Brown Shugga' - Lagunitas Brewing Company

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz into a tulip.

A - Pours a rusty and reddish amber, with a head of big, sticky off-white bubbles. Distinctly Lagunitas label design, with that nice texture they always have, wrapped tightly around a squat bottle. Solid presentation from a brewery that understands the importance of the little things. The head slowly recedes to a thin, soapy film with a bubbly ring around the edges that leaves substantial chunks of sticky lace.

S - Hop forward, with a big West coast character of citrus, pine, and some sweet fruity notes. Some malt in the mix adds to the sweetness, with hints of maple, brown sugar, and sweet toasty malts. With a name like 'Brown Shugga' I was certainly expecting more malt and less hops, but it is Lagunitas after all...

T - Opens up with lots of sweet caramelized malts, giving way to a mid-palate of earthy malt and more sweet notes. The finish is an intense punch of West coast hops, with an emphasis on pine and citric rind. The huge malty sweetness and assertive hop astringency don't exactly work together, but rather fight for the spotlight of this brew. Throw in 10.00% ABV and this brew becomes a little disjointed. Resinous hop oils linger in the aftertaste, winning the battle over the malty character.

M - Carbonation is lower, but quite crisp. Body is a bit heavy, and quite syrupy, oily, and a little warming. Pretty general stuff for this style of brew, but not really my thing.

D - Coming into this I was hoping for something unique and interesting, a certainly seasonal. What I got was more or less another West coast hop-bomb. Certainly a tasty beer in the end, but with the description I was expecting less hop more malt, and I still think that's what I would have preferred here. Regardless, this is a tasty offering from one of the few American craft breweries that distribute to my neck of the woods, and for that I'm thankful.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 23:20:46 | More by Converge

nimrod979

Maryland

4.4/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle. Poured into my Lagunitas jar.

Appearance. Pours a beautifully clear perfect copper color with two fingers beige head. Foamy. Nice retention. Super sticky lacing lines the glass.

Aroma: Carmelized sugar, brown sugar is pretty prominent on the nose. Orange/grapefruit hops and hints of some pine. Little booze. Interesting.

Taste: Brown sugar sweetness hits right off the bat. Mellows out to give some nice complex and sweet flavor and malt. Not overly sweet though. Citrusy and piney hops creep up in the back and mesh with a little bit of alcohol heat. This stuff offers pretty good complexity and an overall amazing flavor.

Mouthfeel: Thick fuller body, almost chewy mouthfeel. soft carbonation works well to make it a nice little sipper. Awesome finish that walks the line between btween bitter and a touch of alcohol heat. Amazingly drinkable at 10%.

Lagunitas can do NO wrong.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 00:43:01 | More by nimrod979

StJamesGate

New York

3.93/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Rusty amber with loose creme-colored froth.
Deep honey, resin and a whiff of booze on the nose.
Honey pear spice cake malts wit gooey orange resin hops.
Lemon icing finish and spiced orange linger.
Medium, chewy, slightly hot, silky.

A bit of a surprise - less bitter and sweeter than a barleywine, with hits of pure sugar at points. Drinks more like 8% than 10, making it smooth and deadly.

A winter sipper, but not one for the hardcore hophead, nor does it have Lagunitas' compulsive quaffability.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 18:59:35 | More by StJamesGate

superspak

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 10/9/2012. Pours slightly hazy reddish orange color with a very nice 2 finger dense cream colored head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense foamy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of big pine, caramel, grapefruit, orange rind, apple, brown sugar, bread, toast, floral, grass, and herbal earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity. Taste of grapefruit, orange zest, caramel, pine, apple, brown sugar, toast, bread, citrus rind, floral, grass, and herbal earthiness. Fair amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, pine, light fruits, brown sugar, bread, toast, floral, and herbal spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Great balance and complexity of flavors; with a great hop bitterness/malt balance; and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a fairly creamy, slick, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is extremely well hidden with hardly any warming noticed at all after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent "experimental" Barley wine! Great flavor balance and complexity; and dangerously easy to sip on. A highly enjoyable offering as expected.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 04:13:02 | More by superspak

HopToIt420

4.7/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brown Shugga' is a real winner. Aside from packing a punch at nearly 10% abv the flavor of this beer makes it a star. Smooth nutty malt base and a piney hop finish shine with a nose of hazelnuts and eucalyptus. Great beer with venison or any roasted gamy meats.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 15:52:37 | More by HopToIt420

mooseo

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into tulip.

A - Pretty bright amber with a large frothy white head.

S - Sweet bready caramel malt, brown sugar, juicy grapefruit, pine.

T - Citrus and grapefruit hops burst onto the palate, followed by sweet burnt caramel, brown sugar and a light breadiness. Finishes with piney hops, herbal spice, and lingering toasted grains.

M - Medium bodied, smooth, creamy and a little sticky. Dry finish.

O - A delicious strong ale, and very hoppy. The sweet malts do lend some balance but the hops are on full display here. Easy drinking with a slow building alcohol warmth.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 04:41:03 | More by mooseo

SerialHiker

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a fairly transparent brownish orange…some nice bubble action going on in the middle…two fingers of light khaki colored head sticking around for the review...looks good, but anticipating it being a bit watery…(4/5)

Smell: Tons of piney hops…citrus hops, sweet malt, candy sweetness, brown sugar, vanilla, dark fruit and some caramel…tons going on here if you stick your nose all the way in…(4.5/5)

Taste: Piney, earthy hops, sweet malt and alcohol heat right off the bat…there is a nice brown sugar sweetness to this, definitely living up to the name…sweet malt is there but fighting a severe uphill battle…some spice (clove maybe) to this one…some caramel and cream notes…finishes with pineapple, citrus, pine and tons of hoppy bitterness and resin…tons and tons of flavor…(4/5)

Mouthfeel: Medium body, with tons of carbonation…sweet, chewy, resiny…some piney bitterness in the after taste…alcohol heat very apparent…(3.5/5)

Overall: Wow! This brew is somethin’…it’s an overabundance of pine/citrus/earthy hops that dominate and then some…sweet malts do their best and are complimentary…I’d have to say the brown sugar stops this thing from going off the hops deep end and does round off/balance the super hops where the sweet malt leaves off…my lips are sticky with hops resin, this is anything but “watery”…there is some spice warmth that I wasn’t expecting…the only downside with this one is the alcohol heat which is undeniable and maybe a bit to strong…it’s super drinkable, maybe scarily drinkable seeing as it’s 9.9% ABV, but that’s the risk you take…I’m not sure if I could drink more than 2 of these in one sitting and still complete full, coherent thoughts, but one is very, very nice…(4/5)

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 20:25:27 | More by SerialHiker

tryemdad

Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Been lusting for this for a while - since last year's fiasco/ marketing ploy. It almost lived up to the hype....

Great color - bright caramel. Not much in the nose....expected more signature Lagunitas scent up front. Once I taste the first sip though, I can see instantly that the lack of a heavy hop nose is indicative of the GREAT balance exhibited in this brew. Just enough hop bite, mellowed by a perfect malt sweetness.

Each sip left a ring of thick lacing. Like a redwood tree, it's easy to count the "sip-age" of this brew. I'm counting thirteen "rings" and I'm almost to the bottom and ready to order another...

Why-oh-why can't I drink this every month of the year?

Overall, this may not be spectacular, or even the best that Lagunitas has to offer...but, I can't imagine a better pour on any given Thursday.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2012 19:26:35 | More by tryemdad

FanofHefe

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap in a New Belgium globe glass at Global Brew in O'Fallon, IL. The body is a solid brown color with a red tint. Slightly more than a one-finger head that has good retention and nice lacing along the glass.

Nice aroma that has strong pine and fruity hop notes with a solid caramel malt base.

Very tasty flavor. The hops flavors dominate up front with nice blend that follows the aroma fairly closely featuring both the tasty bitter pine notes and some light tropical fruity notes. The malt flavors are solid and offer a sweet balance to the hops.

Medium mouthfeel in the texture and very little notice of alcohol for the abv. Very drinkable. An execellent beer and I will be seeking this out in bottles soon.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2012 03:56:47 | More by FanofHefe

gcamparone

Rhode Island

3.8/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Purchased in Wakefield, Rhode Island.

A- Pours a (very fitting) amber-brown clear body with a fluffy off-white head that reduces to some chunky white foam that sticks to the glass.

S- Freshly cut grass, yeast, citrus, caramel, slight booze.

T- This beer starts off with a sweet, brown sugar and caramel flavor and ends bitter and resinous. Some booze on the finish.

M- Medium-heavy body, medium low carbonation.

Overall a decent beer. Good balance, but not as complex as I would have liked. Lacking hop characteristic.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 03:10:27 | More by gcamparone

TempeBeerMan

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a snifter.

A - Pours a blood orange hue with a two-finger off white head of small bubbles. Good retention. Nice rings of lacing.

S - Caramelized dextrin, fruity west coast hop, and a slight hint of clean booze.

T - Very sweet, lots of caramelized candy sugars, but also a strong flavor of beet sugar as well. Hops take over in the mid-palate with a juicy grapefruit bitterness bringing some balance. Some pineapple esters as well. Pretty tasty and full of rich/intense flavors, but the sweetness becomes a little much over time. Cant imagine having more than one of these at a sitting.

M - Medium bodied, low carbonation. Slightly sticky/syrupy.

O - I enjoy American strong ales, and I see what they were going for here, but there are some odd sugar tastes here and ultimately, the whole thing becomes a little cloying.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 01:36:10 | More by TempeBeerMan

kevanb

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a really wonderful copper color, hues of amber, burgundy and orange when struck by the light and atop rests a really nice bone colored head, just under two fingers high that has great retention, a nice layer of froth always hangs around with a great web of lacing left behind. The aroma is nice, lots of rich caramel malt, sweet brown sugar, sticky piney hops with some nice juicy tropical fruit, potent alcohol and sweet maple syrup. The balance of hops to malts is really nice, but the strong alcohol presence is a bit disappointing. The hops really jump out on the tongue with a really nice bite of pine and earthy bark flavors but the beer really brightens up with nice citrus and tropical mango and pineapple like flavors that in a weird way blend well with the sweet rich flavors that the malts bring out. Caramel, toffee, brown sugar and sweet alcohol with a touch of maple are all detectable and well integrated. The body is nicely carbonated has a nice feel in the mouth, a bit lighter than I would’ve expected but it coats the mouth well without being cloying and has a nice crisp finish.

Verdict: A well done beer, I am surprised how well the hoppy elements melded with the malty and sweeter aspects which was really pleasant. This can definitely satisfy on a cold day while not being a rich, overly malty seasonal beer. That being said, I am more excited about the return of Lagunitas Sucks.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 22:46:28 | More by kevanb

Dools9

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 bottle poured into a snifter glass.

A: Pours a dark amber red color, very nice. Two fingers worth of white head, creamy, recedes to a nice skim and leaves lots of lace, big legs.

S: Sweet sugary malt, caramel, citrus, light pine, moderate amount of signature Laggy tropical fruits.

T: Excellent blend of caramel, maple syrup, toffee, sweet molasses and big, juicy, sticky tropical fruits in the way of pineapple, grapefruit and overripe peaches. Bitterness is medium and finishes sweet, big residual sweetness, sticky, and slightly hoppy.

M: Light to medium feel, smooth, medium carbonation. Alcohol is pretty well masked, slight warmth on the finish.

O: I've had quite a few Lagunitas beers and they all taste very similar to me, which isn't a bad thing at all. This one is tasty, and does a great act between the caramel, brown sugar sweetness, and juicy tropical fruity hops. Really nice stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 05:13:13 | More by Dools9

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Deep amber colouring with a 3/8" tan head that dissipated into a nice lacing at the edges of the glass.

S: Coconut, lime, mango, peppermint, tangerines.

T: Pine, grapefruit, sweet biscuit, coconut, tangerine and lime.

M: Thick somewhat syrupy viscosity and a medium to high level of medium carbonation.

O: For an American strong ale, this is fantastic in terms of both taste and smell. The weakest aspect of this beer can be found in the mouth feel, with its quite syrupy aspect. The first time I tried this beer its 9.99% ABV snuck up on me and I ended up waking with regrets.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 23:29:48 | More by DaftCaskBC

cooler4life

Quebec (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured a half finger head that settled to a fluffy ring around the edge of the glass. Color is a dense orange brown. Some carbonation can be seen wisping around. Lacing and retention are great.

S: Crisp hops, rock candy!, red grapes, fresh pine.

T: Sweet and spicy. Lemon zest, maple syrup, grass, grapefruit. Balanced.

M: Spritzy carbonation combined with a peppery alcoholic burn provides nice interplay. Great mouth presence, slightly sticky.

O: Adding this one to my list of annual "Must Haves". You should probably tackle just one in a session, this one definitely holds it own.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 17:21:30 | More by cooler4life

Lare453

Florida

4.84/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

12oz into a dfh glass

A beautiful copper, nice 1 inch head, prettiest lacing I've ever seen.

S pineapple, molasses, brown sugar, coconut, Vanilla, other light tropical fruits, caramel

T surprisingly light for a 10% beer. The beginning is a light and sweet tropical fruits, the middle is heavy in molasses and it fades back to heavy pineapple and light mango with a sharp hoppy bitterness and resin. The aftertaste is a sweet and resinous brown sugar and lasts a long long time.

M little more than thin, sharp, good carbonation.

O my favorite go to beer. I Love this beer and will buy several cases to last me through the year.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 05:26:11 | More by Lare453

MadScientist

New York

4.43/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: A medium copper with excellent clarity. A persistent, light-tan head made of small, creamy bubbles. Leaves some lacing on the galss.

S: A strong hops aroma with lot citrus, pineapple, some pine and a some tropical fruit. Blindfolded, think I was about to get into a very nice Double IPA. There is a light malt sweetness and a moderately-strong, flowery alcohol aroma.

T: Tastes like hops candy with an aggressive hops bitterness countered by a moderate malt sweetness and a strong citrus hops flavor. The hops have the same citrus, pineapple and resinous pine flavor noted in the aroma. The malt has a little caramel flavor. All of this is blended with a moderate alcohol that is somewhat sweet. The balance is bitter with a big malt support. The finish is somewhat dry and the aftertaste is of lingering bitterness.

M: Medium-full bodied with a moderately-strong level of carbonation.

O: Lagunitas has always been a true and constant friend of the hophead and this is a good example of their generosity. An assertively bitter American Barelywine with a huge hops bill in the nose, flavor and bittering. bit more sweetness than the average American Imperial IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 01:25:00 | More by MadScientist

CFHMagnet

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My pour was a little... aggressive and I wound up with 2 and 1/2 fingers of frothy light yellow/tan head. Body is a deep copper color, with a large amount of carbonation bubbling up from the bottom. Some good lacing noted.

Pine and a citrus bouquet immediately greet the nose. Digging deeper we find some caramel notes and hints of dark fruit.

Caramel and brown sugar play in between heavy resinous pine and juicy mixed citrus hops.

Mouthfeel is medium-heavy bodied. It is a little on the sticky side, but makes your whole mouth feel dry after it has gone down.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 03:43:41 | More by CFHMagnet

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

First had: bottle from Pinocchio's, Media, PA

Clear, mahogany-amber pour, with a small beige head that retained well and left splotches of lacing on the glass. Muted caramel aroma, a touch of fruity hops. I really expected something different with this one, but instead got the same old typical, basic, dull Lagunitas flavor. Caramel malts, tree sap, pine and citrus hops, woody nutshells, stale alcohol notes, some off-flavors consistent with oxidation. About medium in body and carbonation. I'd probably never get this again. So many uninteresting beers from this brewery, and this one's no different.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 13:05:39 | More by Rifugium

mattsander

Alberta (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Lovely rich copper color, excellent clarity with a very long lasting off-white head. Beautiful beer.

S: Fruity & floral resinous hops, a very nice clean malt profile. Very sweet perfume.

T: Nice sweet sticky malts at first without any offensive nuttiness. The second half is an absolute onslaught of resinous hop flavor. Huge and beautiful, frighteningly drinkable. Bitterness feels restrained.

M: I can't believe this beer is 10% abv. Full bodied but easy to drink, massive hop aroma with signature lagunitas malt flavor. A delicious and awesome beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 02:04:04 | More by mattsander

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Into a pint glass:

A: hazy brown colored body leaving a one finger white foamy head that appears and leaves some nice slightly thick yet spotty lacing in rings around the sides of the pint glass. The body is too hazy for any carbonation to be seen rising.

S: hops up front, different for an ASA (but I know Stone's Arrogant is also fairly hoppy up front, could be a west coast thing, not sure). The malts play nicely in the background coming more forward as the beer warms.

T: excellent as the hops and the malts combine just about perfectly

M: slight sticky feel in my mouth and on the tongue, ranging on the medium side. Though the ABV is pretty high, this is quite drinkable.

O: I'm thoroughly impressed and most likely will run out to buy more of these.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 17:43:03 | More by kangarooAdam59

brewdude1982

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had this from a 12 oz bottle and poured into a snifter.

This pours a rich brown color and has a slight head And good lacing. It has a sweet smell with a little spice. Wonderfully brilliant malt character that keeps giving after its gone. The body of this beer is perfect and it has a higher viscosity than I expected and i was not disappointed. This is a great beer and coming in at 10% makes it an amazing beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 01:09:07 | More by brewdude1982

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter at House of 1000 Beers, first time grabbing a bottle here to drink. Pours a beautiful amber red with an off-white/relatively tan pillowy head, good retention and lacing. Smell reminds me of Lagunitas Sucks from last year -- sweet and hoppy, with a resinous malt character that is reminiscent of other Lagunitas offerings, but more pronounced here. Flavor is similar but super sweet, which is good but some may find it over the top. Mouthfeel is amazingly smooth, with little hop bitterness, but very good. Over all this is a very good beer, and makes me realize just how much Lagunitas means to me. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 20:43:20 | More by rodlavers

jucifer1818

Florida

4.55/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Lives up to its name. Looks like melted brown sugar. light, rich, brown color
4.5/5

S: refreshing flowery hoppy smell, with some very mild citricy hops in the background, with the malty smells playing second fiddle to the hops
However, these hops smell excellent
5/5

T: sweet sticky goodness, with a light hoppy bite coming in at the end. lots of brown suggar and hops, and it works out a lot better then it should.
4.5/5

M:Slick, lightly sticky, light for a 10% ABV brew
Dangerously drinkable
4/5

overall: this is a epic beer, and I give it a 4.5/5

its a VERY good limited release form Lagunitas. Strong brewing skills where at work to making something like this work that had this much brown sugar (as a home brewer myself, I can appreciate the work they put in to making this one work.

Highly recommended. If you see if, get it!

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 07:25:31 | More by jucifer1818

cosmicevan

New York

4.33/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

FINALLY found a 6'er of this locally after the supply was mostly destroyed by hurricane sandy. enjoyed from a snifter.

a - brew poured a transparent amber brown with a finger of bubbly head that slowly bubbled away leaving fairly chunky streaks of lacing on the side of the glass.

s - hops n candy. some citrus, some dark purple fruit.

t - hip hop horay...wonderful holiday candied sweetness. this is candy in a glass. nice citricu hops, but the malt balance really rounds things out. good caramel notes. just happiness in a glass. CANDY!

m - medium bodied, easy drinker. the abv is well integrated into the flavor and sweetness.

o - its a christmas miracle. having overlooked this one and gotten hooked on lagunitas sucks last year, i couldn't understand anyone who was dissapointed that sucks took the place of this beer, until now. HELL of a beer! look forward to the other 5 i have. simply delicious.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 04:43:01 | More by cosmicevan