Lagunitas Imperial Red

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

Bottle at The Map Room. Much more malt heavy than expected. Reminded me of a "light" barley wine with caramel and toffee malts being the dominant flavor and the hops being in the background.

12oz bottle-pours a foamy off white head and red color. Aroma is crisp citrus hops-sweet. Taste is crisp citrus hops-bitter, sweet malt. OK carbonation.

bottle. Pours a deep amber with alot of red highlights. Head is tan/off white, Carbonation is light to medium. Aroma: citrus, caramel, light roast and light notes of chocolate. Taste is malty and sweet, with citrus and a growing piney bitterness throughout the taste. Chocolate and light roasted/toasted malt notes in the taste also....bitter finish.

sweet brew with a very nice hop taste to it, this also has a very solid body, the only downfall is that the aftertaste carries a slightly matalic ting to ti.

Good looking ale, having a reddish copper body with a bubbly, somewhat off-white head. Not much retention or lacing there. The aroma is rich malts covered with floral, pine, and grapefruit hop smells with an underlying earthiness. Full bodied brew here that tastes of caramel, the aforementioned hops, and a handful of dirt. Not bad.

Just thought I’d mention here - and it’s no reflection on the beer or brewer, of course - that the beer bottle photos (such as the one on this ale’s page) with a RateBeer symbol over the label are truly tacky looking. I’d love to see them all replaced.

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12 oz bottle into a Trappist style glass. Pours a lovely rich looking copper with a fair amount of viewable carbonation and a fairly white, dimly tanned head. The aroma bursts of heavy malt and citrusy hops, tossed with a small pine and grassy note. The flavor is huge on the nose starting with a boasting sweet citrus hop note, moving into a nice bittery pine hop covered with sweet and semi-carameled malts. The progressive pine hop note kicks through all this with a big bitter finish that is huge, but not overly done. Big in the mouth, decent carbonation. I really do love this beer!!

A typical high standard beer from this brewer. Good hop profile, citrus. A thick malt mouthfeel, lingering aftertaste. Mild sweetness.

12 oz - Dark shiny copper, lightly tanned thin foamy head (great lacing). Nose has deep citric hop swirls, light florals, pine, and earth, with soft undertones of toasty sweet caramel. Slightly bready to boot. Flavor is similar, bitter up front, with a light sweet malt backbone rounding it out. Medium bodied with light carbonation, drying, bittersweet finish. This would make a nice regular in the firdge if Lagunitas ever chose MD for distribution....hint hint.....