Beer of the Weekend #662: Lagunitas NightTime

The beer of the weekend is NightTime, brewed by the Lagunitas Brewing Company of Petaluma, California.


Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.

Appearance: The color is an almost opaque black. A straight pour into a trusty shaker pint glass produced three fingers of dense, buttery, tan head that I let settle for a bit before pouring in the last fifth of the bottle. The head dissipates unevenly, leaving thick pockets of foam and trails of lacing along the glass.

Smell: It is bursting with citrus! I feel like Toucan Sam’s citrus-crazy cousin is about to burst into the room, following his nose. Grapefruit is most noticeable and it is accompanied by mango, a little kiwi, perhaps a touch of pineapple, toasted malts, caramel, and a little chocolate. The malt aromas provide an inviting balance, but the citrus is sharp enough to remain prominent. Lemon also emerges, as does arboreal pungency.

Taste: Oh. My. Goodness. This is a little taste of heaven! The taste is smooth and malty with flavors of toasted malts, caramel, and chocolate, but they are countered by the astringent citrus and hop bitterness. The result is an delicious balance. At first the citrus seems more like lemon and orange zest than grapefruit, but then the grapefruit flavor slowly emerges. As the beer continues to warm, the bitterness does begin to overpower the maltier flavors.

Drinkability: Wow! This is very tasty, incredible stuff. I am not sure why it is so boozy, which means it is not the most quaffable brew, but I can look past that.

Fun facts about LNT:

-Style: It is classified on BA as “American Black Ale.”

-Price: I am so accustomed to not taking my receipt at the Co-op that I declined to take it tonight when I bought NightTime. I was not thinking straight for some reason. Anyway, I think it was around $9.49 for the sixer.

-Alcohol content: 7.9 percent ABV.

-IBU: 65.

-NightTime is a seasonal that is only available in January and February.


The Quiet Man’s grade: A.

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