Lagunitas The Hairy Eyeball Ale

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

Man for a New Yorker brought up on the old east coast beers and ales to have been able to experience a deep, satisfying, rich, hearty, bitter - sweet, excellent brew from Petaluma. This is what it’s all about. Have I died and gone to Ale heaven?

One of the best winter ales brewed in America. It won’t be everyone’s favorite, but you owe it to yourself to give it a try, particularly if you’re a lover of barleywine style ales.

Re-rate: tried again and liked it even better! Lacing was much more complete, possibly since I was indoors instead of outdoors. Taste is complex but not sour or very bitter. On tap. Darkish. Clean, mildly sweet, inviting aroma. Taste follows nicely. Some lacing, head dissipates very quickly, but I don’t care much about that. A nice, just hoppy enough finish. Good one.

Dark brown -off white frothy head - soy sauce, coffee, alcohol - taste malt, coffee, soy sauce, spicy, honey -thick body- aftertaste malty, salty slightly bitter

Bottle aged for 18 months before opening. I bought the orignal 6-pack and drank most of it, but decided to save a bottle since I thought it was a little rough at first go. What a difference the time made! This is one of the best beers I’ve had in a long time. Nice port aroma with flavors of vanilla, port, espresso, and hops. A rich creamy mouthfeel that starts off like a stout and finishes like a barleywine. The flavors were all perfectly integrated; the sweetness was not cloying and the hop finish was potent but not rough or overwhelming. some of the higher-hopped strong ales tend to leave alot phlegm in the back of the throat, but this one finished clean and smooth like good Sumatra Mandehling despite the obviously high alpha. I really didn’t expect much from aging as it appears to be filtered, so was very surprised. I highly recommend putting a few of these away for a little while.

Gorgeous deep mahogany color. Full head. Poured very thick from the bottle. Spicy aroma with lots of malt, caramel, and ’C’-hops. Surprisingly no alcohol aroma or flavor. This is a full-frontal assault on the palate. Caramel, toffee, dark chocolate. Full bitterness balanced by a mouthful of malt. Thick and creamy. Friggin’ excellent! This used to be on tap for $3.50 a pint at the Covered Wagon and believe me, I walked out wrecked every time I went there.

Brownish color, light on carbonation but appropriately so. A complex, rich, fruity flavor, with some nice hop flavor coming through at the end. This is a very nice beer, especially for the price. I still say Lagunitas offers the best value of any brewery around and this is a good example of that.

This was a big one, with deep malty aromas that entice your palate inviting you to take a drink and order another. Aroma of fresh bread, fruit and some pine needles mixed with a little grapefruit and pineapple. Themouthfeel is almost too much too handle, lots of dark fruits, burnt toast, a little hot in the aftertaste, but it lingers on and on long after you have swallowed. Do not take this one lightly, it will put you over the edge.