Lagunitas Brewing Company: A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

The much awaited release of Lagunitas' seasonal "A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale" has finally arrived. And, after a few weeks six-packs have finally arrived at my local beer outlet (i.e., BevMo in Pasadena, CA).

Let me begin with a disclaimer of sorts. The beer is good, maybe even better than good. But my expectations were beyond that, especially given that the brew comes to us from the fine folks at Lagunitas . . .

The pour reveals a clean, pale colored ale with next to no head whatsoever. In fact after drinking about half the glass, what little head there was at the start was all but gone and my glass resembled a child's glass of apple juice and not my adult beverage of choice. On the nose, you get what you expect . . . fruits and flowers, although I might go one step further as to narrow the "fruits" to that of "tropical fruits" alone; it is very nice.

The taste is crisp and clean (as one might expect given the translucency of the beer and lack of particulates suspended in the brew. The 64.20 IBUs pack quite a punch and add to that tropical fruit and floral aroma that I discussed above. Unfortunately, I could not lay my finger on one or two specific hop varieties. The punch is not like some other brews that I have reviewed and that I am sure you are familiar with. It is not a long drawn out battle of hops in your mouth (Hop Wallop) or a delayed battle followed by WWH (The World War of Hops, Big Daddy IPA), rather it is more like that knockout blow; it is brief but deadly. Alright, it is not going to kill you, but it is pungent and brief. For that, it is different . . . and I like diversity amongst my IPAs.

As I eluded to above, A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale seems to be missing a little sumpin': Carbonation! Since it appears as if this beer is not bottle conditioned, I doubt the carbonation problem could be solved by allowing the beer to sit for a few days/weeks. However, I will update the review if I notice any significant change in the near future.

The bottom line: An IPA of not-epic proportions . . . yet still an IPA of diverse qualities, a fantastic treat for a summer-time evening on the porch with the kids.

For a second opinion, check out the following:

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