Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut Down Ale
It probably wasn’t until late in high school that we really, truly grasped the concept of a paradox — the most famous of which may be the lie paradox popularly coined as “this sentence is false.” It’s gnarly stuff. Well, in beer philosophy the most puzzling paradox is that of the ESB or Extra Special Bitter. And we may not have fully grasped it yet, but we think we’re close after a recent weekend spent studying the seasonal, limited-release of Lagunitas’ Undercover Shut Down Ale. It’s an ESB and it’s a sweet beer.
The cover’s cool, which is kinda rare for this brewery’s bottles (chill out on the canine motifs already!) but even better the beer color is rich as shit; a dark shade of gold, glittery, and crisp-looking despite a hint of opaque depth. The head is a decent 1-inch but gives way nice and easy for quick guzzling. Now, the thing that boggles the beer brain about ESBs is that the stuff isn’t really supposed to be as hop-bitter as you’d be led to believe. The style is actually supposed to achieve rare balance between acrid bitterness and super toasty malts and or slightly sugary burn flavors. The idyllic note is more like a beer version of bittersweet chocolate. It’s a tall order for some American brewers who go ape-shit with the bitter, which is why some of the typical standouts lean more toward an Extra Bitter.
Undercover Shut Down is a classy ESB in that the “extra” truly modifies the “special” not the “bitter.” It’s drinkable and not that crazy. It could actually use a little more fizz to propel it a little further from the standard Lagunitas sweet note. But it hits more than one spot on the tongue, keeping an entire pint thoroughly interesting. There’s something to be said about this kind of balance, especially if you’re knocking back three of them in a row while manning an outdoor grill like we were. Instead of malt-sugar sting or hoppy burp breath, this concoction lends a nice yin-yang drunk that is undeniably special and yet not abnormal at all.
Dairy Pairy: Ossou Iraty
Soundtrack: Jonny Cash’s version of “Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”
More than a coincidense, and yes, I am bitter! I just got outta Galcos and recommended an Anderson Valley ESB for someone’s dear dad. I used a bottle of my own bottle as a prop while strolling to grab my first Undercovershutdown this season. My favorite. You can tell em that if you ever get the chance. You can also tell them I’m still waiting on my Lagunitas signature sweatpants and matching drum kit. If you call me about the BBQI’m going to tonight I might even sing you all about it. Muy true. Stay still already, I’m still thinking about you!!
this was my first experience with lagunitas. fuck. so good. and the song, good call.