Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Ale

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

Pours a rugged cola brown color with a compact head of dense khaki foam. Loose wet sheet of lace eventually slides back into the liquid. Sweet aromas of candy and pine. Sugar encrusted candied fruits. Piney resin flavors with ample crackling of pinecones in between the teeth. Sticky at times. As it warms, a rather harsh bitterness appears, lowering the score dramatically.

I love the smll and look of this deep brown beer. the flavor is a bit sweet to my liking but the palate gives a nice stronger finish with some notes of hops.

Pours a deep garnet/mahogany with faint carbonation under a tan head that fades quickly and laces light. A pleasant aroma of plum, caramel and chocolate chip cookies makes me think this is going to be a sweet brew, yet I’m greeted with a startling bitterness in the flavor. (Sure, there’s a sticky, malty sweetness behind it all, but I was rather taken aback.) As I get accustomed, I begin to appreciate the wacky <a href=www.ratebeer.com/><a href=http://www.feelingretro.com/toy_img/gnipgnop. Gnop battle of sharp contrasts between bitters and sweets. But, like the game, it grates on the nerves after too much exposure.

<font size=-4>Single 12 oz. thanks to <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/View-User-14352.htm&g />

12 oz bottle - pours a beautiful clear chestnut with a large beige head that slooooowly diminishes and leaves beautifully thick and sticky lace. Nose is very malty and nutty with a slight sourness as well. Very few hops can be detected beneath all that malt - this one’s all about the sweet, sweet malt. Flavours of brown sugar, port, cherry, and some breadiness. This leads into a mild bitter finish, and the alcohol shows itself at the back of the throat - especially as the glass warms. Truth be told, this one is kind of uninspiring. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very good beer, and superbly balanced, but it leaves you wanting.

Big malty nose like a doppelbock, tempered by mild fruity hops and some carbonic gaseousness. Brown sugar and a bit of biscuit. Dark ruby red, almost brown. Clear liquid with off-white lacing head. Medium heavy watery body with medium carbonation. Starts sweet and malty with brown sugar and biscuit. Not overly sweet but a good balanced level. Finish is a nice bitterness, fruity with carbonic tang. Some alcoholic notes and warming. After is mild bitter and some sweetness - a litte biscuit with bitter fruit rind. Fairly smooth overall.

This beer pours a reddish-brown color with a thin off-white head that burns out fairly fast. Thin spotty lacing. The aroma is on the sweet side with malt and plums, along with a touch of alcohol. Rich and smooth body with a nice toasted malt flavor, along with warming alcohol and dark fruit flavors. Some hops are in there but it could have used a bit more. The finish is sweet and toasty with a lingering malt aftertaste. Above average overall.

(Number 1900!!!) Bottle. Nice dark amber color, ok offwhie/yellowish head. Malty, nutty aroma, vinous, caramel and maybe some licorice notes. Malty, quite strong flavor, vinous, burnt sugar, fruity notes, some floral notes and some alcohol showing. Quite malty, strong finish. A great beer to enjoy slowly, I liked it a lot...

sampled on tap at the 5th Boulder Strong Ale Fest. my notes are short but it’s mainly a very bland nutty malty beer. i’ll have to rerate but this wasn’t doing it for me.