Laughing Dog Brewing's Cream Ale

    
     Another review for Laughing Dog.  I'll always have a soft spot for this brewery, though I haven't had any of their stuff in a while.  I'll be attending the 2011 Oregon Brewer's Fest and will definitely be checking out their booth.  Hear they are going to have an imperial coffee porter.  Can't wait to see their take on it.  Anyway, I've had this once before, but it was about a year ago, and it certainly wasn't my first drink of the night.  I'm not crazy on cream ales, but I remember really liking this one.  Let's see how it holds up.
     It's a very light straw color.  Pretty hazy.  Seems to be decently carbonated but can't hold a head.  Sweet malt on the nose.  Little sour and sharp citrus.  Just a bit toasty, too.  Some well-balanced herbal, grassy hops.  Has a very pilsner-like aroma. 
     If I had to describe the taste of this beer in one word it would be "subtle".  It's incredibly smooth and just goes down like water.  What does stick out are some faint notes of sweet, grainy malt and a stronger presence of earthy hops.  Dry.  Definitely tasting some of the toasted malt, but it is all so minimal.  Bitterness is low, but it definitely has a strong hop flavor, like all of their beers (regardless of style).  Body is pretty thin for a cream ale.
     This is definitely a great session beer. Far from a traditional cream ale. Not something I would run out for, but would definitely be a great BBQ beer.  I can't imagine anybody who likes beer wouldn't drink this, which you can take as either a positive or negative I guess. 

El Toro Brewing Co.'s El Toro Oro Golden Ale (English Pale Ale)

  
   It's kind of hard to go wrong with El Toro Brewing.  Their oatmeal stout is impressive and they just have some all around great stuff.  Something I find interesting about this one is that it is labeled as a golden ale, which typically means something much different than a pale ale in the States, yet it won the 1994 gold award for English pale ale at GABF (proudly displayed on the label).  Just goes to show how interpretive beer styles can be.
     The first thing I notice upon pouring is that it is extremely well-carbonated and produced nearly two fingers worth of solid head.  Looks fizzy, but the strong carbonation is holding it very well.  It's a very light orange, almost yellow color.  Hazy.  Very strong hop aroma.  Earthiness and spice really shine through.  Some sweet, honey malt blends well.  Rich bready malt, too, like a dessert cake. 
     Hits the top of the tongue a little dry and quickly blends into some faint caramel and subtle herbal hop spiciness.  Bitterness is low, and overall it is is very sessionable.  Has a really pronounced honey quality.  Body is incredibly thin and lively.  Some herbal flavors linger in the back of the throat and washes away with some breadiness.
     A fine brew.  Definitely nailed the English quality of this beer. Flavor is strong yet goes down smooth.  The only thing it truly lacks as a classic English pale is the body.  It's very thin and watery. 

Lagunitas Brewing Company's Lucky 13 Strong Ale

  
     I feel like I've reviewed a lot of Lagunitas beer at this point.  They really do make great stuff considering the prices they ask.  Why does this have alt on the label?  It seems pretty clear that an OG of 1.085 and 8.9% ABV pretty much disqualifies it from ever being classified as such.  More appropriately, many websites have labeled this as a strong ale.  Many places list it as an alt, though, which they can't be blamed for given that's what it says on the label.  I really don't know what they were going for.  Anyway, the only other thing the label indicated is 76.92 IBUs (they are always precise). 
     It's a very clear orangish gold color.  Seems pretty fizzy when poured but left no head whatsoever, which is likely thanks to the huge alcohol.  Fierce citrus hop and alcohol aroma.  The alcohol really seems to give a sharp zing to the citrus, making it most reminiscent of a lemon.  This absolutely dominated the nose and little can be said about anything else in here.
     Upon tasting, definitely getting some strong toasted malts with maybe a splash of biscuit.  Little sweet and caramely. This is taken over almost immediately by a soothing alcohol flavor with an impressively well-balanced bitterness.    Hop flavor is very grapefruity and piney, which like the aroma is really given a zing by the alcohol.  There is a bit of alcohol burn, but is actually very warming and pleasant.  The pine definitely seems to linger more than anything.  Medium body with just enough carbonation.
     Very good, no major complaints.  A stronger malt backbone could have balanced out the huge alcohol/bitterness, but it still works just fine.  I must say that the brewers definitely handled the alcohol content with the hops bill quite well.  I guess my biggest criticism would be the confusion it has created with the name.