Beer Me! — Lagunitas Brewing — Petaluma, California, United States

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Lagunitas Brewing

(Heineken)

1280 North McDowell Boulevard
Petaluma CA 94954
Telephone: +1 707-769-4495
Hours: Wednesday-Friday 3:00pm-9:00pm, Saturday-Sunday 1:00pm-9:00pm.
Brewer: Jeremy Marshall
[Contact] [Update]

Notes

Opened: 1994

Annual Production: 680,000 bbl

Contributors: Mario Kornmesser, Diane Crawford, Arash Shahzadi, Jim Jacobs, Kevin Robinson

I'm told that they produce "house brands" for some Bay Area restaurants, but I don't have any specifics. A big mahalo to Lagunitas' own Sean Silvera and Steve the Anonymous Coordinator Guy for sending most of the bottled beers I've reviewed here. The labels alone are worth the price of the bottle...the excellent beers are a bonus!

We at the Lagunitas Brewing Company believe in the three Great Principles of Craft Brewing. 1) Always be true to your school. 2) Never use the word Autolysis in public. 3) Be obsequious, and live in a swamp.

Updated: February 16, 2023

News

2019-01-25: Petaluma’s Lagunitas Brewing Co. goes global to compete as US craft beer market flattens (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
2018-10-03: Northern California Brewery Lagunitas Is Now Brewing Newcastle Brown Ale (RealBeer)
2018-10-03: Lagunitas Lays Off 100, Tries New Tactics as Sales Slow (Good Beer Hunting)
2017-05-04: HEINEKEN Acquires Remaining Stake in Lagunitas Brewing Company (The Heineken Company)
2015-09-08: Heineken To Acquire 50% Stake In Lagunitas (Brookston Beer Bulletin)
2013-05-24: Barley growers partner with brewery (The Western Producer)
2013-04-27: Lagunitas Brewing Company tasting success (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
2012-11-13: Lagunitas’ owner calls out MillerCoors, A-B InBev on Twitter (BeerPulse)
2012-11-12: Lagunitas Brewing on pace for 260k barrels this year, could land in top five craft brewers (Beer Pulse)
2012-04-06: Lagunitas Brewing: “We’ll be the last brewery in the US to use aluminum cans” (Beer Pulse)
2012-03-05: Lagunitas Brewing and the changing raw material supply game (Beerpulse.com)
2011-07-18: Lagunitas Brewing sees growth accelerating (North Bay Business Journal)
2011-03-20: Lagunitas Brewing undertakes big expansion (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
2010-10-13: Student Spotlight: Lagunitas Beer (The Dieline)
2009-07-27: Lagunitas building 'beer sanctuary' here (Petaluma 360)

Beer List

#10

Other Belgian-Style Ale

6.60% abv.
- Date: September 29, 2008 (#7388)
  
  Package: bottled
  
  Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR
  
  Score: 16½ points
  
  Appearance (3)
  Golden. Low head.
  
  Aroma (3)
  Floral, fruity — peaches and pears and citrus.
  
  Mouthfeel (8)
  Medium body, really fizzy. Sweet malt and fruity hops, very mildly bitter. Very "Belgian Pale Ale"-y.
  
  Overall Impression (2½)
  The label is eminently nonsensical.

12th of Never Ale

American-Style Pale Ale

5.50% abv.

Boubon Barrel Aged Cappuccino Stout

Wood- and Barrel-aged Dark Beer

Awards:

Third Place, 2010 Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer

Brown Shugga' Sweet Release

Specialty Beer

9.90% abv.

Date: July 11, 2008 (#7165)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Bright amber-brown. Thick head.

Aroma (3)
Intense brown sugar. Spicy, fruity hops.

Mouthfeel (9)
Thick and sweet and smooth and malty, with a nice alcohol burn. Mild fruity hop flavor in the finish.

Overall Impression (2)

Bug Town Stout

Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout

Date: May 15, 1996 (#1478)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression (3)
Pretty black, red around the edges, good head. Coffee nose, with hops. Thick and roasty. Roasty bitterish finish. "Contains no known actual insects...add to taste."

Cappuccino Stout

Coffee Flavored Beer

Date: May 1, 1995 (#910)

Package: nitrogenated

Place: The HopYard, Pleasanton CA

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression (3½)
Black, thick nitro-tap head. Oooooo...great coffee nose. Sweet, coffee flavors. Coffee all the way through the finish.

Date: December 26, 2004 (#5544)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Rich copper color. Moderate head.

Aroma (4)
Fruity hops, lots of caramel, some alcohol.

Mouthfeel (10)
Big creamy body. Rich caramel malt flavor all the way through, with a nice fruity hop flavor and bitterness in the finish.

