8% ABV and 102 IBUs it proclaims on the label, so it's a bit of a beast. In the small print it mentions that it's brewed using hop extract rather than real hops, for "cleaner" hop flavours with none of the vegetative mess. And from the first sniff that seems to have worked: there's an intense fresh lemon smell, turned sherbety by the generous amounts of malt.
It all takes a turn for the stoopid on tasting, however. The malt is absolutely dominant here, intensely sweet like honey or lemon curd, turning to toffee as it warms. Meanwhile the hops are merely a light perfume backdrop. It does not taste like a zingy west coast IPA, though I noted that it makes no claim to that style. And bitterness? A hundred and two bitternesses? No. I peered down the neck of the bottle and they weren't in there either.
I guess it's not a bad beer, but it tastes to me like a dodgy Belgian impression of an American IPA. I was in the mood for fresh American hops and it left me wanting.And while that was sitting in my drafts folder I also chanced upon Lagunitas Sucks on tap in 57 The Headline. This is a multi-grain affair, including rye, oats and wheat, finishing at 7.85% ABV but once again missing a style designation. Most sources seem to regard some sort of IPA as the best category to fit it into but I'm not so sure. Though certainly pale -- a clear golden hue -- there's not much hop aroma from it, just a slight Californian buzz of dank and citrus, while the centrepiece of the flavour is heavy, sugary malt with a disconcerting caramel note that's really incongruous with the colour. The hops cavort behind this, a sticky-fingered mix of succulent fruit: nectarine, pineapple and sweet plums. It's a strange beast and I don't think it suits my tastes very well. The sheer density makes it hard work to drink and there's a dizzying back and forth between the hop kick and sickly ick.
I'm not going to write off Lagunitas completely on this showing: there have still been more hits than misses for me in the range. But these two have definitely not inspired any blind loyalty.
Interesting, I've had both of these beers fresh and can confirm that on form they are explosive with hop aroma, flavour and bitterness. I know Lagunitas pride themselves on not only how quick they are bringing beer over (11 days from Chicago to Europe apparently) but that it's refridgerated all of the way here.
ReplyDeleteI've also had a couple of Lagunitas beers recently that have been really lacking and far too sweet - basically, old and poorly stored. These beers die a death if they are not kept refrigerated and so distributors and retailers that don't keep them cold and don't turn them over fast enough are basically selling stale beer.
I know this doesn't need explaining to you, of course, but it's funny how Lagunitas are going to extreme and no doubt expensive lengths to get fresh beer to Europe, only to drop the ball completely when it comes to the distributor and retailer stage. They've still got a lot of work to do here.
Well that's why I was so surprised when these turned out the way they did. I know that the Irish importer is very conscious of the way these sorts of beers need to be treated. But I guess it's impossible to be on top of every part of the process.
DeleteInterestingly, and as far as I am aware this is still the case, Lagunitas have worked hard to make sure that their beers stay refrigerated as far as possible along the distribution chain. They worked with Adnam's specifically because they were one of the few places that had enough refrigerated storage to fit their needs.
DeleteI've kept my big fat gob shut about it thus far, but the Lagunitas IPA that I've had haven't been the snappy, hoppy beers that one might expect of the style. I mentioned as much last year to their man in the UK, who was clearly upset by my comments, although I was drunk at the time, so he may well have discounted my comments (possibly correctly)
I've had their beers really fresh, and (SUBJECTIVE OPINION ALERT) they are pretty damn good - not great, but pretty damn good. The real mystery to me is why Lagunitas beers seem to suffer from this effect so much when compared with other American beers - Odell, Sierra Nevada, etc.
Huzzah! Further evidence that it's Not Just Me. This beer blogging lark is useful sometimes.
Delete"it's funny how Lagunitas are going to extreme and no doubt expensive lengths to get fresh beer to Europe, only to drop the ball completely when it comes to the distributor and retailer stage"
DeleteMost of if not all the pubs you'll have had Lagunitas in will have bought it from Adnams. Adnams do, of course, have a cold store and deliver via their own lorries into London from Southwold via brief stop and changeover in Basildon. So their distributor is not the problem.
Obviously there are pubs that store kegs outside of their cold room, and others that have defective cooling in the cold room itself.
I think the reason the specials they've been bringing over don't taste good is because they're not very good beers.
You also have to keep in mind that Hop Stoopid is a budget brand craft offering in the home market. You can still see bombers for $3.99 or $4.59 USD in corner stores or gas stations. In a marketplace laced with dishonest value, it is a beer I return to just in case I need the lemon spray furniture polish effect at a decent price.
ReplyDeleteI'd not heard good things about Hop Stoopid, so I skipped it, but Lagunitas Sucks was in much better form in another city centre pub. Tropical fruit hops bursting out in aroma and flavour, and only really getting heavy going towards the end of the third glass that had been left too long to warm. And a rare bona fide hit with my craft-skeptical co-workers to boot.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I wonder if it might just be a serving temperature issue.
DeleteEveryone else has mentioned freshness and storage; I'd ask:
ReplyDeleteWas it served cold?
Chill mutes the hops in Hop Stoopid more than any other IPA I've experienced - citrus has suddenly burst forth at nearly room temp in more than one tasting.
I've also never found it near 100 IBUs - just a lot of tangerine, a bit of aspirin, and that signature Lagunitas pineapple.
Interesting! I tend to find the hops in most IPAs are more prominent when they're cold, with the malt coming out as it warms. Anyway, this would have come out of the fridge at 10C and probably took a while to drink, so would have warmed up further in the process. I certainly didn't chug it down from a frosted glass after mowing the lawn.
DeleteYeah, I can't figure it out, either, but in the interests of science, I just report what I observe.
ReplyDeleteAnd obviously, repeated observation is necessary. For science, like.
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