Lagunitas Maximus Tasting

Lagunitas Maximus Double IPA

8.2% ABV, 72 IBU

Enjoyed 09.27.14

Background: Drinking on an NC State Football gameday always seems to bring out the best in me, or at least the best beers in my fridge… I have had Maximus sitting in the fridge for over a month and Down the Hall had been raving over it for much longer than that so finally I decided to crack her open after an NC State touchdown. Good thing I popped it when I did because it may have been the last touchdown my team will ever score. On to Maximus!

Observations: Maximus pours that nice goldenish IPA color although as I was analyzing the clarity of my beer I noticed some snowflake like floaties. My initial thought was that there were so many hops added to the beer they were floating around, but after careful observation I decided it was just the nature of beer that is a little old. This can be detrimental if it is not a high ABV beer. My Maximus experience may have been slightly compromised, but I think it is fairly representative of what others have said.

I detected a fairly strong alcohol flavor along with a good solid malt body. This is a malty beer with hops in the background that are fairly mellow. It had a fairly heavy mouthfeel although high carbonation helped balance it I believe. The hop aroma was very faint, but after a few sniffs I was able to get some of that earthy slightly grapefruit like aroma to help enhance my tasting.

Conclusions : I would recommend trying this beer if you’re closer to the west coast – or if you have a reputable vendor. Even my older version was good, but not excellent. This is another solid offering from Lagunitas who never seems to disappoint.