Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga Substitute Ale - Lagunitas Brewing Company

rickards9

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured a 12oz bottle of this into my 20oz imperial pint glass. Quick pour yielded very little head, which disappeared almost instantaneously. Light white lacing clings nicely to the glass.
The aroma is one of the strongest, yet most pleasant smells I've ever experienced with a beer. It's entirely hops, very well balanced between grapefruit and apricot citrus and earthy pine.
Flavor followed the nose very closely. On the front, I get a load of deliciously juicy citrus hops. A subtle transition to earthy, piney hop flavor and the bitterness takes over on the back of my tongue. Not overwhelming, but leaves a nice dry clean finish. Certainly can't tell this is just under 8% abv. This is exactly the kind of IPA I've been searching for.

According to the label, "There is nothing cool about screwing up this badly and we know it" but I'd say this is pretty cool. Lagunitas, please keep this as a regular offering.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 01:22:41 | More by rickards9

cdizinno

South Carolina

5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Presentation: poured into a tulip glass from a growler purchased at Green's off Piney Grove in Columbia, SC!!

A: Golden, clear, decent 2+ finger white head after a hard pour that leaves moderate lacing.

S: Pine groves abound! Smells like HOPSLAM and the anticipation of tasting is killing me right now.

T&M: Medium bodied with a slight thickness and resiny feel. Piney, tasty hops from the beginning to the end. Some background fruity tones of pineapple and mango. Finishes with an incredibly tasteful mild sweetness and hop oiliness that is "to die for."

This is so well balanced that I may have to reduce my rating on my Hopslam review. This Lagunitas Sucks is way more drinkable and that really Sucks because I will probably have to finish the growler tonight. This is a must try if you are a fan of IPA's!!! Way to go Lagunitas.

Serving type: growler

01-07-2012 00:01:44 | More by cdizinno

GJ40

North Carolina

5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Sampled from a 12oz bottle in a standard pint glass.

A – Gold with great clarity and a big white head. Flawless. Great lacing.

S – Wow! Tropical and citrusy hops. Exceptional freshness. Again, flawless.

T – This is just the west coast IPA I’ve become addicted to. Low on the malts and huge on the hops with a focus on flavoring over bitterness. Loads of tropical fruit and citrus. Great from start to finish. Lingers for a long, long time. And the alcohol is incredibly well hidden.

M – Silky and creamy with a moderate carbonation.

O – A hop heads dream. It’s as close to Pliny as you can get with a national distribution. I’m going to be so disappointed when this release is over.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 21:40:16 | More by GJ40

GameFreac

Georgia

5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

My 2nd review.

Julian date - 364 and it's my 22nd birthday today so this is only 21 days old. Poured into a wine glass.

Appearance: Pours a golden color with a small head. It fades but leaves a little lacing in my glass.

Smell: Smell amazing. Tropical fruits, hops, mango, peaches, watermelon, grapefruit. This is my favorite part about this beer.

Taste - follows the nose. Not as good as the nose but very close. Just hoppy with those mango/tropical flavors. Also has a slight malt/bready taste that balances it out and a bitter aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Feels creamy but very drinkable. I don't detect the alcohol at all at 7.85% abv.

Overall: One of the best beers I've ever had - in my top 10. I'm sad that this will only be a seasonal since I got a single, then got a 6 pack, then got another 6 pack (this was part of the Leftovers). I usually always get new beers but I went back to this brew twice. It's that damn good. Here's hoping they make this a year round beer. If not, get it while you can. You won't regret it.

UPDATE:

Had this year's batch and it's as good as ever. My favorite IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 07:05:50 | More by GameFreac

threeviews

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12oz stubby (bottled on 12/30/2011) into a 14oz Libbey snifter.

A- Pours a yellow-tinged (sunset) orange with slight haze and 2-finger head. Oh, what a beautiful sight...reminds me that summer is one day closer. I was surprised to discover this brew to be bottle conditioned as I observed slight yeast sediment before decanting (which contributed to its cloudiness).

S- A massive dose of tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, passionfruit, peach) with ample citrus notes (orange, tangerine and grapefruit) engulfs the nose. Once the head subsides to a thin film on the surface (and remains for the duration), you are left with sweet orange and ruby red grapefruit goodness. Simply delicious.

T- Malt sweetness and hop bitterness combine to make an amazing experience. Sweet and bitter tropical fruits dances on the palate and finishes with a pleasant & mild, piney bitterness. While the malt bill is more perceivable with Maximus, this recipe allows the aroma and flavor reign supreme. At almost 8% ABV, no alcohol is perceived...I could drink this for days!

