Lagunitas Equinox Ale

Formerly brewed at Lagunitas Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Petaluma, California USA

transparent & golden in apple juice ways... shrinking white head, malty aroma with apple/white grape flickerings...pop-rock onslaught of fizz...bitter, wheaty/oaty...dried bananas sprinkled with malt vinegar...strange... with the added craziness of champagne dryness in the end!!

6.4% abv: I give props to Lagunitas for this highly creative OatBock. The label says it’s both "bock style" and a "pale oat ale" so it’s confused about what exactly it is. There’s an odd grain aroma (must be the oats) and a slightly bockish, sweetish body. Has a crisp finish that I could do without but otherwise excellent.

Gold color, large head. Mildly hopped, mild malts. Oat malts results in a banana like slightly sweet flavor. Subtle, slightly sweet mild malt taste. Finish is clean. Aftertaste is slightly sweet, not bitter. An interesting beer, very different taste with the oat malts. Taste grows on you.

Pale yellow-orange. Head was thick but fleeting. Oaty, malty nose. Sweet, full fluffy feel. Good malt background. Wonderful Spring beer.

Slightly hazy golden yellow, the head is frothy, large and long lasting, tons of lace to cut the glass. Nose is malt, floral, sweet, hints of oatmeal and bananas?, very interesting nose ’Me Thinks’. Front is sweet, the top light, the finish is hop bitter, lightly dry, acidic, and a rather hearty brew. Ranks #481 on my current 1000 beer master list.

Very lacy head, light orange color, pretty! Very smooth and well balanced, wheaty in the finish. Very refreshing, a well done seasonal from Lagunitas.

My first beer rating!!! I liked this one. I definitely tasted oatmeal and bananas. The color was light golden. Very good carbonation, nice head.
Re-rate 4/28/03: The first thing I want to comment on is the almost surreal creamy white head...it left massive amounts of lace all down the glass...beautiful. I got much less oats and banana this time. Actually it tasted more lagerish than last years, although I believe it is an ale. The bottle says "new and improved," but I think I liked it better before.

Crystal clear looks, light golden, streams of carbonation, solid head formation. Light but malty aroma, tropical fruitiness, tempered by a touch of woody dryness (or is that the oatmeal). Pretty light bodied, smooth and silky. A hop dryness wraps itself around what is essentially a fruity, malty ale. Tropical fruit juice, while the oatmeal is certainly noticeable. A touch of hops just jumps in at the end.