Head to Head: Lagunitas IPA vs. Weyerbacher Hops Infusion IPA

Welcome to today’s Head to Head challenge.
Style: India Pale Ale. View Table

Beer	IPA	Hops Infusion India Pale Ale
Brewer	Lagunitas	Weyerbacher
Country	America	America
State (if Applicable)	California	Pennsylvania

Appearance: Winner – Weyerbacher

Lagunitas – This beer pours a yellowish-amber with a small off-white head. The head diminishes quickly leaving little lace.

Weyerbacher – The beer pours a rich amber color with a slightly off-white head. The long lasting head leaves some good lace once it starts to recede.

Aroma: Winner – Weyerbacher

Lagunitas – The beer has a sweet caramel smell to start. Some resin and grass smells are noticeable also.

Weyerbacher –This beer has a lot of hop aromas. These aromas are mainly citrus and floral but there are some pine notes in there as well. This all combines to give this beer a wonderful bouquet.

Taste: Winner – weyerbacher

Lagunitas – Like with the aroma the taste starts sweet. Some bitterness begins to build but only to a moderate level.

Weyerbacher – There is a good balance of bitterness as well as a touch of sweetness in this beer. There is also a nice floral hop character that ads to the apeal.

Body/Finish: Winner – Weyerbacher

Lagunitas – The beer has a smooth medium to light body and a short aftertaste with a small amount of bitterness.

Weyerbacher – This beer is close to being a medium body, has a dry feel and a good long bitter finish.

Overall: Winner – Weyerbacher
The Hops Infusion continues to impress. Each time I have it I am amazed by the wonderfully balanced hops. The aroma and bitterness they give to this beer are excellent. They do not overpower but simply give layer upon layer of aroma and taste. The Lagunitas is a well-crafted beer. I just wish that it had a more prominent hop character. So the Weyerbacher has climbed strongly to the top of the India Pale Ale leader board. Now we just need to try it against a few special IPA’s and see if it can continue its unbeaten streak.

~ by alelagerlambic on July 22, 2008.