Laguinitas Brewing Company's Imperial Red Ale

Finally, a Lagunitas beer without a stupid name.

Pours a deeper red than most, so that's another step in the right direction. Decent enough tan head that thins to a sheet, which is fairly standard for a red/amber.

Nice, sweet smell. Kind of a light, floral hops, which adds to the sweet smell. Not bready, or grainy, just sweet.

Good hit, close to an IPA. The hops are grassier than I expected, which I guess is what makes it taste like an IPA to me. Sure, it's basically an amber and an imperial amber is basically an IPA, but still. And because of the sweetness, it also reminds me of a substantially lighter Old Foghorn, from Anchor.

Very nice beer. I like just about everything Lagunitas brews, just not what they call them.

Laguinitas Brewing Company's Gnarleywine

You know how small equipment with four cycle engines use oil that's not black, but it's kind of amber to orange? That's how this pours, almost.

Smells great, too. Big head that thins but stays, and a smell that doesn't quit. Strong, grassy hops with big, sweet malt.

Well, the 10.85% ABV makes it a little sharp, but otherwise it's a nice beer. Not as good as I was hoping early on, but it has a big body and strong bitterness that stays for quite a while. This bomber will probably be the only one I have tonight, so I hope it slows down a bit as it warms.

Laguinitas Brewing Company's Cappucino Stout

Another coffee stout. Must... buy...

Pours a deep back with a nice tan head that stays well. I'm pouring it in a hefe glass because everything else is dirty, so at its thinnest point in the glass you can see strong carbonation and brownish amber highlights.

Mild roasted grain smell and mild coffee as well. It has a lactose softness to it that makes it really seem like more of a cappucino than a coffee stout, one of the rare times the names really fits.

Nice, smooth feel that feels like lactose, and the sweetness is there underneath. The roasted grain flavor really picks up in the taste, with moderate coffee flavor as well. The 9.26% ABV is absolutely imperceptible, something most "extreme" beer makers can never get right.

By far this is the best Lagunitas beer I've ever had, and is an excellent one all around.

Lagunitas Brewing Company's Ruben And The Jets

I bought this because many seasonals and one-time offerings are better than the standards from a brewery, and although Lagunitas is decent, their seasonals are the best of their offerings, in my opinion.

And then, holy crap I had to look it up to see what style it was. The bottle was silent on the style, and I picked it because the next beer in my line up is a Sam Smith's RIS so I figured I'd start light, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. It pours a deep, clouded, opaque brown tinted toward black. It is virtually identical to how Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Maron pours (which is not a goddamn brown). So, imperial stout based on what I could find, which matches well with what I'm looking at. I just had no idea what to expect, so I had to make sure. Good tan head that stays, and decent carbonation based on what I can see at the edges. It has what looks to be the remnants of being wet-hopped, and as the carbonation dies down you can see the hops particulates just suspended. The heavier ones fall, but it's full of pieces from about 1/16th to 1/8th across. I don't think it's the yeast, because there's no residue at the bottom of the bottle. If you like crystal clear filtered beers, this one isn't for you.

Roasted grain seems to supply the apparent bitterness, with a shot of coffee and grain. Smells deep and slow.

Yep, it's an RIS, just a little more brown than usual. Big, slow, smooth body. The roasted grain is still hits first, followed closely by a solid bitterness and although it's a big beer and only 8.6% ABV, the alcohol stings a bit. That's a little less sophisticated than I'd expect for such a big beer, but nobody's perfect. A bit of raisin in the aftertaste, and although I hate raisins, this doesn't detract from it.

Very good beer. Glad I had it, and it was a pleasant surprise.

Lagunitas Brewwing Company's Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale

Well, I get the horseshoe on the label, but why isn't the chick a red head? It would make a better pin up, too.

Pours a beautiful coppery red with a small-celled light tan head that stays and has decent carbonation.

Strong hops for a red, which is a bit odd. Very grassy and crisp.

Big body. Combined with the hops this would be at least an IPA from many breweries. Sure, it's red, but it's bigger than a red should probably be.

It's a good beer, don't get me wrong, it's just not a red.

Laguinitas Brewing Company's 2009 Correction Ale

I have to agree with the concept behind the name, 2009 was the year the market finally corrected a bit. Anything over 7,000 on the Dow is inflated to me, but hey, I'm a lawyer not an investment broker. Looks like I'll get to sue a lot of them, though.

Pours a clear, bright, orangish amber with a great large-celled and fluffy tan head. Good, slow, carbonation.

Huge grassy smell. So much so that there's not much else to the smell. It smells a bit like a Bigfoot without the malt.

Wow, big beer. I was less than impressed with the Hop Stoopid, because it was all hops and no cattle. This one has the malt backbone to back it up though. Big grassy bitterness that lingers well into the aftertaste, with a sweet malt behind it that means the body keeps up with the taste.

Very good beer, and I'll look for more in the future. I think it was only about four or five bucks, making it a steal.

Laguinitas Brewing Company's Hop Stoopid

I can't find a style category for this one after a very brief search online, but at 102 IBU's it can't be anything less than a DIPA.

Pours a clear and somewhat bright orangish amber. Huge head that almost gets in the way. Makes you think that it's throwing off too much of what would otherwise be in the taste. Good carbonation.

Strong grassy hops overpowers any malt smell, and it has an odd hint of dill pickles. This beer tastes like a combination of Bigfoot Barleywine and Indian Wells Orange Blossom Amber. The huge grassy hops are very similar to Bigfoot, and the odd twang and lack of real body remind me of Orange Blossom Amber.

All in all, this beer is a good example of how too much of something can throw a beer out of balance. Big hop presence, but no body to speak of. Certainly not one that a beer this hoppy should have. Think of a Budweiser Barleywine, and you'd have this beer.