M- Sweet and bitter in equal amounts. The palate is never dominated by either. Carbonation is moderate and fits the profile perfectly.

O- What can I say!? For me, Lagunitas is one of those "can do no wrong" breweries. They never disappoint and I implore everyone to try at least one of their offerings. As far as this brew is concerned, I would love for nothing more than this to become an "Unlimited Release" (i.e. year-round). Until then, I'll savor the two 6'rs I was lucky enough to find and hope this is only the first of future batches.

Postscript: I was able to obtain 3 more 6'rs and at well over 3 months since its bottled date, the hop aroma and flavor is just as brillant...amazing!

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 00:03:51 | More by threeviews

HeresToHopping

5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Hazy orange/pale amber in color with a beautiful 2-3 finger thick creamy white head. Lots of thick lacing that sticks rather firmly to the glass.

Aroma: Citrus (orange peel, loads of grapefruit, lemon zest and tangerine), resiny, as well as slight pine notes as well.

Taste/Mouthfeel: A very complex, and clean citrus taste on the front end (grapefruit overload, followed by orange peel and lemon zest). This balances well with the sweet pale malt flavors that follow through in the middle. The sweet bready malt flavors fade, and then the bittering hops bite you on the back end on the finish. Medium body brew, with a moderate amount of carbonation. The sweet malt flavor leaves a nice resiny feel in the mouth, and keeps the beer from being overly dry.

Overall: A perfect DIPA. I can't get over how crisp and clean the hop flavors and aromas are in this beer. Honestly, this beer has some of the most clean, and complex hop flavors and aromas I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying. Lagunitas really does create magic with hops, and how well they balance out strong hop profiles with sweet, complez malt flavors as well. If you love hops, you'll love this. I can find nothing wrong with this beer, at all.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 20:28:56 | More by HeresToHopping

ironchefmiyagi13

New York

5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a bottle into a goblet wine glass

Great color and clarity with a great head with nice retention to the glass after a couple swirls to open it up and let the aroma off it's leash

Everything about this beer that makes it great is in the nose. It's like a punch in the face with all the aromas. At the forefront are of course pine and resin like every IPA should have. Citrus bouquet with lemon rind, lime juice and grape fruit all at the helm.

The flavor profile is off the hook as well. Nice firm body with the hops doing what they do best in terms of delivering a nice, dry finish. I like how the sweetness does not come in to play until after you swallow, leaving traces of brown sugar and simple syrup on the palate without being too overpowering.

This beer is definitely up there in terms of my favorite IPAs. Thank god my beer store just got in a big shipment. Gotta get more!

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 02:28:52 | More by ironchefmiyagi13

HopHeadRyan

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

My new favorite brew...this is a superbly superior libation...

On my second case of this awesome hoppy creation from Lagunitas...glad they distribute to my area in central PA....

A - nearly clear golden orange hue...creamy 1/2 inch head that fades but leaves lacing around the edges all day...

S - A beautiful bouquet of tropical fruits, pine, citrus peel, and a hint of sweet cereal grains...awesome!

T - Juicy resiny hoppiness with enough malt character to keep things in check...so balanced and easy to drink for the higher abv...its scary-good!

M - Smooth and creamy, light carbonation, almost cask-like...medium bodied but not too syrupy just the right amount..

Overall - A great beer yet again from Lagunitas...I love nearly everything I've had from their line-up. I'm a fan and you will be too...this is one of the best IPAs/DIPAs in the WORLD! Get some! Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 21:49:17 | More by HopHeadRyan

bpasquini

California

5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Orangish Copper in color with quarter-half inch thick white head, leaves a good amount of lacing

S: Pine, Some Citrus, Orange, hint of lemon, and something sweet like caramelized sugar, very well balanced

T: Great mixture of the pine and citrus hop flavors, pine being a little more dominant, the sweet malt flavors are what balance this beer out, everything seems to be blended perfectly together, bitterness level is also perfect for this beer, not overpowering but still lets you know it's there

M: Very light, not oily, leaves your mouth a hint dry making you want to keep drinking, which is a good thing for this beer

O: Great beer, if you see this buy it! My new favorite, everything is so well blended in this beer, and I'm not normally a fan of pine hop flavored beers

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 09:20:30 | More by bpasquini

WVU

4.99/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Landed a case of this 01/22/13.

