Lagunitas New Dogtown Pale Ale

Lagunitas New Dogtown Pale Ale

Taken on my kitchen counter.  My counter thought this was a Pale Ale, too.  Until I spilled a bit on the pour.  It , too,  found out it didn't know anything about Pale Ales.

What do you know about APA's, craft beer hater?  I thought I knew a lot and I apparently know nothing.  I'm going to review the Lagunitas New Dogtown Pale Ale and this beer proves it.  APA?  How about this is more like an IPA.  This clocks in with the same ABV as it's big brother Lagunitas IPA at 6.2%.  That's like you're little brother whooping your ass.  The IBU for their IPA is 45.6.  The IBU for this is currently not listed anywhere.  You know why? Because this APA has a higher IBU than their IPA.  And they can't publish that fact.  That's like you're little brother whooping your ass and taking your girlfriend.  That's the truth.  Taste it.  You think you know APA's? DUMB. As some have said, this is like Hop Stoopid LIGHT.  If Lagunitas made a light beer.  Hater. 


I poured this from a 12 oz. bottle into, again, my tulip.  If you don't have a tulip or don't know what one is, you probably need to quit drinking beer and start a flower garden.  It is zee greatest drinking vessel in ze vorld.  


Appearance:  Super light copper in color.  Like a brand new penny fresh off the press.  Like most Lagunitas brews, i'm getting nice lacing effect on the glass.  I'm going to start calling this the "Lagunitas Doily Effect".  


Smell:  As I swirl the glass, I immediately get kicked in the face by grapefruit.  Typical of Lagunitas.  If they were a supervillian they would be way too predictable and they would get caught by the League of Craft Beer Super Friends every time.  Pineapple you say?  That's ALWAYS the 2nd step!!! And the bit of pine on the end?  HO HO!  The final part of their plan!  No surprise there.  But you know what?  It works.  So they would also probably get off the hook every time based on the effectiveness of their work.  If I were that judge, I would let them off.  Nothing this right can be wrong.  EVER.


Taste:  You get juicy, bitter grapefruit and a sliver of tangerine on a malt cracker.  Top that with a bit of a pine sauce to give you a nice bitter back end.  You could serve this beer as hors d'oeuvres at your next party you rich bastard.  


Mouth Feel:  Medium, smooth mouth feel and the carbonation is spot on.  Nice and bitter and it refreshes.  Beer pr0n.  Put it in your mouth.  


Overall:  So let's see.  So far in this review I've coined the term "Lagunitas Doily Effect".  I've also created the League of Craft Beer Super Friends and in the process made Lagunitas a super villian based on their line of APA, IPA, and DIPA formulas.  I've also referred to this as "Beer pr0n".  Yeah, for an APA this is phenomenal.  APA's should aspire to this level of greatness.

Lagunitas IPA Maximus

Lagunitas IPA Maximus

Hops gangbang in a bottle. 

Time for another beer review and today the beer of choice is Maximus from the Lagunitas Brewing Company.  This one comes in at 8.2% ABV, an O.G. of 1.080 and an IBU of 72.41.  Now, first off I have to say I love this brewery.  A lot. I'm rarely disappointed with their beers and this one is no exception.  And if you look closely they always have some cool story (Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale) or in some cases (Maximus) non sensible shit they put on the label.  It's entertainment in a bottle.  Even the ingredients list is interesting:  Hops, Malt, Hops, Hops, Yeast, Hops, Water, and Hops.  You can tell they love brewing because they have fun with it.  They aren't all serious and shit. So, let's get to it.

Appearance:  This beer poured into my tulip a gorgeous copper color with less than half a finger of head and some decent lacing.  At 8.2% ABV, and it being a DIPA, that's not surprising.  And you can always tell when your glass is cleaned properly by the lacing.  Mine is definitely cleaned properly.  Overall, a very attractive beer.

Smell:  Right off the bat you get grapefruit and citrus peel.  Two things I love.  Swirl your glass a bit and it punches you right in the face.  Its a citrus fruit street fight and you just got dragged into it.  You get the floral and piny hops in the nose pretty good, too.  I also detect a teeny bit of pineapple in there.   It's got a super sweet smell to it.  Sort of like Dogfish's 90 Minute IPA.

Taste:  Man, this is good.  I've seen various reviews for this and it's gotten B's.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but these people are obviously imbeciles.  This is a damn good DIPA.  To me this is like an alcoholic ruby red grapefruit juice.  SUPER juicy, bitter, and sweet all at the same time.  And, surprise! Malts that weren't evident in the smell.  I love surprises.  It's got a sweet maltiness right in the middle of the taste profile, which adds balance to the juicy, bitter hops. Again, I get citrus rind, grapefruit, and pineapple from the hops as well as some pine lingering on the back end.  So we have citrus punching you in the face, whilst caramel malts are working your torso area and pine stomps you in the dick.  You will get a beat down from this beer.

Mouthfeel:  (In a Russian accent) Slick like oil or snake with medium bodies.  The carbonation is not too high, not too light.  It work like Russian housewife to refreshings your palates.  Strong like bull.

Overall:  To save some time,  read the intro between "Time for another beer review and today the beer of choice is Maximus from the Lagunitas Brewing Company.  This one comes in at 8.2% ABV, an O.G. of 1.080 and an IBU of 72.41.  Now," and up the the "So, let's get to it" part.  And then I'll add that this will be a regular in my fridge.  So, overall, it's fucking awesome.

Graphic representation of Maximus in image form.