Day 365: Hop Stoopid Ale

Name: Hop Stoopid Ale

Brewer: Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma, CA)

Classification: Imperial IPA

Alcohol: 8%

Thoughts: With only a couple of beers left on the beer year I wanted to bit an "American Legend" on the stand before I have my grand finale tomorrow. I had a lot of options but when it came to having some bang for your buck I went with Lagunitas' Hop Stoopid Ale. And the reason, I assume, that Stoopid is misspelled is because there are so many fucking hops in this thing that it throws off all of your senses. I honesty cannot remember the last time hops took over my whole spectrum of senses like this beer has. It pours a crisp, clear gold with a white, frothy head resting on top of it. There is a nice, full hop bouquet with mango, pineapple, grapefruit, and pine notes. There is also a very noticeable and solid caramel malt backbone that adds a lot of balance to the aroma. However, I swear my taste buds have been melted off by the Godzilla/King Kong/Mothra sized hop annihilation. I get a big wallop of citrus fruits, and some spicy and floral hops right off the bat. The malt tries to balance everything out with some light caramel and buttery biscuit, but those damn dirty hops just keep holding on to your palate. Despite the huge hop profile the beer not overly bitter, but it does finish rather dry. I happen to think this is a good thing, because you need to wet your whistle right after you take a sip, and what better way then what you already have in your glass. This is terrific stuff! If you are the type of insane maniac that can drink something hoppier than bunnies on Easter, then this is the drink for you. 

Rating: 90/100