Lagunitas Imperial Red

Sampled from a 22 oz brown bottle this beer poured a murky reddish brown color with a medium sized tan head. The aroma was sweet and nutty malts with fruity hops. The body was moderately thick and syrupy. The flavor was fairly strong sweet nutty malts followed by fairly strong floral and fruity hops. The beer was a bit sour and rather hoppy on the long finish.

Let me first comment that I love the commercial description... "malty thorax... hoppy sweet nerve sack..." good stuff. Pours a vermillion amber with a frothy, cream-colored head that leaves some chunky lace on its slow way down. Huge malts vs. big hops in the aroma, I first guessed the style to be a double-IPA. Sweet citrus-caramel-candy rolled in white pepper and Lipton instant iced-tea mix. Flavor is weak compared to the nose, but there is a nice APA quality to it, and the ABV seems fairly well-hidden. Finishes a bit on the "too-sweet" side, but a grapefruity bitterness lingers.

<font size=-4>Single 12 oz. thanks to <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/View-User-14352.htm>Cornfield</font>

Another fine Lagunitas product. Pours a dark honeyed reddish amber. A thinnish head [cream colored] with very little lace. Nose is limited .. some hops some malt.. not very prominent. Taste, now we are talking. Nice strong bitter up front. some maltiness, great hoppy malt aftertaste. Over all seems pretty balanced.... if you like hops!

Slightly hazy copper body, thick buff head. Fresh grapefruit rind and pine greet the senses, carried by the toasty, caramely malts which deliver just the right amount of sweetness. Long, bitter, rindy finish, but not palate-destroying. The palate is both delicate and complex. Very nice.

Lovely coppery/amber pour and rich rocky white head. the nose is caramel and toffee. the first impression of flavor is a surprisingly strong earthy hop bitterness, followed quickly by the more expected caramel and toffee malt. High ABV seems to contribute to a fairly dry finish. Quite a nice effort.

12oz bottle, courtesy of TheBeerCellar2. Thanks, Matt! Pours a medium, cloudy golden-rust color; fluffy, off-white head with good retention and lacing. Lots of candy sugar and floral hops in the aroma. Slightly dry mouthfeel: perhaps a bit more bitter than I’d like, caramel and citrusy hops; good levels of carbonation; chewy, but hard to get a lot of flavor out of this one: predominantly dry and bitter hops. Medium finish, with some hints of pine at the end.

Appearance: Pours an attractive amber copper color. Translucent. And it has a creamy beige head and loads of lacing lining the glass. Smell: Caramel and a sweet poignant grapefruit aroma, hints of earthy woodyness, and creamy sweet browned butter, a toasty brown sugar and a gently ‘delightfully’ phenolic butterscotch aroma induce the salivation. This beer is a sniffer. Taste: This beer does a beautiful dance upon the palate. The sweet sensations from the candied caramelized malt to the orange pine hop biter that prance on my taste buds with a hint of mint, lightly toasted malt and butterscotch candy flavors followed by some alcohol showing through just enough to warm the palate and ease the mind, oh yeah!!! Mmm! It finishes with a strong green pine hop bitter kick that lets you know it was there, but the aftertaste is so pleasant it is worth savoring even after the beer is gone. Spectacular! Mouthfeel: It is a velvety smooth medium – full body beer that is spicy astringent and enjoyable. Drinkabilty: I really enjoy this beer but ‘golly me’ I am done with one. I is big in IBU and sweetness and alcohol is up there too. This is an enjoyable beer in moderation. Not a sessioner by any means. Hope this is helpful. Cheers!

12 oz bottle via trade with WeeHeavySD (Thanks!). Caramel malts and strong citrus hops intermingle in a hodgepodge of aromas that are melded quite well together. Also, there are some light pine needle notes. Appearance is a clear crimson red with an off white colored head that lingers around for a while. A really big up front almost sweet candy like taste at first. Nice hop element with a creamy more subdued malt texture that really brings this brew through. A grassy texture lingers through this beers aroma and taste as well that is kind of enjoyable. Palate is a bitter, long lasting finish, that stay on your tongue like a piece of hard candy. Overall, It’s a nice Impy Red the Yulesmith Impy Red I had was better than this, but still a solid beer.