Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

355 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 9.6%, OG 1085, IBU 66.6. Beautiful amber to copper colour, moderate off-white head. Strong aroma of fruity American hops, old marmalade, caramel and crystal malts, alcohol. The flavour is very sweet, and the alcohol is not well hidden, but soon overpowered by a massive hoppy attack. Warming mouth- and throatfeel.Maybe too much of everything, but still a guilty pleasure to drink.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 5

Scarey nose befitting of the ABV..... smith bros fought drops, menthol, figs...scents I associate with very big beers. Moderate orange body, nice moderate off-white head with very good retention and hints of lace. Mouth slightly thin yet chewy. I am following Sip of Sunshine with this brew so I am gonna have a nibble or two and come back to it. OK, back at it. I have great respect for Lagunitas, for all there bold out there experiments, but sometimes you have to know when to holed, know when to fold them. Alcohol doesn't always have to be completely masked but hey, grain alcohol as the dominant flavor just does NOT work for me. Flavor follows the nose... a sweet cloying flowers followed by some bitter herbal notes lots of rubbing alcohol and a syrupy finish.......... Right now this is, to me, like their Brown Shugga gone bad.OK, this might get better a bit warmer...I'll be back. >...............OK, its warmer now. Its better now but only in the sense that it has grown less alcohol dominated and that flavor has now become cough syrupy.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Good hop nose, with peaches of all things. The flavor is kind of a let down, like an overly caramel Brown with a bunch of hops thrown in. Not bad but really not what I am looking for.

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

Wanted to order another case of Lagunitas Sucks, but this turned up in the mail from the distributor. Was disappointed, but this is actually quite good. The story rocks, it has a slightly peachy hop profile, is medium malty and is refreshingly hoppy and bitter on the back of the tounge. After many of them, it seems to be a bit stale in comaparison to some livelier DIPAs but still happy as the hop profile is more stone fruit than citrus, and a little unique.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Clear honey brown with a thick crown floating on top. Aroma is sweet honey, hoppy peach, caramel............. and the whole thing is huge. Taste is sweet with a balanced bitterness. Alcohol is noticeable, peach, mild earth, caramel. this beer is awesome and so simple.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Beautiful copper pour with a tight sustained white head and cap, spotty lacing. Sweet malty aroma offset by plenty of hops in the nose and palate, caramel, hint of oranges and citrus, a bit of alcohol, earthy hops, with a nice bitter linger and a slight alcohol bite. Nice strong ale tha is a touch better just under room temp.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Cask@GBBF2012. Deep golden colour, small white head. Aroma is fruity, floral, grassy, herbal and mild caramelly notes. Flavour is fruity, wooden, floral, enctary and sugary with some mild alcohol as well.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Pretty sure I got this single on my trip to New York City. Pours a deep amber colour with lots of tiny-tiny particles that float all around and create slight haze. The head is small, but does last a while as it is creamy, off-white and sticks to the glass. Was expecting a super sweet strong ale nose, but instead, got this beautiful hoppy aroma with fresh grass, pine needles, and lots of citrus (not only grapefruit, but oranges). No burning at all, goes down quite smoothly. Hop is present in the taste as well, and the bitterness does linger, but it is quite nicely blended with the alcohol. Pleased this is not as sweet as most strong ales.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Pours an almost clear red-orange with a nice frothy off-white head which slowly fades down leaving behind some lace. The aroma is full of rich sweet caramel malts with some residual sugar, citrus and floral hops, and a bit of booze. The taste starts off with some rich sweet toasted malts with a bit of dark fruit sweetness and some brown sugar alongside some citrus hops. Through the middle, a big kick of citrus and pine hops come through with some strong bitterness. The finish is a mix of strong hop flavor, bitterness, and sweet malt with a bit of booze. It's moderately carbonated and feels smooth with a sweet, hoppy, and bitter finish. Over all a drinkable, really nice strong Ale with a big hop profile and is well balanced.

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

Sampled on draft at Patton Alley Pub, Springfield MO. Pours dark copper with a thick, light-tan head. Aroma of fresh baked bread and burnt sugar. Nice. Toast, brown sugar, prune flavors. Sweet up front. Bitter finish. Viscous and well carbonated. Very good beer.