Lagunitas Imperial Red Ale
This Special Ale is, in reality, a reconstructed exhumation of the very first ale that we ever brewed way, way back, in 1993. Brewed with a big head, a muscular malty thorax, a silky texture & all strung together with a hoppy sweet nerve sack... yum.
3.7
1128 reviews
Petaluma, United States
Community reviews
Big, bold malt, sweet, smooth hops, but strong pine taste. Very good, high level beer.
Bottle. Caramel and toasty aroma. Spicy toasty malt taste. Bitter finish. Sweet up front. Tasty strong ale.
Pours a deep clear ruby red with a foamy tan head. Aroma of rich malt and floral hops. Taste is smokey roasted malt with a slightly tart floral bitter finish. Finishes clean and crisp. Slight hint of dark cherries.
Beer tasting @ Jorn69 3/1-15. Bottle from Systembolaget. Hoppy with caramel, grapefruit and pine needles, also some sweetness. The finish is dry, bitter and hoppy.
It pours a ruby color with a slight bit on clouding. The head is off white with a small bit of lacing. It has aromas of caramel, cherries, and other dried fruits. The sweet taste is that of cherries and dried fruits. It is sweet on the plate as well.
12 oz pour from refrigerated bomber into Spiegelau IPA glass. Strong head that dissipates moderately quickly. Leaves a bit of head on the top of the beer. Little lacing. Nice ruby color. Strong carbonation. Moderately opaque. Nose is great. Fruit and pine. Mouthfeel is a bit creamy with a bit of a carbonated bite. Taste is nice with mild sweetness. Strong hop bitterness, though not much aftertaste. Good maltiness. Pine, orange juice, raisin, and biscuit. A very enjoyable beer.
Beautiful scarlet brew with a nice eggshell head. Ample carbonation. A nice malty, caramel-laden, brown-sugar infused brew with honey, hops, and citrus that add depth. Solid but not mind blowing.
Reddish-brown pour with a beige head. Aroma is caramel malt. Taste is caramel malt, which carried the beer throughout. Smooth with just a little bite to it. Another solid Lagunitas beer. as stated on the bottle- Doggone Good! Great lacing.
Pour from a 22oz bomber. Clear deep reddish brown ail with generous tan head. Aroma of resin, brown sugar, malt. Taste is sweet malty with a solid resin hops, a bit of earth and molasses. Heavy deep and flavorful.
Pours gold amber with medium-coarse head, moderate rate of decay. Aroma is caramel, whole wheat flour, touch of orange juice, floral notes. Body is oily, syrupy, medium weight. Flavor is bitter orange peel, a touch of dark caramel with lots of sap underneath. Not a huge hop flavor, surprisingly malt dominated beer.
Bomber from BOTW (Rochester), served at cellar temperature in a tulip glass.
App.: Deep clear copper with a fluffy light tan head.
Aroma: Strong pine/resin, deep dark toffee and brown sugar, burnt sugar, somewhat peppery, a bit of dark dried fruit, big and good.
Palate: Medium++ body, fine carbonation.
Flav.: Quite malty with big resinous/pine hops, peppery, berries, brown sugar, more peppery-ness; dry with fairly good bitterness and a long, resinous/dank and rich yet severe malt finish.
Well-made and not to be taken lightly.
How: Bottle.
Where: Systembolaget.
Appearance: Amber-red colour with an off-white head.
Aroma: Malt, fruit, berries, caramel, citrus.
Body: Medium body and carbonation.
Flavour: Malt, berries, fruit, caramel.
This is just an overall solid beer. Pours a dark ruby/copper color with a thick, eggshell head that lasts. I don’t get a lot out of the nose (might be a cold though), but I get a IPA like smell - floral and pine. I like it a bit more as it warms, as I get more malt that way. Smooth mouthfeel. Malt with a hops (citrus hops? as I occasionally think of grapefruit), and pine taste. Bitter but not an overall bitter bomb. Great balance. Nothing extreme about it, just a solid beer that I will drink again.
Btl pours slightly hazy shimmering ruby color, with a thick tan head that hangs around for a while leaving lots of lace on glass. Smells of sweet candy, pine, evergreen tree sap,grapefruit, bread and an alpine valley after a rain storm.Tastes of caramel, pine,grapefruit,toffee and holiday cookies?Medium body, lively carbination,tingly yet smooth mouthfeel and a mildly bitter sweet finish. This is a spectacular red! The alcohol is hidden well, does not taste like %7.8abv. The hop flavors taste fresh and bold. The hop aromas are glorious. A very drinkable,well balanced red. I don’t know why but this beer reminds me of Christmas time.My new favorite!
