Lagunitas Lumpy Gravy

Brewed by Lagunitas Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Petaluma, California USA

Translucent brown. Average off white head. Aroma rich of mall with a touch of hop piness. the flavor is more hoppy, but has a nice malt balance. Clean, somewhat bitter finish.

Unusual dark ale that is drinkable but not great. Piney resin. Toasty and doughy. Apricot and some citrus flavor. Oily. Bit acidic especially in the aftertaste/finish. Carmel. Frothy lasting head.

650 ml bottle

The 2008 release in the Frank Zappa series I was looking forward to this one after seeing it on the shelves. Last year’s batch was one of the most memorable I tried (both for the packaging and the taste). I wasn’t quite sure what to expect so it did throw for a small loop. Still as long as you prepare yourself for an amped up scotch ale you can’t go wrong with this.

Aroma / Appearance - Caramel, molasses, maple syrup and rye bread explode from the reddish brown compact body. Warm cinnamon buns compliment everything nicely. The total package recalls a mellow scotch ale without the peaty aspects.

Flavor / Palate - The fluid mouthfeel washes across the tongue leaving a trail of bark and caramel tea layered over rye bread. Cherry scones trickle down the throat next. Before the light bitter finish comes the sensation of a solid scotch ale/wee heavy. The whole thing is very drinkable and smooth. I wouldn’t age it long however because things will fade in a few months time most likely.

Pours a dark amber with a medium creamy tan head and some nice lacing. Aroma is toasty malt with some citrus peel and hops. Flavor is bitter malt with a hint of hops on the finish. Enjoyable in small amounts.

Bottle: Ruby mahogany color with a light beige retentive head and nice lacing. The nose is spicy with a bit of grapefruit and sweet resinous hops, decent amounts of caramel malt and a nice dose of fruit. The flavor is balanced, more like a pale ale or a sweeter amber ale. Good, hard to really tell it’s this high in alcohol.

Bomber pours a striking clear amber with mildly frothy light tan head. A bit cold the aroma is light. It does liven up just a bit bringing up spice then floral and pine hops mixing with semi sweet maltiness, biscuit malts and faint wheat bread. The taste begins with mildly roasted malts and sweet malts that well up into a myriad of hops like late addition spice, floral and pine hop flavor. Midway and to the finish the three hops grow from hop flavor to more hop bitterness. Nice bold flavors that mingle with sweet malts, lightly roasted malts and mild biscuit malts into the after taste.

22oz Bottle Pours out a clear amber topped with a great cream tan head. Aroma of light hops but mostly malt. Tast more of the malt and very little hops. A bunch of bitterness all over this one.

Bottled. Beer is clear, moderately dark reddish brown. Head is large, frothy-nearly rocky, tan, diminishes slowly, mostly lasts. Crust of lacing on the glass.<P>The aroma is malty with moderate notes of worty toasted grain, lighter notes of caramel cookie; Hoppy with light resin notes, grapefruit oil, trace of dried apricot; Yeasty with a light note of basementy dough.<P>The flavor is heavily bitter, moderately sweet, light-to-moderately acidic with a long, lingering, moderately bitter/grippy, lightly sweet finish.<P>The body is medium, the texture is watery/velvety and the carbonation is average.<P>Not very engaging.