DEFCON 3

Day #447 New Dogtown / Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, CA
Previously from this brewery: the IPA (and a friendly reminder to not visit Lagunitas on Mondays or Tuesdays) and Daytime IPA

Last night was my second night of furious scanning and posting of old photos.  Taking a break tonight... don't want to use up all the good stuff too soon!  I have received numerous threats and bribes from friends who realize that these pictures were taken before the days of camera phones.  Back then, we could act like idiots, because the only people who would know about it were the people there with us in the moment (and they were likely also acting like a fool) and whoever was shown the developed photo.  Not easy to share that developed photo broadly.  Now with the internet, it's sooooo easy to share those drunken spring formal pictures.  I'm no dummy.  I know there are friends out there currently purchasing their own scanners (looking at you, Jay), getting ready in case they need to launch a counter strike.  I feel confident this will end up like nuclear warfare: courtesy of mutually assured destruction, no one will be posting the truly absurd or embarrassing photos, for fear that we'll all wipe each other off the face of the earth.  The mere threat of the truly ridiculous photos is enough to keep everyone in check.

To celebrate my break from scanning (and my ability to work the theory of mutually assured destruction into a beer review), tonight's beer review is the New Dogtown, an American Pale Ale from Lagunitas.  This beer shows off a gold hue, with a lingering white puffy head.  The aroma is of citrus and malt, and the taste is dry, with an earthy characteristic.  Plenty of malt to go along with a nice balance of pine and lemon.  I knew this wouldn't be as hoppy as an IPA, but I did expect a bit stronger citrus flavor.  If I had to pick between two recent beers, I think I'd take the Heavy Seas Loose Cannon over this one in a fight.

Who's the man now, dog (town)?

This brewery has been up and running since 1994, but seriously: check their schedule before you show up at their door, only to find them closed for the day.

Thing to Think About Today:
If we're talking about nuclear war, let's at least have some fun with it.  This of course means the 1983 film WarGames!  Starring a young Matthew Broderick, this film tells the tale of a teenage computer hacker who accesses the U.S. nuclear missile system, which was awesomely named, 'WOPR'. When the computer challenges him to a game of Global Thermonuclear War, the military thinks a nuclear strike is happening, and prepares to counterattack the Soviets.  Can Broderick and Ally Sheedy get the military to understand it's only a game before warheads start raining from the sky?  And was the internet even invented in 1983?  To quote WOPR, "Shall we play a game...?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OyoNR4kiJ0

"Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of chess?"

Beer 310: Lagunitas Daytime IPA

One of the big misses from the Great Beercation of 2012 was getting denied at Lagunitas Brewing Company. Poor planning on our part put us on Lagunitas' doorstep on a day they were closed for a special event and we were heading out of town the next day. Rats. I guess there will be a Return to Beercation in the near future to remedy that situation.

Lagunitas is pretty available around us, but I'm not sure what was keeping me from buying any for myself for the blog. Evidently I'm psychic and knew that the perfect IPA was waiting for me in the form of their new seasonal Daytime IPA. 

It poured a golden ale with a thin white head. It left lots of sticky lacing behind in the glass.  The description of this beer on Lagunitas' website is: "Sometimes you want a beer, then you realize how much crap you need to do before you call it a day. This is it. Boldly dosed with a glorious fortune of dry hops, and a toasty malt foundation to satisfy your every need. But it still lets you stay in the game to do what needs to be done."

Yes, at 4.6% ABV, this is a lightweight IPA. It smells of lemony hops and the flavor is light and refreshing. It's quite nuanced for such an easy going beer.  Lemon citrus flavor. Strong hop bite.  Cracker flavors. Somewhere in the midst of all that there's also some general fruity hops mixed in. 

One of my complaints about IPAs is that sometimes I don't need a beer to challenge me as much as American IPAs do. Daytime is flavorful but not a smart alec IPA.

This is a great beer.  Cheers!

On the Road Again

Beer #193 IPA / Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, CA

Yesterday was a travel day; stopped in Napa to get some lunch and wander around, then headed to the airport to get on a plane to Portland.  Good thing we got there very eary; Southwest's systems were down, so it took about 45 minutes to get our luggage checked.  Ugh.

Today's beer is the IPA from Lagunitas - unfortunately, we didn't get to try this one at their on-site tap room.  We drove down to Petaluma, only to find they're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Despite this set back, I managed to get a giant mug of IPA on draft at dinner last night.  It poured a nice copper color with a thin white head.  I had a hard time picking up aromas, as my allergies were flaring up from our time in wine country (I think you get grapefruit).  When you drink it, you get strong hop bitterness throughout, and a good citrus profile as well.  Probably not as hoppy as some other California IPAs, and certainly not as hoppy as some of their other offerings.  Fairly easy drinking beer, and quite good.

Giant mug, good beer!

Unfortunate that we didn't get to sample some of their seasonal releases or beers that only exist on draft in the pub, but what can you do.  Next time.

Thing to Think About Today:
Another day of living out of a suitcase, another day in a hotel, another day driving around, another plane ride.  Hey, it beats the hell out of working!  If we're on the road, we'll have Willie Nelson take it from here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mckg0

Did you know Willie Nelson attended Baylor University for two years?  Now you do.