Overall Impression (3)

Date: May 27, 2019 (#10062)

Place: Hy-Vee Stony Brook, Omaha NE

Score: 15 points

Appearance (3)
Very pale. Dense thick head.

Aroma (3)
Mild citrusy hops, mildly grassy and bready.

Mouthfeel (7)
Light body, fizzy. Medium grassy bitterness with an orange peel note. Mild grainy malt background. Mildly bitter, mildly fruity finish.

Overall Impression (2)
OK beer, not something I'd go out of my way for. A 4% abv, 98 calorie "IPA".

Date: May 15, 1996 (#1475)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 17 points

Overall Impression (3)
Pale amber, good carbonation, OK head. Aroma has a good caramel/hop mix...could be stronger. Real good body. Smoky-hoppy flavor. Smooth bitter finish. High carbonation bite. "No dogs were harmed during the Dog Town Pale Ale brewing process."

Date: February 12, 2004 (#5212)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression (3½)
Deep dark red. Nice thick head. Huge caramel-malty, spicy-hoppy aroma. Big smooth body. Lots and lots of dark caramel maltiness. Lots and lots of spicy hop flavor and bitterness. Nice alcohol bite that seems to get stronger after the lingering finish. This beer does an excellent job of washing down chocolates.

Date: May 7, 2011 (#8564)

Package: bottled

Place: Woodman's Food Market #16, Madison WI

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Bright amber. Dense head.

Aroma (3)
Fruity, spicy hops. Floral.

Mouthfeel (8)
Big body, fizzy. Mild caramel malt and big fruity hops. Fairly bitter.

Overall Impression (2)
Nicely clean.

Date: December 26, 2004 (#5545)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 19½ points

Appearance (2½)
Deep dark red. Massive dense head.

Aroma (4)
Intensely roasty and smoky.

Mouthfeel (10)
Big creamy smooth body. Hint of licorice up front, phenomenally roasty, with a big tasty maltiness. Not a lot of alcohol flavor nor warming sensation, which makes this a dangerously subtle and tasty beer.

Overall Impression (3)

Date: December 23, 2004 (#5538)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 17½ points

Appearance (3)
Deep amber, slight haze. High carbonation makes a thick head.

Aroma (3)
Intensely fruity and citrusy with loads of caramel.

Mouthfeel (9)
Big body, rather fizzy. Massively malty, with a biscuity flavor. Pretty bitter, with a big green hop flavor. Mildly resiny hoppy finish, with lots of grapefruit.

Overall Impression (2½)

Date: December 29, 1997 (#2377)

Package: bottled

Place: Willow Glen Liquors, San Jose CA

Score: 18½ points

Overall Impression (3½)
Golden amber, quite a bit of haze, massive head. Floral-fruity hop aroma. Medium body, plenty bitter. Nice carbonation bite, nice balance. This is a Real Smooth Beer. A little resiny hop feel at the very end. Quoting the label: "Thanks for choosing to spend the next few minutes with this special homicidally hoppy ale. Savor the moment as the raging hop character engages the imperial qualities of the Malt foundation in mortal combat on the battlefield of your palate!" Thanks to Chuck Farnham for the bottle.

Date: May 15, 1996 (#1477)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 18 points

Overall Impression (3)
Golden-amber, good carbonation and head. Very nice hop aroma, some smoke. Good body, fairly bitter. Smooth bitter finish. Good hop flavor. "100th batch since January 1994...1.059, 45.6 IBU"

Date: May 15, 1996 (#1479)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 18 points

Overall Impression (3)
Dark red opaque, nce brown head. Lots of caramel aroma, some hops. Big beer, fairly bitter, good crystal flavor. Long bitter finish.

Date: March 4, 2013 (#9027)

Package: bottled

Place: Hy-Vee Stony Brook, Omaha NE

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Yellow. Slight haze. Thick head.

Aroma (3)
Mildly spicy. Lemony.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, fizzy. Sweet and citrusy, with a medium-big bitterness. Clean hoppy finish.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: October 13, 2007 (#6648)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Red. Some haze. Thick head.

Aroma (3)
Huge spicy hops, citrus. Lots of caramel malt. Some alcohol.

Mouthfeel (9)
Great big body, moderate carbonation. Lots of caramel malt and lots of spicy, earthy, fruity, bitter hops. Clean hoppy finish with a hint of alcohol.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: December 25, 2004 (#5543)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 18½ points

Appearance (3)
Hazy amber. Big thick head.

Aroma (4)
Fruity, spicy hops — lots of 'em.

Mouthfeel (9)
Big smooth body. Huge spicy fruity hop flavor, nicely bitter. Excellent clean malty base.

Overall Impression (2½)
Real good beer.

