Lagunitas Maximus

Bottle. Caramel orange coloring. Icy, static surface foam. Buttery, hoppy, pear, paint-thinner. Bitterness assaults the tongue and stays prominently present throughout. Tangy, ammonia, nectarine combination . . . a very odd mix. Like drinking a very pleasing household cleaner. Strangely, I like it.

22 oz bottle. Hazy orange pour. Aroma is strong citrus, very grassy. Taste is a nice mix of bitterness and citrus which trails off at the end. Think Great Divide Hercules at 70% strength. Very similar compositions.

~Golden amber colour. Nice white head. ~The aroma is great! Nice strong grassy hops. Makes my mouth water. I could sniff this all day. I wish they made a cologne. ~Bittersweet flavor with emphasis on the earthy hops. A bit of citrus. Not as hoppy as I had expected from the scent. ~Palate is a little thick and chewy. ~A well done brew, but I am still waiting for the king brew of IPA’s to grace my lips. This is my favorite IPA to date.

Bottle, 7.5%. Nice, sweet and caramelly hop aroma. Clear copper colour, small white head. The flavour is quite sweet, caramelly. Grassy from the hops with a good, cleansing bitterness. The finish has a little teaish hoppiness along with a good alcohol note. Quite flavourful but still well-balanced.

A well done double IPA. Big and beautiful fruit and resiny hops. Refreshing, although thick. Drinkable with nice balance making this more tahn one dimensional. Does not leave an overly bitter hop bite, just a nice warm, lingering fruitiness.

Sampled at Sexual Chocolate Day. I’d had this beer previously but hadn’t enjoyed it this much. A very big floral nose gives a strong first impression. The mouthfeel is very thick and satisfying, abetted by the creamy head. Nice zingy hops dominate, with some almost peppery sharpness in there. Good stuff.

Sampled on-tap. Pours a basically clear orange/brown/amber. Nose is strong piney hops. Flavor is very hopped but let’s say it’s one step below a hop bomb. Long lasting aftertaste. Strong pine character. Feel is a bit syrupy on the liquid and good on the bubble. Drinkable, yes. But this one is kind of thick and might turn people off a bit with it’s unique characteristics.

In the bomber bottle from Total Beverage. Pours amber with a large off white head of considerable staying power. Nice grapefruit citrus hop aroma. Flavor is sweet enough to balance out the hop load, so this actually ends up a surprisingly smooth beer to drink instead of the hop bomb that I was expecting.