First sip is not as scary as the smell was, but it certainly has quite a bit of pine hops. I haven't liked most beers with pine hops, and this one seems to fit into the category of beers I'm not a huge fan of so far. It's not overly bitter, but the pine hops are really detracting from most of the joy that I might otherwise find in the beer. Maybe a swig?
Tip-in is pine and carbonation burn. The burn isn't that bad, but the pine is pretty heavy (if you like that). The middle heightens the pine a bit and lets some bready malt in underneath, and that drags some citrus in with it, but the pine is the overriding factor going on here. The finish pins a pine needle into the top of the mouth and lets some water, malt, and lemon flow across the bottom while the pine still kind of occupies the senses too much.
Bottom Line: I think you have to be a pine hops person to love this beer, and I am not. Lagunitas makes a second beer that I'm not a fan of.
1.75/5