Lagunitas Maximus
I’ve been working from home on Wednesdays the past couple of weeks. It’s a new telecommuting initiative that I was allowed to be a part of at work — since my daily commute is on the lengthy side. Now that I have no hour and a half drive home, I’ve started mowing the yard after I call it a day on Wednesdays. It’s nice having the weekend for play instead of yard work.
Any ways, after mowing the yard this past Wednesday I think I may have had the perfect beer, or at least the most perfectly timed beer. I’ve had the Maximus on several occasions in the past, but never thought to write about it. That is until I cracked open that cool bottle after pushing the old mower around the house the other day.
Appearance
The Imperial IPA pours a nice, rich copper and amber with a large fluffy off-white head. The head lasted a good while and faded to pretty decent lacing.
Aroma
I’m sure that it was a byproduct of having just finished mowing, but there certainly was a freshly cut grass presence to the glass. I got right into the foam that capped the glass in an attempt to focus the nose, but still got that wonderful smell. There’s also that floral hoppy aroma, as well as, a little citrus and lemon.
Taste
Perfect. The bottle had been chilled briefly from cellar temperature while I mowed so it was nice and cool. The hops are obviously very present in the mouth. It wasn’t as bitter as I was expecting and was quite well balanced between the hop presence and fruitiness. The bitterness did come up in the finish though and lingered nicely.
Overall
Like I said, this was one perfectly timed brew. It’s not nearly as hoppy as other Imperial IPAs that I’ve had recently and incorporates a lovely fruitiness into the mix making for a well balanced brew. I’ve enjoyed this one many times in the past, but it just seemed to have that little something extra this time around. Of course, I’ll be getting more of this as the summer wears on.
Rating: 3.5/5