BREW REVIEW - Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Extra IPA

I first discovered Lagunitas back in 2006. At the time I was tending bar at Frasca in Chicago. Although predominantely a wine bar, Frasca has a decent beer list and maintained three taps with rotating beers. Our chef, Robert Kabakoff, was a California transplant and a huge fan of the Lagunitas Brewery. As a result, Lagunitas’ India Pale Ale had a semi-permanent home on the ‘far left tap’. I found it to be a wonderful little beer and was pleasantly surprised by how much a mere 16 ounces could increase the enjoyment of my end of night clean up duties. When I saw that the Lagunitas Brewery released a limited edition IPA called ‘Little Sumpin’ Extra IPA’ I couldn't resist giving it a try!

So, how does it taste?

Well, my roommate and fellow beer aficionado Alan (he mostly drinks Budweiser but please don’t hold it against him; he’s from St Louis) opines that: “it has an intelligent, almost smoky taste; I like it!”

Me? Well I think it’s a pretty good beer too. It has a wonderful golden honey color and a high acidity that makes the mouth salivate almost instantly. It’s extremely effervescent, and its strong citric flavors are caped off by a pleasantly bitter, hop-heavy, finish. The alcohol level is a little high (8.4% ABV) and becomes apparent on the finish. While the Little Sumpin' extra has far too much flavor and pizzazz to be categorized as a ‘lawnmower beer’ it’s definitely a brew that would be best enjoyed while playing Cornhole (or just sitting in a lawn chair) on a hot summer day--think, hanging out on a rooftop with good friends mid-July, drinking this beer and chowin’ down on mahi mahi tacos, with a creamy chipolte-mayo … (ahh…[more salivating]).

So, all in all it’s a good beer, with a great backbone, and a nice crisp flavor. The only thing I don’t like it is that it has a tad too much heat. By the numbers I give it a 6 out of 10. [Flavor: 7/10, Balance: 5/10, Complexity: 6/10].

Prost!
-D.Lux