Another week, another beer to drink. This really is a tough job, but I will gladly be the one to carry this burden. This week I wanted to highlight one of my favorite local beers that has made its limited appearance. Say hello to Lagunitas’ Undercover Shutdown Ale.
This beer has quite an interesting background. On the bottle, you get an idea of some of the history as they mention the St. Patrick’s Day Massacre and a 20-day suspension served later that year. In case you were wondering what that was all about, here’s the full story.
Way back when, Lagunitas used to have a weekly party, full of food and of course, Lagunitas beer. Apparently, California ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) felt they were having a bit too much fun during these parties and sent some people to look into the happenings. The ABC had their agents investigate for 8 weeks, during which these law enforcement agents enjoyed themselves as much as anyone else. At the end of 8 weeks, St. Patrick’s Day 2005, the hammer came down.
Based on post-prohibition laws written to prevent the saloons of old, which were essential fronts for drugs and prostitution, ABC got Lagunitas for running a “disorderly house.” The problem was, they didn’t do anything but have a good time. After some phone calls and negotiating, what could have been a full seizure or 30-day suspension was reduced to a 20-day suspension. Luckily, Lagunitas was installing a new bottling line in January and needed to close anyway. As the bottles says, ” Do the crime, do the time, Get the bragging rights. WHATEVER….WERE STILL HERE!!”
Now that you know the story, it’s time to hear about the beer. The beer pours a deep amber red with a fluffy off-white head. The aroma is caramelly sweet with a fresh, floral hop back end. Sweet malt flavor leads the way with a big piney hop finish and alcohol bite. The hop flavor lingers in the flavor and carries thought the finish, becoming more grassy in character as the malt dissipates.
Undercover Shutdown ale is quite a boozy beer with a lot of malt and a lot of hops. The homebrewer in me thinks this beer could benefit from more time in the tank but bottle aging may take away from impact and appeal of fresh hops. This is a beer to drink now. And while you’re at it, look out for the G-Men.
