Lagunitas Lucky #13

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

Pours deep amber into a snifter. Head quickly recedes to hug rim. Grapefruit and pine aromas. Creamy grapefruit from front to back with a lasting bitter pit finish.

Attractive amber color, nice thick white head. Thick aroma of piney hops mainly. The flavor starts out with caramel malty sweetness, but hops come in relatively quickly to dominate. The finish is a well accomplished balancing act of nice malty sweetness, followed up by an increasing hop bitterness, leading to a nice clean finish. The palate lingers quite a while, with the same mix of sweet and bitter. Nice. complex beer. Great example of the style. (Like most Lagunitas, this guy is also very reasonably priced).

Reddish color. Smell of malt, bread/burnt toast, copper, a ton of hops, grapefruit, sugar, hints of pine and sugar. Taste of pine. citrus, syrup, wood, alcohol, bread, zest, hops, syrup, honey and caramel. Nice hop bitterness at the end. Love the hops in this one.

Bottle sampled. Pours a deep amber with a one finger light tan head. Aroma of sweet malts, pine, floral hops, and notes of citrus. Smooth flavor of caramel , toffee, citrus, and piney hops with a hint of raisins and a dry and hoppy finish. Very well balanced. An excellent american strong

Botlte @ Bar Volo: Pours a cloudy copper, good foamy off-white head. Nose is boozy, buttery, copper, toffee and very hoppy. Flavour is caramel, butterscotch, whiskey, grass. Great red ale.

6/04/2008: According to the bottle label, Lagunitas Lucky 13 is "A Mondo Large Red Ale". Yes, yes it is! Amber red in color with a clear complexion, a thick, foamy beige-colored head, a super fresh hoppy aroma that jumps out of the glass, and a strongly malty and hoppy flavor, this is one super big red ale! As mentioned, the aroma showcases a really fragrant hoppy (pine, resin, some citrus and grass) along with some toffee-like maltiness. The flavor delivers true to the aroma and is really nicely balanced between a resin and vague citrus hop flavor with a moderate level of bitterness and slightly roasted, somewhat fruity, sweet caramel maltiness. More and more citrus (tangerine a sweet red grapefruit) and earthiness become evident with each passing sip and as the beer warms. This beer feels strong, but the flavor definitely supports it and the alcohol is extremely well-hidden. This beer has a medium-full body and is very smooth, even a bit mellow, and really easy to drink. I like this beer quite a bit. There is a lot of great flavor and character accompanying a higher alcohol content all at a very affordable price. I have been wanting this beer ever since it was released and it was well worth the wait!

1 pint 6 fluid oz bottle (O.G. 1.085, 76.92 IBU, Alc 8.3% By Vol., $4.99+tax) from Rozi’s Wine House in Rocky River, Ohio.

Cask at GBBF 2009, 4th Aug 09. Hazy amber with some creamy head. Big malts and big hops on the nose and the tongue. Very flavoursome.

Hops are string on the nose, sweet and citrusy. Amber color white a medium white head and lots of lacing. Slightly fizzy. Strong bitterness of hops with less citrus taste htan in the aroma. Gets sweet late in the finish. Moderatly creamy palate.