I haven't had a Lagunitas beer since October 2019. That was pre-pandemic! I wonder if pre-pandemic, not nearly as mentally frail me, was especially nice to that beer. I do remember it being good, and 3.25 is a rating I don't give lightly. Lagunitas has definitely had a good record on my site, and it would certainly not surprise me if this was just as good as that beer or even better.
Obviously, this beer prides itself on haziness, and it is hazy. It's not the thick and impenetrable to photons that a Bearded Iris might be, but it's hazy. The fact that it says this is unfiltered implies that this is as hazy as this beer could get. I find that somewhat hard to believe. Anyway, the relatively pale yellow beer sports a modicum of head that leaves sparse lacing in its wake before it becomes a hilly pasture of bubbles across the top of the beer. The aroma is citrus and mouthwatering. I need a drink.First sip is excellent. This beer has hops, but the hops aren't commanding the show. A smoothness dominates the beer with the hops and a biscuit malt providing points of interest along the way. Maybe it's because I had a bad day, or maybe it's because I have been particularly thirsty lately. Either way, this beer is hitting the spot - hard.
Tip-in is sweet citrus with mild carbonation tingle and very light biscuit malt. The middle brings that smoothness, but it is strongly counterbalanced by an overt carbonation that burns at the top of the mouth to the point that the citrus and biscuits can't make their way through as a bitterness builds to replace the sweetness. The finish is a plunge off the mountain of smoothness to the depths of dryness with bitterness swallowing up the trail off.
Bottom Line: Better when sipped, but still pretty great.
3.25