Big Hops Bang in Small Bottle Price: Lagunitas Maximus IPA
Lagunitas has some amazing big bottle, limited edition beers. I always look for new releases, but like all big beers they come with a bigger price tag. Not to worry, there is a great beer in a 12oz bottle, waiting every time you hit the craft beer store and they call it Maximus.
A great IPA example, with just the right amount of hops aroma and flavor to be considered a good choice for an everyday IPA, and at 72 IBUs you know that its going to be a good hoppy beer. The grassy citrus smell comes though when you first pour the amber orange beer into your glass, followed by a slightly off-white head. The 7.5% ABV on the Maximus is a bit higher for my liking for a session beer, but as long as I am hanging around the house or by the pool I would love to have one of these on hand. I find Fish Tacos or seafood a good choice with an IPA but I could drink this one with a bowl of cereal, but I am a hop head so that might be a bit extreme for the average craft beer lover.
When I pick up an IPA (India Pale Ale) there are always a few things that I look for on the label, Alcohol By Volume (ABV) and the International Bittering Units (IBUs). I can usually get a good idea for how the selected IPA is going to be taste wise. To much ABV then you get a really big burn and loose out on the good stuff, Hops, which is the IBUs. Unfortunately, the practice of listing those two items don’t always happen which leaves me guessing. But with Lagunitas, they never leave that info off and they rarely disappoint when it comes to beer. The Maximus IPA is another great example of the magic at the Lagunitas Brewery.
Cheers.
