Beer Review: Boulder Mojo Risin'

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 10.5 percent

Appearance: Mojo Risin' looked very similar in color to its IPA brother, Boulder Mojo. It was a vivid orange. Instantly looked like an IPA, to me. It had a slight fogginess to it, but didn't appear dreadfully saturated in hop oil as some IPA's appear to me. I know I'm not Mr. IPA, but I really like a vivid orange IPA in terms of appearance. There were a few carbonation bubbles. The brightly-white head was somewhat thin, weak and eventually lead to much weaker retention.

Smell: The aroma was very peppery, initially. I expected an overload of hops, but the hop presence was a little subdued as I'd usually prefer. This was also a little citrusy.

Taste: The citrus was very pungent and was ever so present on the front. It was a combination of both orange and grapefruit. The hop presence in the taste wasn't as strong as I would have thought for a Double IPA. It was also a little weak here, but for me that's not anything bad. Not really boozy at first sip, but be ready for a little warm sensation when it goes down once the brew has a chance to get closer to room temperature.

Overall Rating: 

For a Double IPA, I actually enjoyed this. It plays quite mellow. I also enjoyed getting another citrus flavor other than grapefruit. The orange was a plus for me. That was backed by a nice piney bitterness that even a staunch Hop Nazi like me would enjoy. I wish i got a few more layers and complexity in the taste, though. Maybe some caramel or creaminess from the beer's head (which wasn't really present to begin with)?

Beer Review: Lagunitas IPA

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 6.2 percent

Appearance: Lagunitas IPA has a body that can be classified as anywhere between a darker blonde and a gold. There was a plethora of fizzy carbonation present. The bubbles seemed to rush towards the crown of the glass with speed close to that of a DeLorean reaching 88 MPH. The head of the brew had a thickness of approximately three inches, but it was soft and had many large bubbles that could be popped easily. The head did end up leaving lacing that was really thick inside my glass.

Smell: The most prevalent scent in the aroma that I picked up was sweet and sourness of grapefruit. There was also some malt present that was on par in terms of sweetness with the grapefruit. A noticeable hop character also found its way into my nostrils.

Taste: The malt and grapefruit somewhat dominated the taste of this beer. Both gave me a great combination of sweetness. The grapefruit didn't give off too sour of a taste. There was an actual fruity essence. It was just right. The finish was the explanation point on this one. There was a slight hop kick that was followed by a crackery taste. Surprisingly, the hops did not dominate this brew.

Overall Rating: 

I absolutely loved this. Lagunitas IPA might be the best IPA I've had. It wasn't completely full of hops, In fact, the hops worked well with all of the other fabulous flavors of this beer. I never once said to myself that I'd eventually want to purchase a case of an IPA. That changed the second I started drinking this one.