Beer Review: Lagunitas Maximus Ale

Lagunitas Brewing Co: Maximus Ale
Petaluma, California
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.2%
Beeradvocate Rating: B+
Serving type: 6 pack of bottles
Purchased at: Total Wine & More (NJ)

Look: Bronze

Smell: Piney

Taste: Floral

Feel: Full bodied

Drinkability: Medium

Pretty much every other payday I make a trip to NJ for beer and gas. They are staples in my life and both are much cheaper just over the bridge in Jerz. Total Wine & More is what I think the place is called that I go to. All I know is that it’s in Cherry Hill and that it has mad craft beeyas. You can’t buy em by the case there, but you can choose as many different six packs as you desire. Really, there’s no limit to how much you can buy. That definitely makes up for the shitty roads in NJ, really? No left turns?  Anyway, I’m not a huge fan of the Cali IPAs because they are usually too piney. But at 9.99 for a sixer of an imperial IPA I couldn’t resist. Shout outs to Sugarhouse Casino for the glass I'm drinking this beer from, I stole it on my birthday.

With the pour of this beer there is a very creamy head. The carbonation is continually shooting to the top through the bronze battlefield of booze. You can definitely smell the piney hops right away; the signature of any California IPA. You also can sense the presence of juniper in this beer. It carries a thick floral taste and packs a zesty pine punch. Then it transitions to sweet with a syrupy sap backbone. There’s really a well rounded flavor with every sip. It is a bit on the full-bodied side, so you wouldn’t want to drink this beer all night.

My Rating: B+. Only because I approve of the ABV.