Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Ale

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

12oz bottle like the one shown. I dont know what the hell it is with these guys at Lagun00bs. I hate every beer they make (excepted uncensored), i have found them to be poorly balanced and offensive in the past and this is no exception. With that said, here goes... Overall its not easy to drink. Yes, its complex with many flavors but so is a anything that comes out of a blender, and does that deserve a good rating? Nice Dark ruby color. Nose of hops and astringent, mouth of smoke, whiskey, ball sweat.. and probably the most painful bitter finish for the style. As my buddy put it... Hairy Eyeball is when Kahlua meets Jack Daniels. I will avoid this brewery from now on because i feel bad bringing down there average ratings.

pours a crystal clear rich copper hue with a thin khaki head. aroma is malt centric... brown sugar, light roasted grains along with some grassy and fruity hops. lightly sweet grainy flavor is combined with brown sugar, soft grassy hops, oranges, alcohol and nice spiciness. the finish is quite dry. medium body develops some creaminess as it gets sloshed around.... reminiscent of a lighter watered down version of brown shugga?

deep red-brown pour. thin to medium beige head that dissipates quickly - with a fair amount of lacing. smells like root beer and oranges. spice, grass and smoke up front with a lingering sweet malty dry finish.

12oz bottle. Pours vividly clear with a nice red color: burnt umber with ruby highlights. It pours with a medium-sized, light tan head that doesn’t last too long and doesn’t leave much lace on the glass. The aroma is very malt-focused: sticky, sweet barley malt with some notes of roasted grain and dark toast. There is also a fruity hop tinge to the aroma that, combined with the malts, is reminiscent of fruitcake. There is also a note of ethanol in the smell. The flavor starts with an interesting combination of bitter, earthy, and fruity hop notes along with sweet crystal malts and some roast/toast. By the middle of the tongue, the bitter sweet combination of spicy hops and sweet malts reaches a crescendo - and bitter ethanol adds to the complexity of the flavor. The flavor of alcohol isn’t well-hidden, but at the same time it isn’t rough or hot - it complements the beer nicely. The finish is sweet with alcohol and hop bitterness and notes of dark fruit. The mouthfeel is quite lively - tingly carbon dioxide tickles the palate. The body is medium-full. Overall, a nice strong ale.

Very red. Dark red. Awesome red. Malty and sweet with great bittering hops. Citrusy finish. Really good beer.

puke nasty. The malt is overpowering with not enough hop bitterness to balance. It really tastes kind of like a cheap malt liquor. I cant believe they actually put this hell in a bottle. I love high gravity beers, but this is just bad.

nice tan head that quickly recedes, dark amber mahogany color with some good caramel and chocolate flavors, high alcohol is a plus for this one

very very good yet still has some flaws do it the astringent after taste of the beer. its aroma is deep in caramel and some fruit, it looks perfect and the flavor has a fruit tropical taste. one for the book