First sip is a full bodied beer, indeed. It reminds me of the Brown Sugga' Substitute. It's a quick hit of sweet malt mixed carefully with bitter hops. The result is a tumultuous mouth full of competing tastes that fight each other like Irishmen at a wake. It's not an unpleasant thing, but I sense order underneath. Order that can be brought out with a proper swig.
Tip-in is sweet malt, caramel, and even a bit of toffee. It's sweet as a Coke right there at the start, and that is just the setup so that the rest of the beer can spring forward. The grains attack the back of the throat in concert with the carbonation to get the middle started. Bitterness prickles at the tongue with hop-powered delights as the middle starts to give way to the finish. The finish hits a whole mouth bitter note followed by a sweet cap that makes the bitterness mellow the hell out.
Bottom Line: The only reason this isn't Lagunita's best is that they produce so many damn good beers.
4.5/5