22oz bottle poured into a snifter.
Lagunitas Imperial Red pours an amber copper with a thick creamy beige head that lasts a good minute. The aroma is caramel, floral, biscuits and some pine. The flavor is fresh biscuits and caramel on the front end with floral and pine hanging on into the aftertaste. Overall this is a solid beer!
22 oz bottle. It pours a reddish orange with a small white head. It has a hoppy grapefruit aroma and a malty caramel aroma. It is fairly bitter and very malty. It has a strong grapefruit taste along with a grass taste and some pine. There is a lot of caramel malt flavors in the background. This is a very good beer. I’d buy this one again and will try to drink more by this brewery in the future.
Red/Copper color , nice off-white head. Pine , grapefruit and malt in aroma. Taste following the aroma. Moderate bitterness , medium body. Easy to drink , even though with decent ABV. Great brew, perfect balance.
Poured from a bomber into a Lagunitas glass on 08.20.14.
A: Red grapefruit and sweet malt.
A: 2 finger off-white head that stays the entire time. See through red body.
T: Burnt red grapefruit dominates. Sweet malt as a base and pine are subtle.
P: Creamy.
O: There is a nice bitterness on the back end that fades into sweetness. The red grapefruit flavor is delicious. It is hop forward for an amber (red, whatever), but it’s the Lagunitas style and it works very well.
It's no Budweiser but it's so good!!! Good flavor very drinkable and has the lagunitas flavor. I would buy this beer again
better as it warms up... bitter bomb,,, spruce, spruce, resin, pine, pine ,alcohol, cough drop, woody,[pine tree] red, clear, minimal head, tan foam, very bitter, light sweetness, lightly sour, medium body, full body, sticky, soft carbonation, bitter, long finish,
Poured from a 22oz bottle into a duvel glass.
Aroma - green apple/hard candy smell, very nice.
Appearance - Very clear, very red ale. Small finger of head that doesn’t stick around.
Taste - Follows the aroma, very refreshing tasting beer.
Palate - very smooth, light bodied beer. Lots of lively carbonation.
Overall - another solid beer from Lagunitas. Haven’t been disappointed by them yet.
Pours a beautiful copper red color. Nose is sweet with piney citrus. Medium bodied. Grapefruit with pine finish. Pairs very well with Mexican food. Very nice.
Poured from 22 oz. bottle.
Clear, rusty copper with a 2-finger khaki head and excellent lacing.
Aroma of citrus, caramel and light fruit.
Taste is much like the nose with strong citrus, robust caramel malt and light fruit.
Medium/full body and medium/high carbonization.
really enjoyed this one...nose and mouth are hops ...caramel...and malt....very smooth....
Caramel, hops, citrus. One of my favorite reds. Starts smooth and gets sweeter as you go. Big and heavy drink full of flavor and life.
@ Havregatan 150103. Bottle (650 ml) from Systembolaget. Hoppy and caramely with fruity notes, grape fruits and pine needles, sweet, medium body with an oily texture. The finish is dry and bitter, hoppy and caramely.
Beer tasted at havregatan 15 jorn69 place. Fruits and toffe. Very nice Beer with a tasty kick
Bottle at home. Pours medium dark red brown with a offwhite head. Smells of apricots, caramel and pine. High bitterness, fruity. Feels like it would be better fresh in the USA.
Bottle, surprised I haven’t rated this before, I know I’ve had it several times, pours a dark clear amber red with a thick off white head and lots of lacing in the glass, the aroma has quite a bit of hops and citrus at first with the caramel and grain mixed in as well, the flavor has a hoppy front end with a finish of grain and malt, not bad.
What a refreshing change of pace from the norm! This brew has got it all going for it! The pillowy, tan head, copper red hue in a tall tulip glass is wonderful. Aromas of resinous, piney hops, mild citrus and a hint of grapefruit. Some great, blended flavors going here! Very well balanced, mild malts, with a forward taste of hops bite. Nothing in this brew is overpowering in the aroma of flavors dept. All of the great beer aspects mingle perfectly in this brew. The palate only leaves you asking for more....super smooth, with a finish of some hops and citrus. Very refreshing! Looking forward to picking up another bottle of this soon! Like tomorrow!