Lagunitas Brewery, Lucky 13 Brunette

Its that time of year for Lagunitas Lucky 13 which is a seasonal brew for them. This is brewed in the style of, as they put it "An ultra-mega-mondo red ale first made in 2006 to celebrate 13 years of brewing ultra-hoppy-mega-malty-mondo ales. Now it’s 2013 and we’re 20 years in," Whoa! 

There are actually two different versions of this beer. They make a "blonde" version in which the girl on the label is blonde and it is a super hoppy double IPA with is labeled "alt". This one is the original "brunette" version which as you can see from the picture on the right is a rich amber ale that is aggressively hopped with  mostly Amarillo hops. Both versions are fantastic, but I usually prefer the "blonde" version myself. 

This one is amazingly aromatic when poured into the glass. A big resiny hop punch greets you on the first whif. Filled with sticky, piney west coast hops and a caramel malt base to back them up, this combo does a one two punch on your taste buds. At first you get a classic orange peel, grapefruit, pineapple flavor washed over by a resin filled pine/juniper hoppiness. The sweet caramel malts balance some of the aggressive hop flavor, but it still leaves a nice lingering bitter bite. Definitely right up our IPA loving alley! 

Lucky 13 taps in at 8.9% ABV so it pack a little punch to it. It fits in our sneaky beer category because although the malt is rich it is surprisingly easy to drink. The high ABV can easily sneak up on you if your not careful. Overall though, another great one from Lagunitas Brewery. I look forward seeing their "blonde" version next year!

Personal Rating: 9.8 /10
Style Rating: 9.8 /10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
http://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=723830000032

Maine Beer Company | Zoe

Maine Beer Company's Zoe, an American Amber Ale, made by a very small brewery in Portland, Maine.

Zoe has a nice deep dark amber - almost chestnut color with about an inch of fluffy off-white head. Lots of sticky lacing coats the glass. The aroma is loaded with piney, fruity, and floral hops with a nice strong amount of sweet caramel malt. The taste is intensely bitter at first with lots of pine hop flavor. Fruitier hop flavors mix with copious amount of sweet malt to really deliver a… dare I say, perfect beer.

Zoe is honestly like drinking the freshest and best tasting Stone Arrogant Bastard I've ever had; big malt, big hop. What makes it even better is that it's made by a super small brewery in the northeast that places more value on quality, freshness, and environmental stewardship, rather than money.

Personal: 10/10
Style: 10/10

Get this beer while you can, absolutely worth it!