In Sonoma County, we like our beers hoppy. As Fall nears, harvest calls for a lighter beverage. What better than a low alcohol, highly hopped beer to keep you refreshed? The Beer of the Week is Lagunitas DayTime Fractional IPA.
Sometimes you want a beer, then you realize how much crap you need to do before you call it a day. This is it. Nicely dosed with Big, Round Hop Flavors and a Toasty Malt Foundation to satisfy your every need. But it still lets you stay in the game to do what needs to be done. Yup.
ABV: 4.65%
DayTime Fractional IPA begins like you’d expect a Lagunitas beer to start. Big hop aromas dominated by citrus and American hops. On the palate the beer is light and dry with a grassy hop flavor evident throughout. The finish is hoppy and refreshing, disappearing almost instantly.
Lagunitas owner Tony Magee says that DayTime uses as much hops as a double IPA but since the hops are used in such quantities and late in the brew schedule that utilization rates ar incredibly low. The impact of the hops may fall short of a double IPA, but its definitely more than one has traditionally expected from a session strength beer. In addition to Bitter American and Alpha Session, DayTime Fractional IPA continues the trend of highly hopped session strength beers. I have to say I’m a big fan of the trend, especially considering its being lead by brewers in the Bay Area.
