Great Times At Lagunitas Brewing
Submitted by Friend of thefullpint.com – Shannon
This past weekend my husband and I went to Lagunitas Brewery Co. on 1280 North McDowell Boulevard in Petaluma, CA. It’s tucked away inconspicuously in the back of an alley. The atmosphere is very laid-back, which is right up my alley. You walk up to a very large wood-fenced in area. All of the seating is located outside in this spacious area, due to the kitchen being under construction.
We walked inside to get our first couple of beers and were greeted by a very pleasant staff. Once back outside we grabbed a couple of seats, sat back enjoyed our beers and listened to some good music by a band called ‘Under the Radar.’ They had a mellow vibe which included a stand up bass, a mandolin, banjo and acoustic guitar.
Alright, now back to the beer. I want to start off by first saying that I don’t have the greatest palate and I’m not the best at describing what I taste, but I’ll give my best shot. I started off with the ‘Hop Stoopid.’ They had this in a cask. Like the name states, it is very hoppy but not overbearing…at least not to me. I tasted a good amount of citrus and it was very refreshing. The next beer was ‘Reuben & the Jets,’ which is their “last tribute to the prolific Zappa.” Very dark bronze in color, this beer was chewy in texture. It was malty, chocolatey and had a hint of cherry.
Lance first had the ‘Little Sumpin’ extra.’ This beer was golden and reminds me of the way a hefeweizen looks. He said that it was very smooth, wheaty and had a good aftertaste. He noticed a bit of spiciness and hoppiness to it. His next was the ‘Gnarly wine’, at 12% abv, this beer is no joke. It was as dark as mud and had no head. It smelled spicy and earthy. It was chocolatey, a little bittersweet, but extremely smooth.
Our visit to Lagunitas was one of the most pleasant I’ve had at a brewery. I’m looking forward to going back once the restaurant is finished. I probably did not do the beers justice with my descriptions because the four we had were all phenomenal.
