Aroma: A forest of pine, pine resin and citrus notes. A hit of tropical, west coast flare with exotic flowers.
Appearance: Deceiving! Golden, almost burnt orange. Going into this, one might think it may not be all that stoopid...but you might be for underestimating it.
Taste: Let's just say, if you plan on drinking anything else, either make sure you have something edible to battle for control of your palate or just...don't. Right at the swing of the bat and you're hit in the head with hops, but in some sick masochistic way it's all pleasure. Flavors of rich grapefruit, tart citrus and smooth, deep woody, pine resin notes. Lasts on the palate for quite some time and as the beer warms, the malts become more present making for a much deeper, earthy flavor. Tastes like a rich hop harvest might smell. At 102 I.B.U. one would imagine they were in for a swift kick to the head but upon further investigation, one would be pleasantly surprised. Sure, an IPA with the name Hop Stoopid might appear to to be nothing but bitter, palate destroying taste but this beer should be a mainstay or a bucket lister of every hop head out there.
8/10: everything I look for in a solid IPA and more, just not nearly as ground breaking as I had anticipated. Still, very tasty. So take some time and get stoopid.
This brewery may be a hot name on the west coast, but for a New Hampshire boy, Lagunitas has just become another beacon of hope for the craft beer enthusiast who still wants just a damn good beer. Don't misinterpret, what this company is doing is far from average and from what I've gathered in my extensive research, they too are testing the boundaries of beer and while I have yet to dive into their selection too much (due to a lack of a huge presence on the east coast) it would appear that they prefer to work in the realm of less is more. No frills, made with few ingredients, with a lot of passion makes for a quality, fresh tasting beer.
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