Lagunitas Imperial Red

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

Dark red that leans towards black (makes sense for a beer that’s "red" and "imperial") and a nice foamy tan head. Some bread and resiny hops on the nose. Ample bittering hops initialize the flavor, leading into light caramel sweetness and more resiny hops. Overall, a red with the ABV bumped up a couple points - I guess that makes an imperial red.

Pours dark red with a tan head. Smells of resiny hops, some sweet caramel, peppery, earthy. Tastes bitter and spicy with some resiny hints, rosey splashes. Enjoyable.

Pours a dark amber color with a whote head. Has a hoppy yeast smell to it. On taste it is very hoppy but has a nice sweet finish. A little chocolate and caramel.

Pours with a bit of head (one finger perhaps?). The carbonation is very soft and mellow. The aroma has a nice mixture of piney hops, with some sweeter caramel malts mixed in. The initial taste has all this to some extent but it is quickly gone. The palate is almost left searching for something more because the initial flavor does not stay at all. I certainly wouldn’t consider this an american strong ale. More of a very pleasant but rather forgetable red ale that would be nice for a hot summer day.

Location: 12 oz bottle from Norm’s, 8/25/09, bottle was 7.5% ABV, 84.20 IBU

Aroma: Nice citrus hops, some pine, bready, caramel
Appearance: Clear dark reddish color, about 1 inch of off-white head that dissipates pretty quickly, some light lacing
Flavor: Malty bread taste upfront with a big citrus/pine hop finish
Palate: Medium body, nice enough mouthfeel, a bit on the oily side
Overall Impression: I tend to like these hoppy reds more then most I think, and this one is no exception, a really nicely made brew. Tasty and enjoyable, another really solid beer at a good price from Lagunitas.

Appearance: Pours a dark red with a head that subsides to nothing. Aroma: Faint toasty caramel malts. Ever so slight Amarillo dry hopping. Taste: Roasted malt and caramel sweetness finished grapefruity and bitter hopping. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Overall: While I was hoping for a larger aroma, the beer didn’t lack in the flavor department. It’s close to Green Flash’s Hop Head Red, minus the danky aroma. I would give this one the nod for balance.

12 oz. bottle. 7.5% ABV. 84.2 IBU. Pours a thick pale beige head of fair duration, with some lacing, over a clear reddish, amber (SRM 17) body....nose redolent of citrus, pine, caramel,....taste initially is incredibly sweet malts, gradually tamed by resin and citrus hops, bitterness lingers.....mouth feel is medium, carbonation medium. American Strong Ales seem routinely be in the big hop, big malt end of the spectrum and don’t use the yeast part of palette to create their nose/tastes. This is a nice beer but really is awfully typical of the named style.

Bottle pours a brownish-red with a smallish white head. Aroma is caramel, pine, and citrus. Flavor is malty, caramel, then the pine and citrus hops show up.