Lagunitas IPA 19.2OZ

Lagunitas IPA 19.2OZ is a West Coast-style India Pale Ale brewed at 6.2% ABV, packaged in a single-serve 19.2-ounce stovepipe can. Scored 92/100 by Craft Beer & Brewing and carrying an 87 on BeerAdvocate from nearly 10,000 ratings, this flagship IPA from Lagunitas Brewing Company has earned its reputation as one of the defining American IPAs of the modern craft beer era.

Quick Facts: ABV: 6.2%  |  Origin: Petaluma, California  |  Style: West Coast IPA  |  Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Lagunitas Brewing Company was founded in 1993 by Tony Magee in the small Marin County town of Lagunitas, California, before relocating to Petaluma in 1994. The brewery is now fully owned by Heineken International, which completed its acquisition in 2017, though the brewing operations and recipes remain rooted in Petaluma. What sets Lagunitas IPA apart from typical West Coast IPAs is an uncommonly complex grain and hop bill — the recipe incorporates 43 different hop varieties including Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Simcoe, layered over 65 various malts featuring English Crystal, Caramel, and Munich malts. That sheer ingredient diversity produces a depth unusual for a standard-production IPA.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with a full-bodied wave of citrus — grapefruit zest and orange peel dominate — followed by a resinous, piney undertone. Subtle caramel malt sweetness rounds out the back end of the aroma, keeping it from veering purely into hop territory.

Taste: The entry is bright with citrus zest, grapefruit, and a touch of lemon before transitioning into a mid-palate anchored by light caramel and bready malt character. At its peak, herbal spice and tropical fruit notes emerge alongside assertive pine bitterness, creating a layered interplay between sweet malt and resinous hops.

Finish: The finish is moderately long with lingering pine resin and a dry, bitter snap that invites the next sip. A faint caramel warmth persists underneath, softening the hoppy close without masking it.

How to Drink Lagunitas IPA

Straight from the 19.2-ounce can works well on the go, though pouring into a pint glass or tulip releases the full hop aromatics. Serve cold, ideally between 45–50°F. For cocktail-adjacent uses, Lagunitas IPA holds up in a Shandy, where its citrus hops pair naturally with fresh lemonade; a Michelada, where the pine and malt backbone stands up to hot sauce, lime, and Clamato; and a Boilermaker alongside a pour of bourbon, where the caramel malt and hop bitterness complement charred oak sweetness.

Best For

• Stocking up for a backyard barbecue or game-day gathering
• Introducing someone to the West Coast IPA style
• Pairing with bold, spicy, or grilled foods
• Grabbing a reliable single-serve can for a weeknight wind-down

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Lagunitas IPA taste like? Lagunitas IPA leads with grapefruit, orange peel, and pine resin, balanced by a bready caramel malt backbone. It finishes dry and bitter with lingering citrus and herbal spice.

How does Lagunitas IPA compare to Sierra Nevada Torpedo? Both are prominent West Coast IPAs, but Torpedo (7.2% ABV) uses a proprietary "Hop Torpedo" dry-hopping device for concentrated hop oils, yielding a more intensely bitter profile. Lagunitas IPA is slightly lower in alcohol and relies on its unusually broad 43-hop blend for complexity, producing a more layered, less singular hop character.

Is Lagunitas IPA good for IPA beginners? Yes — its caramel and Munich malt sweetness provides enough balance to avoid overwhelming newcomers, while still delivering the citrus-and-pine hop punch that defines the West Coast style.

Where is Lagunitas IPA made? Lagunitas IPA is brewed at the Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California, in Sonoma County. The brewery has operated from that location since relocating from the town of Lagunitas in 1994.

What foods pair well with Lagunitas IPA? Grilled burgers and sausages work well, as the char complements the hop bitterness. Spicy tacos or buffalo wings benefit from the citrus and malt balance cutting through heat. Aged cheddar amplifies the caramel malt notes, while fish and chips gain a citrusy lift from the grapefruit and pine hop character.

What sizes does Lagunitas IPA come in? Lagunitas IPA is available in 12-ounce bottles and cans (in six-packs and twelve-packs), the 19.2-ounce single-serve stovepipe can featured here, and draft.

Is Lagunitas IPA worth the price? Lagunitas IPA positions as a value-tier craft IPA — widely distributed, consistently brewed, and priced accessibly against many microbrewery IPAs. For a beer with its ingredient complexity and track record of critical scores, it delivers strong value in the everyday IPA segment.

Why Lagunitas IPA?

The 43-hop, 65-malt recipe is genuinely unusual for a production-scale IPA and gives this beer a layered complexity that many single- or double-hop competitors cannot match. A 92/100 from Craft Beer & Brewing and consistent strong ratings across major review platforms reflect that quality over years of production, not a single lucky batch. The 19.2-ounce format is purpose-built for occasions where a full six-pack is too much and a 12-ounce can isn't quite enough. As one of the beers that helped define the West Coast IPA category in the 1990s, Lagunitas IPA remains a benchmark rather than a relic — still relevant, still complex, and still widely regarded as one of the best entries into the style.