Lagunitas Imperial Red

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

Draft at the Blind Tiger. Aroma was sweet malt, slightly roasted hints, and some german malt. The flavor was slightly earthy, pretty sweet, with citrus hops in the finish. A little bitter, but nothing out of the ordinary.

12oz. bottle. Sweet, fruity aroma, some dark sugars and strong citrus here, with notes of brown sugar, grapefruit, cherry, orange and pine, along with very faint bubblegum and hop spice. Medium-dark red-orange color, clear, with a fine, dissipating head. Flavor is likewise a good balance of darkly sugary, toasty maltiness and drying, piney hop character, with a burst of fresh, juicy citrus about midpoint and a long, bitter, earthy, impressively hoppy finish. Gentle hints of red grape and apple skin linger on in the background. Smoothly effervescent and resinous on the palate, body is medium-full. Highly flavorful. Very West Coast and very tasty. I’d really like more of this.

bottle poured an amber in color with a nice pillow like thick head on the beer. aroma of hops jumps out, citrus, grapefruit, and malt. mouth feel is medium creamy, good hops bite, finishes dry with a pepper snap. definitely plenty of hops in here with pine resin flavor. lagunitas has come through with this one.

Pours a deep copper color with off-white head, and sticky lacing. Caramel, bitter hops, citrus, sweet malt, grapefruit, and pine. Pretty nice american strong, yet quite typical. Smooth medium mouthfeel. Enoyable brew.

12 oz bottle. Pours a copper red with small floaties and a creamy off-white head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is sweet caramel malts and green grapefruity hops.

The flavor is sweet melon-ey malts followed by a big resiney grapefruit / pine hop burst that lingers. The mouthfeel is medium to full with decent carbonation.

Overall, a very nice brew. This reminds me a lot of their Lucky #13. A lot of their beers are similar in this vein (Undercover as well). Some are better than others, this one is up there - not quite as good as I remember Lucky #13, but it is available in 6 packs.

12oz. bottle. Pours a dark amber-red color with thin off-white head that dissipates rather quickly. Heavy aromas of grapefruit, fresh pine, and hops. Flavor is heavy on citrus fruit with hints of hops and strong, but not brutal bitter finish. Mouthfeel is very smooth and velvet-like. Much better then I had anticipated.

Pours a beautiful deep mahogany color with red highlights. Produces a 1" tight and dense beige head. Maintains some thin paisely wisps of foam throughout the glass. Assertive hoppy aromas come through immediately. The nose just fills with rich notes of freshly cut citrus and sun-drenched pine needles with a subtle background of toffee and caramel. Mouthfeel may have been a touch fuller, but was smooth and creamy with just the right amount of carbonation. Flavor profile was almost perfectly balanced. Of course the west coast citrusy-piney hops made a strong showing, but they were admirably supported by a rich,sweet malty, toffee and caramel candy presence. Finish reverts slightly back to the hops with a pleasant moderately bitter and crisp ending. Very easy to enjoy more than 1 or 2. Very nice stuff!!

Tallahassee, Fl. - Market Square Liquors - 12 oz bottle. Medium-dark copper pour, sticky off white head - good lacing. Fresh, piney-sprucey aroma. Flavor has the requisite west coast hop onslaught with some toffee accents, a hint of nuts and a back end of spearmint. Full bodied and flavorful without leaving a bitter aftertaste. Thick and rich mouthfeel. Very enjoyable.