Lagunitas Brewing Company- The Hairy Eyeball: Seeing Things Differently
Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 11:08PM | by Jason 
I’m doing my best to clear out some of the reviewing inventory and decided to grab a brew that has been sitting in the fridge for some time. I highly enjoyed their Hop Stoopid and their IPA, so hopefully if all says consistent I will enjoy The Hairy Eyeball too. My hesitation in drinking this beer earlier is that I really can’t get past the name. I usually don’t have strange hang-ups in regards to beers but this one is unexplainable. Let’s hope and open mind and eye will turn out well.
Lagunitas Brewing Company classifies this brew as a Seasonal and their website briefly describes The Hairy Eveyball as, “Our New Year's release for the seasoned beer folks … Big, brown warmer with several types of crystal malt. No actual eyeballs can actually be found in the beer.”
The Hairy Eyeball pours a super dark ruby red color with a big 1 ½” light brown head and extremely rich aromas of caramel, malts, dates/prunes with a slight smell of alcohol and comes in at 8.83% ABV.
The Hairy Eyeball is a very interesting concoction. It is as interesting as the name that adorns the label. The flavor is sweet and fruity with a slight bitter finish. Typically, I don’t enjoy heavier/darker beers in the summer but this one has me intrigued. I can’t really compare it to any other Craft Beer I have had in the past as The Hairy Eyeball seems to be in a world all its own. I’m diggin’ it, my only beef is that I think that it would be more appropriate to truly enjoy this in the late fall through the end of the winter when I yearn for darker/sweeter brews. For those of you that enjoy a darker and sweeter beer year-round, then you must try some Hairy Eyeball as it will have you seeing things from a very different perspective.
ABV: 8.83%
Consumed: New Belgium Globe Glass
Verdict: Buy A Twelve Pack
