Beer of the Week: Lagunitas India Pale Ale

Now, call me a pedant, but you might well brew a first beer on a kitchen stove, but you don’t actually found a brewery on one. There just isn’t room.

No matter, Lagunitas has been one of the serious success stories of the American craft brewing scene, and a series of significant expansions have seen them spread from the kitchen to a second brewery in Chicago with a third under construction in southern California.

This beer does everything you would expect of an American IPA, exploding with a massive burst of pine and hop resin aromas as you prise off the cap. And though it looks innocent enough with its bright golden colour and persistent white head, it challenges the palate with a strident bitter, spicy hop-packed which persists into a long aftertaste where a curious and unexpected suggestion of bubblegum sweetness begins to emerge.

Star Ratings:

Appearance: 3/5

Aroma: 5/5

Taste: 4/5

Aftertaste: 3/5

(1: Poor, 2: Average, 3: Good, 4: Very Good, 5: Excellent)