Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Ale

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

Pours a deep dark reddish/brown with a pale tan head that is full and sticks around for a while. Aroma is dried fruit and roasted malt. Taste is hop bitterness up front followed by prunes, raisins, mollassas and sweet malt. A really good example of the style, but a little too hoppy. Oh wait, this is made in California. Never mind.

12 oz bottle. Pours dark almost opaque amber with a thin puffy tan head. The aroma is big with citrusy hops and a bit of malt. The tast is more malty than hoppy, though the back end is certainly full of hopps. I agree with pnista there is a lot of chocolate malt in here that gives this a really nice bite. Yum, strong and potent, with a good malt hop balance.

On tap (at Rustico in Alexandria, VA). Dark ruddy brown with a thin, though constant tan head. Almost looks like a porter. Big floral hops in the nose with some resin. Oddly enough, a significant dark malt, and particularly chocolate malt presence, though certainly no roast or coffee at all. Thick on the tongue, creamy and smooth, good body, but not excessive CO2. The flavor profile says it all to me. There’s fantastic balance. Big strong clean hops over a rich and somewhat chocolatey malt backbone. A little sweetness, but not overboard given the hops. Clean hoppy bitter finish. This reminds me of a nice rendtion of Arrogant Bastard with some emphasis on the chocolate malt.

Pours a deep red color with a off white head. Aroma of malts, light caramel, and chocolate. Flavor is strong malts and a bit of sweetness. Full bodied with a decent bitter finish.

Clear dark brown in appearance. Head was light cream color and not very big. Aroma was not strong, but slightly sweet. Flavor was a little sweet and somewhat bitter. Finish was also bitter with plenty alcohol.

on tap. poured a ruby brown, with a thin off-whit head. Sweet dark fruity aroma reminds me of some belgian strongs. some bitterness balences out the fruit in the flavor and makes you rember that you aren’tdrinking a belgian. Some alchol present in the finsih, but overall a very smooth big beer.

From bottle...pours root beer color, transparent. Small tan head that dissipates quickly. Flavor is not as sweet as aroma would lead one to expect. Bitter finish though -- nicely balanced for a a big ale. Alcohol is well-hidden for the 8.8%.

Pours to a brown-red color with small head. Aroma of brown sugar and fruit. Taste is wonderful; slightly sweet with a burbon-like aftertaste with hops and a bit of plum or some kind of dark fruit -- very nice. Finsh lasts long, and is great. A very good strong ale.