lacing off-white head. Toasty dark caramel cookie dough aroma has some mild complex butterscotch and piney hoppy presence. Body starts with a toasty sweet caramel maltiness loaded with lots of fresh resiny and grapefruity hops. Very well-balanced and enjoyable and full of bold flavor that hides the abv very well.

3.7

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20

Styles (2014) - Lincoln Park, Michigan, USA - JAN 13, 2006

Bottle courtesy of MrDick. appreciate the rather tough to get bottle. Dark amber/mahogany with decent beige head. Big chewy/bready malt aoma, hints of banana, faint hop background. Flavor much the same. Bready sweet malt with some fruity hop bitters towrads the finish.

3.5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20

luckygirl (1221) - Boulder, Colorado, USA - JAN 10, 2006

Had this at Vail Beer Fest. 2-oz sample in a snifter. Beer poured a hazy light-brown color with a small, frothy, white, mostly diminishing head. The aroma was lightly malty with roasted grain and cookie; lightly hoppy with notes of pine/resin; miscellaneous notes of honey, raisin and sherry. The flavor was moderately sweet and lightly bitter with a short, heavily bitter finish. The body was light-to-medium, the texture was watery and the carbonation was soft. Not bad, but no "punch in the mouth" here.

3.5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20

BückDich (5468) - McCall, Idaho, USA - DEC 7, 2005

Sampled at Oakes’ ’05 Xmas Party
Clear auburn color. No head, no lacing. Nose of sweet roasty malts, grassy hops and light yeast. Strong and flavorful but not really pronounced in any one area aside from a Tootsie roll flavor.

2.9

AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20

JoeMcPhee (6835) - Toronto, ON, Ontario, CANADA - DEC 4, 2005

Deep dark brown beer. Sweet malty aroma, a bit of herbal hop aroma, dill, sweet toffee aroma. Flavour is okay, a bit of meaty, salty flavour. Doesn’t do it for me.

3.7

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20

5000 (3998) - Hardened Liver, Washington, USA - NOV 10, 2005

Bottle: Dark caramel, large rocky sand colored head, fairly nice lacing, light carbonation. Sweet bready aroma, dark, quite malty as well. Unripened fruit, on top of a dark breadiness, very slight fig/date, and a bit of a hop bitterness on the backside. Big bodied, mouthfeel is fairly moderate. Unsweetened fruity finish, malty/bready on the dark side, with a moderate hop tinge. Not terribly big, decent, but nothing out of the ordinary. A big Lagunitas beer, but not one of their best. Rest in peace H.S.T.. Thanks Centaur for the bottle!

3.8

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20

Pailhead (3326) - Plymouth, Michigan, USA - OCT 23, 2005

UPDATED: DEC 1, 2005 Bottle: Courtesy of Styles. Lots of fruit with hints of caramel and light hops. Pours a brownish-orange with a small white head. Lots of caramel with light cherry sweetness and tartness and hints of banana bread. Finishes lightly hoppy.

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Rating Notecard:
Beer: Lagunitas Gonzo Rating Avg: 3.64 No. of Ratings: 34

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