Date: May 15, 1996 (#1476)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 15½ points

Overall Impression (3)
Golden-amber, high carbonation, OK head. Nice hop nose. Thick, malty, just bitter enough at first...finishes sweet. According to the label, "Originally we were going to name this categorically ambiguous ale an 'Oat Brewed-Cold Filtered-Ice Draft-Super Premium-Wormwood Aged-Cold Fermented-Pale Bock Style-California Brewed-Mother Lovin'-Yada-yada-yada-Ding Dong Dang-Beer'. But, alas, we learned at the last minute that due to an arcane state law we are actually unable to call it beer at all. We believe that Kafka himself would have been impressed."

Date: March 4, 2013 (#9024)

Package: bottled

Place: Hy-Vee Stony Brook, Omaha NE

Score: 16½ points

Appearance (3)
Bright golden. Dense head.

Aroma (3½)
Sweet, bready. Mild fruity hops.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, fizzy. Flash of grassy bitterness up front, followed by sweet grainy malt. Bitterness returns in the finish.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: September 21, 1994 (#439)

Package: draught

Place: Pacific Coast Brewing, Oakland CA

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression (3½)
Clean red, very low carbonation. Good white head. Starts fruity. Excellent body and caramel flavors. Great brown ale character. Clean. Very nice indeed!

Date: February 14, 2015 (#9492)

Package: draught

Place: Krug Park, Omaha NE

Score: 15½ points

Appearance (3)
Black. Dense head.

Aroma (2½)
Very very mild chocolate. Very very mild roast.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium-big body, fairly fizzy. Big grassy hop flavor, medium bitterness. Chocolate, nicely roasty. More malt sweetness in the finish. Warming at the end.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: March 31, 2004 (#5260)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 16 points

Overall Impression (3)
They call it a "high-gravity cream ale". It's bright deep golden, with some tiny floaters and a thick head. Malty, smoky aroma with big grassy hops. Huge body, massively malty, with a big earthy/grassy hop flavor. Lingering warming bitter finish.

Date: February 28, 2013 (#9023)

Package: bottled

Place: Hy-Vee Stony Brook, Omaha NE

Score: 18½ points

Appearance (3)
Brilliant amber. Dense head.

Aroma (4)
Big spicy, piney hops. Mildly toasty.

Mouthfeel (9)
Medium body, smooth. Rich biscuity malt underlies a medium-big spicy, resiny hop flavor. Medium-big bitterness. Real clean.

Overall Impression (2½)
Great beer, but I don't get the hype. Originally brewed as a replacement for Brown Shugga'.

Date: October 22, 2020 (#10364)

Place: Trader Joe's Maple Grove, Maple Grove MN

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Brilliant golden. Very high carbonation. Nice dense head.

Aroma (4)
Grapefruit and mild toast. Oranges and berries.

Mouthfeel (10)
Big body, really fizzy. Big biscuit malt behind a whole lot of citrusy, tropical hop flavor. Lots of bitterness, but very nicely balanced. Lingering grassy, citrusy, hoppy finish.

Overall Impression (3)
Real tasty double IPA.

Date: August 17, 2019 (#10093)

Package: bottled

Place: Place unknown

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Bright golden amber. Low dense head.

Aroma (4)
Citrusy candy. Bready, grassy.

Mouthfeel (10)
Big body, fairly fizzy. Big citrusy tangerine hop flavor, nicely bitter. Bready, biscuity malt background. Finishes bitter but not resiny, fruity but not overpowering.

Overall Impression (3)
3 Real good beer. Thanks to Alex Sheppard for the bottle!

Date: June 30, 2007 (#6562)

Package: bottled

Place: Liquid Solutions, Tigard OR

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Bright amber-brown. Huge creamy head.

Aroma (4)
Spicy, fruity hops, mild citrus. Big toasty, caramel malt.

Mouthfeel (10)
Big body, real smooth. Hugely malty with a big resiny, piney, grassy, spicy bitterness. Warming.

Overall Impression (3)
Damn fine beer. Bottle conditioned.

Date: May 15, 1996 (#1474)

Package: bottled

Place: from the brewery

Score: 16½ points

Overall Impression (3½)
Yellow opaque, good carbonation and head. Yeasty-fruity aroma. Good body, good wheat flavor. Well-balanced. Carbonation is a little high. Finishes clean, except for a small yeast bite. Good beer.

Date: May 7, 2011 (#8563)

Package: bottled

Place: Woodman's Food Market #16, Madison WI

Score: 16½ points

Appearance (3)
Bright brown. Dense head.

Aroma (3½)
Spicy, toasty. Floral, brown sugar.

Mouthfeel (8)
Chewy, fizzy. Sweet and spicy and floral and bitter. Citrusy and resiny.

Overall Impression (2)