I am determined to get out a couple of beer reviews this weekend, maybe with some cube steaks defrosting right now, if the rain lets up. Meantime, let’s get a beer tested out while it’s still fresh.
Lagunitas Brewing Co. has sent over a Dry Hopped limited version of their Censored amber ale. Beer fans are familiar with the story of how Lagunitas wanted to name this beer “Kronik,” but the TTB would not approve a nickname based on marijuana for a label (just never mind established names like “Bud Light”). So this beer as been going out with a “Censored” label for many years. I am almost suspicious of their claims that this or that beer was born of a happy accident. Here they claimed a batch of Censored was “brightened up with a generous dry-hopping of Centennial, Chinook, Simcoe, and Citra hops meant for another tank.” But hey, beer is beer.
This bottle came to my door in January, but it still has a big, fresh citrus and pine hop smell under the cap. It pours a big foamy head over a body that’s not quite as coppery as their description suggested; more of a regular amber ale color. The smell of tropical fruit and pine needles stays with the beer as the foam subsides. For a “regular strength” beer of 6.75% abv, the malt is nice and sticky. The bitterness is actually a tame 35 IBU, yet I get a pretty big charge of hop bitterness flanking the citrusy hop flavor. Has plenty of malt roastiness, just a bit of earth, perhaps an English yeast? Either way, it’s a beer with a big flavor, but it goes down pretty quickly.
