Lagunitas Lucky 13.alt Brew Review

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Lagunitas Brewing Co. Lucky 13.alt. I believe by now everyone knows how I feel about Lagunitas as I have fawned over their beers in many, many previous posts.  And with this entry there is no change.  I love Lagunitas!

From the label: “From the first day of the first mash of the first recipe in the first brewhouse in the first space to this oasis 13 years on the road; We have worked hard to walk in the footsteps of our hero brewers- The Noble Brewer of the planet’s only legal Steam Beer, and Oregon’s Rebel Brewer from Newport. Thirteen years down the road, we have found our own voice as brewers but our admiration for the Great Ones has not dimmed one bit. If we walked well down the hero’s path ourselves, perhaps we too have been an inspiration for others. Beer is a Bronze Age business and we feel honored to have left our footprints on its path into history, at the same time leaving our flavors on your buds. Thanks for your trust over the years and we hope you enjoy this specialty brewed Hi-Gravity Auburn offering. Beer Speaks! People Mumble.”

From the Lagunitas website: “Plenty of light roasted malt to keep it rich and mega-dosed with loads of hoppy-sweet and spicy Amarillo goodness to keep it on the edge… We lightened up the color on our favorite gal!

Do you like Betty or Veronica?”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a golden blonde (straw colored) with a thin head and tons of lacing.

Aroma: Citrus, floral and tropical hops (mango, pineapple, apricot, grapefruit) – a very hop forward beer. A little malt and perhaps some brown sugar, but this is an IPA for sure.

Taste: Oh my…so incredibly tasty. Citrus and floral hops – sweet caramel malt – brown sugar. Lighter than some of the other brews, but something I could drink…and drink…and drink…

Overall: Outstanding and certainly something Lagunitas should brew again…and again…and again… At 8.9% ABV this 22 ounce offering is something I need to get more of for sure. As always Lagunitas does it again. I love it!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Dogfish Head Aprihop Brew Review

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Dogfish Head Aprihop. I’ve been drinking Dogfish Head beer for some time now – long before Sam Calagione’s (founder of Dogfish Head Brewery) TV show “Brew Masters”. I would say the TV show brought a heightened awareness of their beers which in turn has probably brought a heightened awareness of craft beers in general (I could be wrong…who knows). Either way, I enjoy many of the beers Dogfish Head brews and I’m happy they are successful. When any craft brewer enjoys the type of success that Sam Calagione has it helps all brewers.  I have a great deal of respect for Sam and his adventurous brewing style.

From the Dogfish Head website: “Aprihop is our fruit beer for hopheads!
It is an American IPA brewed with Pilsner and Crystal malts massively hopped in in the continuous fashion. The flavor is complemented by the addition of Apricots.
After fermentation the beer is dry hopped with irresponsible amounts of Amarillo hops. The beer is hoppy in the aroma with the apricots playing a supporting complimentary role.
The flavor is rich with late hop flavors and its bitterness is tempered by just the right amount of malt sweetness and fruity undertones from the apricots.
This is one of our most popular seasonal beers and we've been brewing it each spring for quite a while now. We release the beer each March and you should find it on the shelves through May.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a copper orange with a creamy white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Toasted malts, citrus hops and apricot. How can you go wrong with fruit and hops?

Taste: Sweet malts, followed by citrus hops and finally a nice complimentary apricot flavor. Not sweet like many “fruit beers”. Nicely done.

Overall: A smooth and tasty beer, Dogfish Head Aprihop is easy to drink for a 7% ABV beer. A great seasonal beer and one that I look forward to picking up each year. Perhaps off-centered for some, but I’m an off-centered person so it works.


Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Anderson Valley Brewing Company Imperial IPA

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Anderson Valley Brewing Company Imperial IPA.
As I’ve stated many times before (read about it here) I’m a fan of AVBC and their whole scene. I am particularly happy about the array of 12 ounce bottles they’ve been coming out with. Not that I’m against buying 22s, but there are times I like to enjoy a couple (or a few) different beers and a 22 is a commitment. I was thrilled to find a six pack of AVBC Imperial IPA.
From the AVBC website: “One look at Anderson Valley’s huge redwoods or imposing coastline cliffs, and it’s easy to see where the inspiration came for our Imperial IPA. This is one big beer.
The Imperial IPA was first created in honor of our second decade producing some of the finest beers in the world. This over-the-top brew is loaded with excessive amounts of malts to balance 20 separate additions of the finest Pacific Northwest hops to create what the late beer critic William Brand described as“The kind of beer that made California craft beer famous”.
As with all of our products, Anniversary Imperial IPA is never sterile filtered nor heat pasteurized.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a lovely golden apricot/orange with nice carbonation, a slight tan head and lacing that dissipates quickly.

Aroma: A bit subdued, with a caramel malt front. Citrus and pine hops scents are there, but they are not overwhelming.

Taste: Amazing balance and very complex. Sweet malts, citrus and pine, pineapple, apple and grapefruit. Very crisp finish and the ABV is hidden very well. Great tasting!

Overall: Perfect drinkability due to the exceptional balance. As far as Imperial IPAs go this is one of my favorites and since it isn’t as hoppy as some Imperial IPAs.  Be careful…at 8.7% ABV it’ll put you down if you don’t know when to put IT down. AVBC does it again (as if there was any doubt)!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey