Lagunitas Variety 12Pk Cans

Lagunitas Variety 12Pk Cans is a 12-pack of 12 oz cans featuring four of the Petaluma brewery's flagship IPAs, ranging from 6.2% to 9% ABV. The pack includes three cans each of Lagunitas IPA, A Little Sumpin' Sumpin', Maximus Colossal IPA, and Beast of Both Worlds — with Maximus earning an 89-point score on BeerAdvocate and the flagship IPA scoring 87 points on the same platform.

Quick Facts: ABV: 6.2–9% (varies by beer)  |  Origin: Petaluma, California  |  Style: IPA Variety Pack  |  Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Lagunitas Brewing Company was founded in 1993 in Lagunitas, California, before moving to its current home in Petaluma. The brewery became part of the Heineken International family through acquisitions in 2015 and 2017. Across the four IPAs in this pack, the brewing team draws from an extensive arsenal of hop varieties — including Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Simcoe — layered over a malt backbone of English Crystal, Caramel, and Munich malts. The flagship IPA alone reportedly incorporates 43 different hops and 65 various malts, an unusually complex recipe that distinguishes it from most single-hop or simplified IPA formulas.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Pine resin and citrus dominate the nose across all four beers, with the Maximus pushing deeper into resinous territory. Lighter notes of tangerine, melon, and light kilned malt emerge as each beer warms slightly in the glass.

Taste: The flagship IPA delivers a balanced interplay of grapefruit and pine with enough malt sweetness to keep things approachable. A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' introduces softer melon and tropical fruit flavors that mellow the citrus bite. Maximus amplifies everything — more hop intensity, more caramelized grain, and a broader malt body — while Beast of Both Worlds bridges hop-forward punch with smooth caramel undertones.

Finish: A persistent pine bitterness lingers across all four styles, anchored by a clean malt sweetness that prevents the hops from turning astringent. The higher-ABV selections carry a warming, slightly resinous close that rewards slower drinking.

How to Drink Lagunitas Variety Pack

All four beers drink best poured into a pint glass or tulip at around 45–50°F, which allows hop aromatics to open up without losing refreshment. For the lower-ABV IPA, try a Hop Shandy by mixing half IPA with lemonade for a lighter warm-weather drink. A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' works well in a Citrus Radler, blended with grapefruit soda to highlight its melon and tropical notes. Maximus stands up in a Boilermaker alongside a shot of bourbon, where its bold malt structure matches the whiskey's caramel and oak.

Best For

• Introducing a hop-curious friend to a range of IPA intensities in one session
• Backyard cookouts where different guests prefer different levels of hop bitterness
• Building a casual beer flight at home without buying four separate six-packs
• Gifting a craft beer fan who already knows and trusts the Lagunitas name

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Lagunitas Variety Pack taste like? All four IPAs share a common thread of pine and citrus hops balanced by caramel malt sweetness, but each dials the intensity differently — from the approachable flagship IPA to the bigger, bolder Maximus Colossal IPA.

How does the Lagunitas Variety Pack compare to Bell's Two Hearted Ale? Bell's Two Hearted is a single-hop (Centennial) American IPA at 7% ABV known for its clean, focused citrus and floral character. The Lagunitas pack offers broader stylistic range across four distinct recipes, with more complex hop bills and a wider ABV spread from 6.2% to 9%.

Is the Lagunitas Variety Pack good for IPA beginners? Yes — the range of intensities makes it an effective sampler, with the flagship IPA and A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' serving as approachable entry points before moving to the bigger Maximus and Beast of Both Worlds.

Where is the Lagunitas Variety Pack made? All four beers are brewed by Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, California, where the brewery has operated since relocating from its original Lagunitas, CA location shortly after its 1993 founding.

What foods pair well with the Lagunitas Variety Pack? Grilled burgers with sharp cheddar match the pine and caramel malt notes of the IPA. Fish tacos with lime crema complement A Little Sumpin' Sumpin's melon and citrus. Spicy Thai curry tempers hop bitterness with coconut richness. Aged Gouda echoes the caramelized grain backbone in Maximus. Smoked brisket stands up to the full-bodied intensity of Beast of Both Worlds.

What sizes does the Lagunitas Variety Pack come in? This variety pack is available as a 12-pack of standard 12 oz cans, with three cans of each of the four IPA styles included.

Is the Lagunitas Variety Pack worth the price? It positions as a mid-range craft beer variety pack, and the inclusion of four distinct IPA recipes — including the 89-point-rated Maximus — delivers strong variety and quality relative to single-style packs in the same price tier.

Why Lagunitas Variety Pack?

What sets this pack apart from generic IPA samplers is the sheer complexity behind each recipe — the flagship IPA alone uses 43 different hops and 65 various malts, a formula most breweries would never attempt. The four-beer lineup spans a meaningful range of intensity and flavor, from the sessionable balance of A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' to the 9% ABV wallop of Maximus, which has earned an 89-point BeerAdvocate score from nearly 6,000 ratings. Lagunitas Brewing Company, ranked 19th on BeerAdvocate's Top 50 Most Rated Breweries in 2020, brings three decades of West Coast brewing credibility to every can. For anyone who wants to explore the full spectrum of what one of California's most established craft breweries does with hops, this is the most efficient way to do it.