Lagunitas - A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

Lagunitas releases one specialty beer for each month of the year. July's is the pin-up girl themed Lil' Sumpin Sumpin Ale. It was just introduced last year and they brought it onboard. Having had the seasonal beers for January, March, and June I was eager to try this one. Here's what the company has to say about it:

"Sneaky Smooth with a Touch of What we Call Wheatly-esque-ish-ness. Crispy Wheat and Pale Malt flavors with a Zippy Hop Finish."

Let's see how they do with those claims.

Lowdown
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
Price paid: $8.99+CRV for 6-pack of 12oz bottles
ABV: 7.3%
Bottled: May 2010
BA URL: Beer Advocate page

Appearance: Poured into a pub glass, it's a orangey-amber color, and cloudy. It looks like some sort of bubbly nectar. The head is white and very light, about a half-inch high. It dissipates but for a thin layer in minutes.

Smell: It smells sweet and hoppy, but hard to get a good estimation of what is going on exactly in there. Might have to taste some to really get into it. Yup, that's what I'm going to do.

Taste: The hops hit immediately. However, they're quickly followed by a very pleasant apricot flavor. It creates an awesome blend between the hoppy bitterness and tart sweetness. This is like the baby of a Hefeweizen and an IPA. Parents, you should be proud of your lovely daughter.

Mouthfeel: Bubbly sweetness attacks the tip of the tongue while a syrupy dryness runs down my throat. There's a lot going on there.

Drinkability: Done reviewing, I want to keep drinking this.

Bappr Index: 9/10

The Bruery - Trade Winds Tripel

The Bruery, heralding from the OC, is known for high-quality beers. I was at Whole Foods in Santa Monica and this being the first time I'd had the opportunity to buy one of their beers, I grabbed this one.

The Trade Winds Tripel is The Bruery's summer seasonal beer. It attempts to fuse together Belgian beer styles with Far-East ingredients like rice and Thai Basil.

Lowdown
Style: Tripel
Price paid: $15+CRV for 22oz bottle
ABV: 8.1%
Bottled: XX-XX-XX
BA URL: Beer Advocate page

Appearance: Light, golden and fairly clear. Created a very large fluffy head when poured into a large tulip glass. Seriously, this froth is big and shows no signs of a hasty retreat.

Smell: Unsurprisingly, the Thai basil and rice aromas really come through, making it smell crisp and savory. It's a very unexpected smell for a beer, it promises something really different.

Taste: Here I was a bit disappointed. I felt like the basil came in too strong and overpowered the subtle flavors of the hops. There was too much savory and not enough bitterness or sweetness. (See note below)

Mouthfeel: Very fizzy

Drinkability: It tasted mostly like I was drinking a carbonated basil soda.

Bappr Index: 5/10

Note: The brewery recommends this beer to be consumed quickly after bottling. It's possible I got an old bottle, as the herbal flavors were a bit stale. I'd definitely give this beer another shot.