I’ve let this look-see at a beer sent to me by the brewer’s rep sit on the sidelines while I was punching out articles for Chicago Craft Beer Week. And now with the Memorial Day weekend ahead, I hope to punch out a lot more beer articles while I am grilling. Or, if the rain does not let up, electric skillet-ing.
May 14: After that warm Friday morning, it’s now a chilly Saturday afternoon. Where does the weather go. Anyway, I’ve got to make a dent in my backlog of beers sent to me for my consideration.
Yes, I should have posted this article closer to “4/20.” Well, this is part of Lagunitas’ 2016 “OneHitter Series” an Imperial IPA, so I don’t want to leave it sitting for a whole year. Instead, I will just have to SEO this thing so people Googling “420 Beer” will find it next year.
So this is what Lagunitas Brewing Co. call their “dankest” beer, at a full 100 IBU and 11.5% alcohol. And I don’t think I need to “hash” over (see what I did there) the Waldos’ and their relationship to the mystical number 420.
The bottle was sent to me in its own insulated paper bag, with a keychain bottle opener that included a roach clip.
This Imperial IPA was sent to me in a tiny paper bag, along with a keychain bottle opener that had a roach clip attached. So they are keeping in the spirit of the event.
The picture sure makes it look innocent enough. But the rocky head that sticks around for a while offers a clue that it has hidden powers. The orangey body is right for an English style IPA. But there is a definite smell from where I’m sitting and just typing of a bit of citrus, and some English hop earthiness.
The taste is quite full of orange juice, pine, and hints of other herbs. No, I can be pretty certain there’s nothing in here that would not be in a legal bottle of beer, this company has had enough trouble with that.
But there is a definite attempt to create a compliment to a session with herb, with strong tastes to overpower any other flavors that might need to be pushed out of the back of the palate.
Every point of its alcohol is being felt here. And this very definitely needs to be experienced fresh, because this is a flavor combination that may fade out very quickly.
I would expect to see this on the shelf and on tap for a bit longer in stores and bars. And I am betting that if you were to visit the Lagunitas Chicago brewery, you’ll find it available for quite a while.
