Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Ale

Nose of alcohol and fruits. Pours with a thin head. Lots of fine bubbles. It looks like Coca-Cola. Dark plums and slightly cloying. But a good dose of hops is there as well. Dry finish. It’s like its advertised, - strong beer. Overall, it’s good, but I’ve had better.

My brother and his family live in Petaluma where this is brewed. Can’t believe they have not told me about this brewery. So consistantly good, even with quite variety. Lots of overripe plum and hops. I just got back from tapping a Maple tree and this made me think of Maple sap.

12 oz bottle. Pours a bourbon color with a small light tan head. Aromas of pineapple, orange, caramel, juniper. Initial taste is metallic but that goes away. Flavors of juniper and pineapple are the main contributes. Sweet syrupy mouth with a mild carbonation.

12 oz bottle. Top 5 most beautiful pours of the beers I’ve tried so far: deep candy apple red with small beige head. Aroma is sweet and alcoholic, just like the taste. Taste is dominated by dark fruits- I mostly get overripe cherries, with some raisin. Finishes smooth and easy for 9%. Interesting beer, but could be a little less sweet.

12oz bottle. Pours a really nice dark red color. The predominant taste is raisin with a definite alcohol presence. A very good stong ale but not quite to my taste.

Bottle from the Barley Wine shop in Copenhagen. Very deep ruby, lasting beige head. Fruity barley wine aroma. Ate with a cranberry and pecan flapjack to give some sweetness to balance the beer. It does have a lot of American hops over the top of a very dark cherry dark plum fruit and its got some breadyness too. Like many Lagunitas beers, it is really well put together. Hops are ok and don’t go too over the top. It’s pretty good, but I had it after Thomas Hardy Ale, so it has a lot to live up to. Fine, I would drink it again, but wouldn’t chosse it over something maybe a bit more interesting.

Pours a beautiful semi-clear dark crimson, ruby, nice cream head. Nose of roast malt. Great flavor unique roasty malts with a kicking hop presence, lots of fruits, plum, raisin, berry. Unique and tasty.

A Sim rate (on tap at Flying Saucer, Houston): Sweet plums, raisins, and sweet malty aroma that’s very alcoholic. Sweet, but very alcoholic flavour that’s almost too over-the-top. Plum, raisin. It’s bitter fruitcake. It’s not really my sort of thing. I don’t do fruitcake.