Lagunitas Cruising with Ruben and The Jets

Brewed by Lagunitas Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Petaluma, California USA

A deep dark stout with a thick moka head. Chocolate aroma with good licorice, caramel, warming alcohol, and cold coffee. In mouth, a good chocolate malt with licorice notes, warming alcohol, cold coffee, rich and complex. Bottle sampled August 21, 2009, bought at the Bottle Barn.

22oz bomber into a snifter. Pours pure black, even when held to light, with a light wood colored head that fizzles to half and then stays a bit; plenty of lacing throughout. The aroma on this one is all sweet - tropical fruits, dark fruits, anise, and even some caramel. If you try hard enough, you can pick up a bit of roasted malt and a touch of hop character. The flavor is big sweet from the get-go - sweet malts, grapes and sour wine, and more. This transitions into a roasty bitterness that reminds of coffee and chocolate like most stouts. The beer leaves a feeling of burnt pepperiness on the sides of the tongue and deep corners of the mouth that are subtle and not pronounced. Mouthfeel thicker than a defensive lineman’s neck with a relatively high carbonation for the style.

Pours a dark black with what looks like a tan head but it faded to fast. Strong aroma of raisins, sweet malt and licorice. Taste is great; peppery, sweet chocolate, some toffee and light bitterness at the end. Full body and creamy, very smooth with good warming on the finish. A good beer; warm, roasted, peppery, chocolate, licorice, toffee, it has it all. I like it.

Bottle. Pours dark blackish brown body with lost of sediment. The aroma is roast and wheat. The flavor is strong chocolate malt.

Bottle (22oz twist off) on 08/15/2009. Dark brown body with ruby highlights and a medium creamy tan head. Roasty and chocolate aroma with a good fresh hop aroma. Roasty, chocolate, and light fruity flavor with some caramel hints. Medium full body with moderate carbonation.

Dark pour...Almost black...Chocolate nose....Smooth and creamy medium body...No bitterness....Nice chocolate and roasted malt flavor...Excellent stout...Smooth, creamy, and delicious

Bottle 65 cl. Opaque dark brown with a dense light brown head. Mashy aroma, nuts and roasted malt. Quite full-bodied with very sweet burned caramel accents, nuts and wood. Very alcoholic finish without much bitterness. More candy water that Imperial stout. 110709

Interesting. If YooHoo made beers it would probably taste like this. Cocoa everywhere. Nose, mouth, finish, but really smooth. Tasty. Didn’t get the peppercorns, but that’s ok since I’m not after a steak marinade here.