Lagunitas Lucky #13

Deep amber color out of the bottle with a two finger creamy beige head. Candied orange peel hops in the nose with notes of fresh pine and resin. Wow is this a big hop bomb. Tons of pine, peach, grapefruit rind, orange Jolly Rancher candies, all riding on a light buttered toast foundation. This is really sharp on the tongue and the palate pinching hop resin finish just makes you want to drink more.

Ahh, another american strong ale from Lagunitas. Do they make anything else? Warm reddish golden brown, clear with a thin dense creamy head. Sweet relatively round malt. A bit unclean but more in terms of hitting chocolate but not caramel notes. A little alcohol. This is kind of like a subdued Arrogant Bastard. Creamy rich body though low carbonation. Big sharp piney hops over alcohol and sweet malt. Light with some kinds of dark malt, disappearing, balancing, and filling out with warming. Lingering grapefruit bitterness. Not a bad beer by any means!

Great color on the pour. Dark, coffee-ish amber. Tastes of, i believe the previous writer is correct, a meaty feel...something along the lines of a well cooked red meat. Slight hint of caramel follows. Very nice, balanced and complex.

Pours a perfectly clear and very dark ruby/garnet with a tan head that falls to nothing after a bit. Nose is piney hops. Flavor is firm with those piney hops. It’s no hop bomb. It doesn’t try to blow you away. It is a smooth and even flavor profile that provides an excellent drinking experience. Feel is decent on the liquid with a slightly meaty feel and teh carbonation is good too. Overall a very drinkable brew. Seeing as how this is an anniversary brew and it is not one that is trying to blow my tastebuds out of the water, I have to wonder if this might just be the direction these breweries are heading in that have been open for 10+ years. A maturely brewed beer that doesn’t have to show off to be good? Hmmmm. Perhaps a sign of brewing skill?

This is well balanced, being quite hoppy, yet still well-rounded and fairly complex, with a nice rich flavour. The result is that, happily, the hops do not overpower all else to leave a one-note beer. It’s very satisfying, with a great reddish-brown colour and a substantial, thick, foamy head.

On tap at Stone Wold Bistro. Clear, dark mahogany copper-red with a dense, creamy light tan head. Bright, fresh, pine resin hops over earthy and dark citrus hops characteristics along with subdued caramel malt. Light hops flavors with a medium malt presence and a roasted/caramelized malt profile. Unfortunate light body for the style throws off the experience in the end. An excellent beer overall.

On tap at Stone. Copper red with fizzy white head. Citrus, caramel. and molasses aroma. Sweet malty backbone with a grapefruit and caramel taste and a decent bitterness.

Pours a clear brown color with a thin white head. Aroma of green and fruity hops. Flavor of green and citrusy hops with a medium malt backbone and a bitter finish, there is a mild buttery feeling too. The body is light to medium and the carbonation is soft.