Time for another Lagunitas seasonal. This time, we were thrown a bit of a curve. According to the schedule released by Lagunitas, we were due to get another Zappa brew, “We’re Only in it for the Money.” Unfortunately, due to issues with the labeling, they had to delay the release. The good news? we get their Lucky #13 Ale a few months early.
This is one of my favorite seasonala from Lagunitas. I’ve said before how I’m not a big fan of Red’s, but this is their “mondo large red ale,” and I love it. The aroma is of citrusy hops and it provides a great idea of what this brew has in store. Similar in flavor to the Gnarly Wine, this one is a dumbed down version. Not as sticky sweet, but with earthy hops jumping up and slapping you in the face. Not as big as some of their seasonals, this one is still a burly 8.3%. Tastes a bit rough around the edges, but I have a second bottle to try in a couple months. I don’t see myself keepingthis one too long, but hopefully long enough to soften some of the harder features.
One thing I noticed when opening this bottle was that Lagunitas has gone to a twist cap, instead of the pop tops we typically see in 22 oz bottles. Why the change? Personally, this is slightly annoying. I like to save my 22 ounce bottles for homebrewing, and with the twist top, I have to send these bottles to the recycling bin.
In case anyone was wondering, my lucky number has always been #13, so maybe that’s why I like this beer so much. What’s your lucky number?
