Lagunitas Imperial Red

Brewed By: Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack from Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Imperial Red Ale, 7.8%

I don't think I've had an Imperial Red Ale before, and being that I really enjoy Lagunitas, I felt a strong obligation to check out this beer. So here we are. In case you don't know who Lagunitas are (Pronounced: "LAH-goo-KNEE-tuss"):

Lagunitas is a brewery I dabbled with when I hit up their controversially named "Kronik" (Lagunitas Censored) back in November 2010. The Lagunitas website has some cool info on the brewery and the beer, and can be found here. The brewery was founded in 1993 out in Lagunitas, California, and has since moved to Petaluma in California. It seems like Lagunitas is run by a bunch of deviant madmen geniuses, and the brewery appears to be a true grassroots movement, if you catch my drift.

This beer, the Imperial Red, is an interesting beast. According to the Lagunitas' website, this is a big spicy beer, with big hop notes, and lots of rich red malt. They state that this beer is a variation of their original, 1993, Lagunitas Red. This beer clocks in at 7.8% ABV...and here is where things get a bit confusing. The 6-pack states that this beer clocks in at 84.20 IBUs. However, the bottle clearly states that this beer clocks in at 54.20 IBUs. Obviously there was a misprint somewhere...so the question is: which one is it? I guess we will find out in the review...

Imperial Red is not a recognized BJCP style, so Ratebeer puts this beer into the American Strong Ale category, and BeerAdvocate went with their American Amber/Red Ale category. I'm guessing that neither really captures the essence of this beer, although I'm inclined to side more with the Strong Ale categorization...

Fortunately, if you consult the Brewers Association's 2012 Beer Style Guidelines, you can see that they have an "Imperial or Double Red Ale" category under North American beers. They describe the Imperial Red Ale as a style with bitterness around 55-85 IBUs, an ABV between 6.3% and 8.4%, and an Original Gravity of 1.080-1.100. The Lagunitas Red basically falls into this category. This style is described as having intense hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma. This style is balanced with complex alcohol flavors, fruity esters, and medium to high caramel malt character (it is an Imperial RED). Lastly, you can role over to the Home Brewing Wiki, and they list out the Great American Beer Festival/Brewers Association style guidelines that I just described above. Here is their link for the Imperial Red Ale.

Let's get a bottle poppin' and do this review. 

Lagunitas Imperial Red

Holy shit this is aromatic. Just cracking the bottle cap unleashed a flurry of tropical fruit notes and citrus. The beer pours with 3 to 4 fingers of thick, foamy, IPA-looking head. The head is off-white in low light, and in low light the beer has a dark red/copper body. When held to a bright light, this beer is reddish/orange/copper, with an off-white head that is tinted red/copper. The head retention is great, with one finger of head hanging around, and there is already nice lacing as the head pulls on the glass. The beer is transparent, with a moderate stream of small bubbles, and there are some alcohol legs as I let the beer move around the side of my glass.

The aroma on this beer is so fresh and so bright. I'm getting big tropical fruit notes, hints of citrus, hints of a slight pungent twang, big sugary caramel esters, and a big spice note. Tangerine, orange, grapefruit, kiwi, pineapple, a peppercorn or rye type spice that is a little more mild than straight up black pepper; maybe a slight grainy/bready spice. Really good stuff on the nose, and like I said: very fresh and bright.

Upon my first sip, I'm getting a lot of really nice hops, spice, and malt. I'm kind of inclined to say this is an 84.20 IBU beer? There is a reasonable amount of dry hop bite in here, in the form of nice grapefruit, with a hint of woodiness. And really nice alcohol warming with this beer. Each sip is bringing in some nice heat, and you get a nice alcohol balance in the mix. I'm getting grapefruit, tangerine, mango; a balance of sweet caramel malts; some nice woody and earthy dryness, and some really nice peppery/peppercorn spice. Incredibly earthy, hoppy, and sugary; but quite balanced. There is a slight pungent quality to the hops, and a definite drying out on the back end that is both woody and boozy. You definitely get alcohol in the mix, but it is balanced, and the dry alcohol warming on the back end is spectacular. 

This is a full-bodied beer, but the dryness and bitterness cuts through the full-bodied-ness. This beer is super sweet and sugary, as you might expect with an Imperial hop bomb. The carbonation is perfect, with medium carbonation that hits in the front and back, providing just the right amount of support for the beer. The palate depth is great, and the complexity is great. Up front is big citrus/tropical hops, and hints of sweet malt; this rolls into spices, hops, and burgeoning malts; the back end is big malt balance, followed by huge citrusy/woody hop drying, and alcohol warming. A beer that finishes this warm and dry beckons another sip...but this is a beer meant to be enjoyed. At 7.8% ABV, I found this very drinkable, but I would definitely drink this beer to enjoy it (versus sessioning it). 

Rating: Divine Brew

This is very enjoyable, and for that, I'm feeling a light Divine Brew rating. There is not a whole lot to rip on here; in fact, this beer is remarkably balanced, hoppy, spicy, malty, and drinkable. The nose was incredibly bright, and the beer managed to bring some nice complexity to the table. Basically: Hops and Malts, what is there to hate. It's the little stuff though, like the carbonation, or the nice balance of alcohol, and the wonderful dry/boozy finish. Those are the things that make a beer stand out. With that said, definitely check this beer out...and until next time, don't drink and perform brain surgery.