The beers of Iwakuni: Aunt Sally by Lagunitas

This beer was just released March of this year, so it probably isn't available internationally yet. I got it back in Hawaii at a gas station, which is one of the many fantastic things about Hawaii (the non fantastic things like the traffic and the homeless tend to stand out allot because everything else is so great). Zamora and I were going to the Jawaiian Irie jerk chicken restaurant and it's a BYOB place (something we need in South Carolina), if you're ever in Hawaii you should check it out, it's a great joint. From what I remember it was orange juice citrusy with a dry finish and went well with the chicken. Had a nice conversation with the waitress about beer, she hadn't had the Aunt Sally yet so I left her a bottle. I typically like to go in blind with my reviews, I think they tend to be better and more honest if they're not tainted by prior experience, but I think we'll be fine here.

with the still non functional 3D printer in the background

The bottle is the standard Lagunitas 12oz with the standard dog face crimpcap and unvarnished paper label. The bottle claims "a unique dry-hopped sweet tart sour mash ale" which my previous expirience would agree with. And the Tony Magee (who's book I just finished reading) written tag line reads as follows: "Our Aunt Sally is a tart, dry-hopped ale brewed in a bizarre old world tradition. We brewed this in honor of the real Aunt Sally. You know who you are and you know why. Enough said for now". It features a picture of a woman in her early 30's in 1960's summer ware, I suspect she is inspired by the aforementioned real Aunt Sally. It is 5.7% abv and time to pour it and see how it heads.

Nose from the bottle is floral and extremely cirtusy, like a grapefruit citrus, maybe a touch of pine as well. It honestly has the scent of citrus Altoids. Light, bubbly, and quickly dissipating head. Color is a deep golden, with good life within the glass. Nose from the glass is the same as the bottle. Oh goodness that first sip. It's  sour, not in the rotten wheat sense but in a more conventional one, like an unsugered grapefruit. A little bit of pine, a little floral just like in the nose, but rather overpowered by the grapefruit citrus. It is actually kind of a light body, I would actually say lower mid. It has rather high acidity and a dry, tart aftertaste.

So in personal news. I bought a guitar on Amazon, a small tube amp as well. I've been trying to teach myself to play guitar for about 8 years now. Every time I pick it up I reteach myself what I learned last time and then make a little bit of progress. But inevitably I get in some situation with work and I don't have time for it so I lose momentum. I suppose I'm actually more fascinated by electric guitars from a technical aspect then I am from a musical one. I love pickups and potentiometers and vacuum tubes and wiring harnesses and pedal circuits. It's all a blast to work with, I can't wait for it to show up. Other than that, I started growing garlic in too beer glasses I wasn't using so we'll see how that turns out.

Currently listening to Sublimes greatest hits on vinyl. My cousin Carolyn introduced my to Sublime, along with the bare naked ladies, The big Lebowski and the movies of Kevin Smith. Her demise is also why I'm cautious and distrustful of shower bathtub combinations. I remember I had the song "Santeria" in my head during boot camp, I call it my boot camp song now. You would think I would be sick of it, after having that song stuck in my head for so long, but I'm not. It's unlike most other songs for me. It's not just another musical number, it's a part of my reality that I often take for granted. I am alive, God is good, and Sublime's "Santeria" is playing.

Final thoughts. This beer is just about everything it says it is and I love it. despite it's lighter mid body, it is a beer best enjoyed sipped. That sour mash with the dry hopping gives it a wonderful flavor and it's a crying shame I can't get more of it in Japan. I give this beer my blurry seal of approval.