Lagunitas IPA

Lagunitas IPA
Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol Content: 6%

From: Petaluma, California, USA

Purchased From: Purchased from: Beer Boutique, Putney

http://lagunitas.com/

Over the past few weeks, my liver has taken one hell of a pounding. Two beer festivals and one craft beer night later, I am constantly finding myself reaching for a daily Paracetamol. Whilst I enjoy drinking the beer at the time,  I'm also starting to feel the effects more the day after. I guess my metabolism is not the same as it once was or perhaps it’s the fact that I'm drinking stronger beers more often. After looking through my beer cupboard, I noticed the average ABV was 8%.  Lordy, I can remember a time when the highest beer I ever drank was a 5 percent Carlsberg Export. That being said, the pain is worth it. After two years of blogging  my curiosity and enthusiasm to discover new beer styles has yet to waiver. No Pain, No Gain as they say.

Founded in 1993 by Tony Magee in Lagunitas, California, the brewery quickly outgrew its original home and a year later moved to Petaluma, California.  Maintain that rapid momentum, Lagunitas has almost quadrupled its output between 2004 to 2010, rising from 27,000 barrel per annum to 106,000 per annum during this period. In 2012, Lagunitas announced plans for a new Chicago based brewery with a barrel capacity of 600,000 per annum whilst also investing 9.5 million dollars in order to  increase production at their Petaluma site to a similar level. The Chicago brewery finally opened its doors in April 2014, complete with an onsite tap-room. Great news considering I will be heading over to the States for my 30^th birthday. Cheers all!

Colour: Pours a warm orange/copper, complete with a bubbly white head. This head lingers for the duration, lacing the glass perfectly on every sip.

Aroma: Hints of perfectly blended kiwi, mango and lime present themselves instantly. It's almost like an exotic fruit salad that has been drizzled in sweet honey. The citrus notes slowly mellow to give way to delicate hints of earthy resinous hops. The perfect perfume for an IPA.

Body: Lordy, this drink is oh so smooth it's almost like you are drinking a pint of pure velvet. The carbonation is perfectly balanced against the sweetness of the hop oils to ensure a refreshingly pleasurable drinking experience.

Taste: Hints of beautifully fresh mangos are promptly followed by notes of a dry, hobnob biscuit. Hints of smooth honey and warming alcohol will become more prominent as the drink warms. These flavours add to the refined smoothness of this beer and the mildly bitter aftertaste helps to round out the flavour perfectly. In my opinion, this is one of the most polished IPAs on the market. Perfectly balanced in all areas, ensuring that both novices and beer connoisseurs go home happy. Great stuff!

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/the-celt-brewing-experience-seven.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/alken-maes-judas.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Renaissance Brewing Voyager

Renaissance Brewing Voyager
Style: India Pale Ale

Alcohol Content: 6%

From: Blenheim, New Zealand

Purchased From: Purchased from: A birthday gift

http://www.renaissancebrewing.co.nz/

Renaissance brewing was founded in 2005 by Andy Deuchars and Brian Thiel. Andy and Brian, both natives of Southern California, decided to produce stunning beer in a region more renowned for wine, Marlborough New Zealand. After purchasing the lease on the historic Grove Mill in Blenheim and suffering a few teething problems (such as a delayed dispatch of their bottling machine due to Italy winning the World Cup in 2006), the brewery has grown into something of cult status in New Zealand. Scoping multiple awards over the past 9 years (including the prestigious champion New Zealand brewery in 2013), the brewery now produces a core range of 12 beers at their 400,000 litre bottling plant in Blenheim.

Colour: Pours a murky light brown with a dusting of foam which unfortunately does not linger around for very long in the glass (somewhat similar to the Brewdog Old World India Pale Ale I reviewed back in May). Not the best looking IPA, but looks can be deceiving.

Aroma: As soon as you pop the cap, a rich sweetness of honey will flood your nostrils. This only dissipates slightly once in the glass to help reveal notes of brown bread and perhaps sweet kiwi/mango/lychee (it's pretty hard to work out what it actually could be).

Body: The honey like sweetness also translates into the body of this beer. Unlike it's starship namesake, Voyager is not a drink to enjoy at "warp speed". The sticky body coats your tongue and your mouth so much you could be mistaken in thinking you are drinking a pint of honey. If slightly more carbonation was added to this beer, it would be a pleasure to drink, but quite frankly, I found this pint extremely hard work.

Taste: Very, very sweet for an IPA. The sweet honey dominates the palate with very subtle hints of mangos and kiwis lurking in the background. As the drink warms, the honey flavour dulls slightly allowing very delicate notes of burnt toffee to appear. With not a hint of bitterness in sight, I feel extremely let down by this IPA. It's sickly sweet and really lacks any depth of the flavour. At least I did not waste my own money on this beer.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/brewdog-old-world-india-pale-ale.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/sierra-nevada-brewing-narwhal-imperial.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery