2004 bottle at Julio’s Spring Beer Fest, 4/02/05. Dark brown, caramel-amber, with some darker maple-brown-auburn hues and a large, well retained yellow-beige head. Quite pleasant looking, though clear and filtered (but that’s Lagunitas for you). Aroma of musty English yeast, light sour plums, prunes, raisins and dry toffee, with a bit of sticky molasses and caramel. Quite doughy and dry, but yet in a good, not-too-sweet sort of way. Flavor is quite similar, with a distinct, fresh, warm dough flavor, cinnamon, maple, molasses and light caramel. Low hops apparency, some dry alcohol on the end (not unpleasant). Quite a well-made American-English hybrid, though there is still no excuse for the filtration. The body, while not watery, is just sort of there. Not terribly creamy or challenging, due to the filtration. I hate how I sound like a broken record saying the same thing about every Lagunitas beer, but it’s how I feel. Low to moderate carbonation, light yeast and bread notes on the end. Honey and brown sugar aftertaste, with a touch of oily/earthy bitterness.

From the bottle, 2005, at Julios Spring Beer Fest, 4/02/05. Dark cherry-auburn-amber body, clear and filtered with a light beige head on it, well-retained. Aroma of fresh citric hops, slight spiciness (black pepper and rye) and some thick caramel. Initial flavor is a rush of chewy caramel, light roast and fresh, juicy hops. Peppery carbonation and a touch of warming alcohol all keep it interesting, but it dries out considerably towards the end, and the heavy filtration does not give the body much lasting effect. Starts out strong and peters out. Moderately carbonated, well-masked alcohol, but rather gimmicky, in my opinion, as this really isnt much more than a West Coast IPA with a bit more toasted grain notes and a deeper red color. I would have liked to have seen more stickiness to the body with some more malt complexity. Low yeast nuances as well (filtration again?).

Reddish amber,lasting off white head.Molasses nose.Blended malt/molasses taste,well hopped. Chewy with harsh alc heat

Bottle. Copper-ruby color with a big off-white head. Big grapefruit aroma. Grapefruit and malt flavor with some backing spice. Well balanced. Lingering light bitterness.

Thanks to TheBeerCellar2 for this one! This produces a huge creamy light brown head over a sparkling clear body that is as much red as it is brown. Big Caramel aroma. The flavor is well balanced with loads of malt and hops that is almost Arrogant. This finishes with a creamy soft palate and hides it’s alcohol well.

Bottle Pours a clear amber with a very small off white head. Spotty lacing. Aroma is mainly hops. Flowery and piney mostly. Flavor is a nice sharp bitter hopiness, with some full malty flavors imediatley following. Feel is not as thick or full bodied as my favs of the style. After taste is a quite bitter lingering burn. A bit much.

Bottle Pours a clear copper color with a modest but fine and creamy off-white head. This settles out fairly quickly leaving that thin white ring that produces a thin, sheet of lacing. The aromas are mainly a soft pale grain maltiness and a hopps that is not to sharp of edgy. Flavor is a bit sweet, honey maybe, and again the hops, while prominant are not overly bitter. Very smooth and fairly heavy feel for the style. Pleasantly bitter and slightly chalky aftertaste.

Bottle Pours a clear deep red amber with a large frothy off-white head. Sticky blocky lacing. Aroma is sweet malted grain with a slight metallic note as well. Flavor is quite hoppy but also fairly sweet. Brown sugar lots of maltiness, and caramel maybe. Even at nearly %8 the ABV is hidden well. Fairly strong bitter hops at the end but not very powering. Good old american strong ale.

2004 bottle. Copper-amber pour, clear and filtered, with a small off-white head. Aroma of English hops, grainy, earthy, a bit sweaty, with some honey, caramel and light alcohol. Flavor begins with a not-too-sweet caramel flavor, with plenty of good base malt character. Lightly bitter hops on the finish provide a pleasing balance, while the body is medium, with little to no thinning. Moderately carbonated texture. Very homogenous beer, with a well-melded malt flavor and a smooth hops transition on the finish. Very drinkable, had no idea it was this high alcohol. Favorite Lagunitas yet.

Reddish copper ale with a collapsing white head, rich caramel aroma with wonderful floral hops, resinous, and orangey! Rich rich sweet vinous malt with the right balance of floral C-hops and smooth grapefruits in finish. Just light alcohol notes in beginning. Excellent. Bought in San Francisco, summer 2004.