Lagunitas India Pale Ale

1) Lagunitas India Pale Ale

The first in the 2013 Taste 100 Beers Challenge. After eschewing IPAs for so long, why not make one the first in the challenge? Admittedly it’s not a style that I’m really interested in. Or, perhaps I should say it’s not a style I’ve been interested in historically but I’ve been reading For the Love of Hops the last week or two and I’ve decided to give hoppy beers another chance.

I picked up a 22oz bomber of this over lunch today along with a couple of other beers that will end up in this series. This beer pours a nice, sparkling gold color with a persistent fluffy white head. The clarity is excellent, something I’ve not approached with my own brewing. All in all, it is a pretty beer.

Right from the bottle there’s an intriguing combination of sweet cut grass and grapefruit aromas. These are not smells I remember from IPAs past. As the beer warms the citrus keeps flowering. Even after reading about the flavors the “C” hops bring for the last few weeks, this is surprisingly inviting.

The first sip is crisply bitter that just explodes into grapefruit that lingers well past the swallow, slowly fading into a tart, bitter finish. While I’ve never appreciated the gratuitous bitterness of IPAs I’ve had in the past, this works here. It’s backed up with a strong malt backbone. There has to be some good crystal wrapped around that base malt. At 6.2% ABV you get yourself into trouble because it drinks like a session beer. The recurring comparison I want to make is like drinking Squirt without all the HFCS.

On to the scoring…

Aroma: Huge floral/citrus aroma with a bit of fresh cut grass hiding in the weeds. The malt sits underneath and brings a bit of caramel that blends nicely with the floral notes. 11/12

Appearance: Deep gold with hints of copper. Brilliant clarity with a persistant, fluffy white head. 3/3

Flavor: Up front bitterness yields to a robust citrus flavor. I don’t think you’d get more grapefruit if you sliced on in half and started tonguing it. The citrus is balanced by a stiff malt backbone with sweetness to balance all of the tart/bitterness. The finish lingers on, eventually leaving you back where you started with the bitter. If I’d ding this in any way, it’s got to be the acrid aftertaste. On the other hand, it keeps you drinking! 17/20

Mouthfeel: Full body for an IPA. Maybe a bit sticky/resinous. Is this the style? Carbonation is appropriate. 4/5

Overall Impression: Had I known how good an IPA could be, I might have had one of these before now. Still wowed by the citrus that comes through with this. Definitely changed my “Why-P-A?” tune and I’m curious to know if this is indicative of the style or a special something something. 8/10

Scoring Total: 43/50
Binary Score: 1