Lagunitas Decimator

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 8

10th Anniversary Decimator Ale 22oz bottle And a *damn* fine beer this is! I can't believe I'm reviewing it in OR before anyone in CA found it. Hopefully there's much more where this came from. Appearance is light amber with a beautiful head that lasts through the entire beer, dissapating only to leave one of the most beautiful laces I've seen down the sides of the glass. A perfect 5 as there truly is no way it could look any better. Smell is mostly of hops (Cascade, among others) with some interesting malt scents. Very nice; even the scent is complex. Taste is very complex. Cascade hops are present. The first thing I noticed was the alcohol (keeping it from a perfect 5, perhaps unfairly), but that taste quickly faded into a remarkably well balanced hop/malt sensation. This is certainly hoppy but it's not overblown at all as some light fruits are present as well. Mouthfeel is nice and full, but a wee bit on the astringent side. Drinkability suffers *only* from the high alcohol content. Bottom line: I'm going back to the store tomorrow to see how much of this they have left. At 7.8% ABV, this will age *very* nicely. If you see this beer, grab it. You won't be disappointed.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

06.27.04 22oz bottle. Hazy goldenrod color with little head but decent lacing from the evident halo. Aromas remind of dry summertime flowers, lemon, a papery sweetness, and pine. Despite the hum-drum repetitiveness of the aromatic labeling, this beer has a very nice, very complimentary balance of the aromatic parts. I find the same quality in the flavors. The flavors smack of biting fragrant hops and candy sweet malts. This stuff reminds of DFH 90min IPA. Very nice finish is deceptively dry while still pils crisp and refreshing. A gulpable brew. Special thanks to Mike in CA for this trade.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Orange gold color. Large foamy head. Aroma is fruity (orange and grapefruit), spicy and sweet. A big full-bodied Strong Ale. Lot of flavors. Malts are nutty, fruity, big and bold. Hops are grapefruity and spicy. Flavors are way over the top, but the bitterness of the hops is nicely balanced by the malt fruitiness and sweetness. There is a touch of alcohol in the taste, but its harshness mellows as the beer warms. Mellow and smooth, sort of cognac like. NICE beer. A little bottle aging will really make this beer excellent. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is smooth and a touch dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 8

Appearance: This pours cloudy orange/brown w/ a fluffy head. Aroma: Lots of citrusy hops are in the aroma, along with some spiciness. Flavor: Citrus, hops spice, lots of different flavors. This is a very nice and tasty brew. It is very enjoyable.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

In appearance this beer is almost like a stong ice tea in appearance..with a smallish white head and attractive carbonation strings, A very very spicy hop aroma greets my nose tough I do detect some malt in the background. A very hoppy type ale in taste..especially for LagunitasI am impressed the hops bitterness is very fresh and hangs around for quite some time..there is below all this hops a pretty strong malt backbone..the 7.3 alcohol is well hidden Pretty nice ans smooth on the palate. For a 7.8% beer this is so very very drinkable.