40. Lazy Boy IPA

Lazy Boy IPA is from Lazy Boy Brewing in Everett, WA. I’ll be up front—something was wrong with this particular beer. We’ve had Lazy Boy IPA before and enjoyed it very much, but something had gone terribly terribly wrong with this one either in the brewing or bottling process. I’m gonna guess it was the brewing process, via the flavors, but it would seem odd that the beer would then make it to the bottling stage. Who knows? All I know is that the problems indicated via taste would not be ones that would resolve themselves with age in the bottle (like acetaldehyde). But I digress.

Lazy Boy IPA begins with a hoppy nose: pine, resin, and spice dominated, and there was almost no malt aroma. In terms of color, it was a clear old penny copper with red hints, and a thin ivory head. From this point, however, things took a turn for the worst. The faint malt taste was quickly taken over by piney and resin hop flavors, which then began to move into astringent, phenolic, and solvent-like flavors that continued through the close of the beer. We initially thought the flavors were from over-hopping (although there was no real grassy flavor), but as the beer warmed the phenolic flavors became increasingly plastic and smoky, and a distinctive paint thinner or lacquer/acetone-like flavor emerged. The spiciness also began creating a harsh, burning sensation at the back of the tongue. Elli dumped hers out pretty early; I soldiered on trying to see if it would get better. It didn’t. It got worse, and I scarred my mouth with the taste. Although it pains me, this beer has to go down as the second Top 10 Worst candidate.

From the Lazy Boy website: “A Northwest style IPA utilizing locally grown hops with plenty of malt backbone to give a smooth and pleasant finish.”

ABV: 6.5%
Grains: Pale, Crystal, Munich
Hops: Chinook, Cascade, Amarillo
IBU: 75

(8/9/2009)