Lagunitas Lucky 13 Altbier really hops to it

At Steingarten LA for a work drinks and my coworker Tiffany is here as well. She's starting her new foodie blog, http://eatyourheartoutla.com/. Check it out!

I saw on Steingarten's website that they hosted the Lagunitas brewery last night and so I'm pretty stoked to take advantage of their leftovers, which should be plentiful.

I really want the malty W.T.F., but that was a beer of the day earlier this summer. Nerds! So I pick out a style I've only tasted a few times, an Altbier, Lucky 13 ALT. I'm expecting nothing but hoppiness with a Lagunitas.

This 8.9% alcohol doesn't fit the altbier style conditions in the slightest, but I'm not complaining, especially since the alcohol is well hidden. Damn Lagunitas, I expected it to be hoppy but why you gots to make it SO HOPPY? I feel like a T-Shirt Cannon launched a wad of hops at my face while I was looking the other way - SMACK. Hidden past the overwhelming bitterness is a malt, sweet with caramel and light brown sugar. As the carbonation flattens, the piney bitterness becomes less pronounced and the brew becomes rather crisp and refreshing. Like those PSA's, "It Gets Better." This has more in common with a hoppy American Strong Ale than an Altbier, but it turned out pretty nice. ARMAGEDDON rating.

Hanger 24 Altbier makes itself comfortable with a Father's Office burger

For our traditional Thursday night brew with Karl, we're at The Father's Office in Culver City with Karl, Laua, Nick G, Nic and AJ for some amazing burgers and brews. This burger never gets old!

We tried an "Altbier" at the brew store while picking up supplies for my last homebrew, the Heisenberg, and tonight I figure it could compliment the burger.

Here is the definition of an "Altbier" from beeradvocate.com

A Düsseldorf specialty, an Altbier is a German style brown ale, the “alt” literally translates to "old" in German, and traditionally Altbiers are conditioned for a longer than normal periods of time. Other sources note that "alt" is derived from the Latin word "altus," which means "high" and refers to the rising yeast. Take your pick, but the extended conditioning mellows out the ale's fruitiness and produces an exceptionally smooth and delicate brew.

Brown ale is the perfect pairing for meat! Deliciousness prevails. The beer has a clean and subtle lager-like profile. I'm tasting toffee and caramel and a bit of heavy roast/chocolate at the end. If I owned a restaurant, I would pimp this style of beer out (if I could find my hands on any - who else makes this style?). TRANSFORMERS rating.

Great to see everyone tonight! Goodbye March and hello April.