Lagunitas New Style Old Ale

I picked this pint up at New Seasons on the top shelf, where the spendy beers and the larger singles live. Not that it was that spendy. Being Friday in Portland, I’ll likely be hitting the pub sometime after I write this review. So, in New Seasons (it’s our locally-owned groovy high-end supermarket. Good place, good meat, pretty good beer selection) I’m checking out the fancy beers, and I see that Lagunitas has a new flavor. That’s pretty exciting news because I’ve loved everything else they put out (IPA is probably the top of my list right now…and not the fancy one in the 22oz bottle). A quick calculation…$3 for 22oz, compared to $3.50 for 16oz at the pub. Sure, at the pub I’m paying for the music and second-hand smoke, but I pay for music at home too. So I broke down and dropped the three bucks. You’ll find that I recommend that you do too.

This ale from Lagunitas pours smooth. A caramel-colored beer, light enough I can nearly read through it. The head is very rich for an ale this light. The aroma is faint enough to be nearly absent, only offering the slightest hint to complement the light maltiness of the ale. The flavor of this one is superb. Not bitter like the other Lagunitas beers that I’ve had, but full on the tongue, almost pillow-like. The carbonation is mostly an afterthought, but escorts the beer tastefully down the tongue.

While sweet, it isn’t syrupy or overbearing, which I find to be a good quality. A fine beer, fresh and light, but not crisp. I recommend this one happily. Enjoy, it’s time go play.