A- Liight gold color wth thin crusty lacing.

S- This beauty smells of fresh grass, spruce and pine that will remind you of harvesting a fresh xmas tree.

T- WOW! Not much more you can say. This is a massive home run by the masters in Cali.

M- This puppy is suoer light on your mouth compared to other beer with this much success.

O- Perfection! Buy as much as you can, I have only found a few brews this good (Founders Harvest Ale , Bells Hopslam, Ballast Pt. Sculpin) which are around double the cost. Had it on tap last month at Fireworks in Leesburg and it was even better.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 04:07:04 | More by WVU

snohojimbo

Washington

4.99/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

If it wasn't for all the positive comments on BA about this beer, I may not have ever tried one. But I'm glad I did because it is awesome! Found it in the singles for $1.77 a bottle, grabbed the last 2 they had. Great price, most "top-notch" brews are in the $3 range at least.

Poured into a snifter glass, nice copper color, nice lacing.

Smell? Like laying down in a forest of pine needles, with a basket of peaches spilling about!

Taste is the best part. After initially numbing the tongue, it slides down ever so smoothly, leaving a sweet, sticky residue. So good.

I've only seen this beer in one store so far, and can't wait to get some more of it! :)

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 07:38:42 | More by snohojimbo

yuenglingfan101

Indiana

4.99/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured into the trusty pint glass. nice brownish golden color to it more like a brown sugar color. Nice lacing not to thin and not to thick. Smells like heaven and tastes very smooth for an Imperial IPA. Not a strong after taste but a well worth tasting beer. Mouth of addicting flavor and overall irresistable beer. Two thumbs for this beer

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 08:14:48 | More by yuenglingfan101

sublimesipping

Pennsylvania

4.98/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I have been looking for the beer to finally pair with my mom's Xmas cutouts, for several years an informal search. Finally, my search is over. Being a hophead, the search results are an added ++.
What to say, defininitely does not suck. Au contrare, reverse psychology. WOW! blows me away with deep piney goodness. Clear bright like Santa's sleigh on a moonlit night... this is my XMAS beer I am drinking a XMAS tree...
Procure a case at last and now in Jan its XMAs in a a glass= piney but also floral and fruity(citrus galore) a great beer so smooth hides the ABV well dangerously drinkable, recommend in front of the fire or with some sweet baked goods, the play between the bitter and sweet is priceless..
Close by saying one of my best beers of 2011, the new case does not disappoint in 2012. a Great beer . World Class and sublime.
Lagunitas make it again.
1/25/13-first bottle of the second year batch and love it as much as last year. The review stands and the beer stands to attention. THE BEST. The best lauginitas by far in Mg opinion great world class ADPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 02:55:40 | More by sublimesipping

CallMeHarmon

Texas

4.98/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance - Pours a medium brown with maybe some orange. Decent head which doesn't stick around too long and becomes lace.

Smell - Slightly sweet and very promising.

Taste - What an unbelievable blend of hoppiness and and hint of fruit. I could drink this all day if it weren't so scarce.

Mouthfeel - Good body, taste, carbonation.

Overall - This is the best beer I've ever had from Lagunitas, and they make awesome beers. I wish they brewed Lagunitas Sucks year round. Then it would be a holiday every day. They say they are adding capacity; it should be devoted to this beer.

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 14:47:48 | More by CallMeHarmon

WMEugene

Virginia

4.97/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - Pours a clear, bubbly golden amber color with a one-inch head and good lacing.

S - Strong punch of hops upfront. Citrusy with a hint of bitterness. A little pine as well. Very, very nice.

T - Strong hoppy flavors - picked up grapefruit, a little lemon and some orange. Some pine notes as well. Also can taste a slightly caramelish backbone of malts. The hops run the show and make this a definite winner.

M - Medium bodied, a little fuller than a normal IPA. Great carbonation, a dry finish with some noticeable hop flavors and bitterness.

O - Wow, this was better than I was expecting. Lagunitas hit this one out of the park. It's right up there with SN Celebration as not only the cream of the crop for winter beers, but for widely distributed IPAs. It's an embarrassment of riches right now. I want some more please!

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 00:05:17 | More by WMEugene

RoninTK3

Rhode Island

4.96/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

A - Translucent orange/brown with a thin head that sticks around and lots of carbonation bubbling up.

S - Grapefruit, citrusy hops, and tangerines. A bit of sweetness. Mostly hops.

T - Grapefruit, oranges, lots of citrusy hops. Some sweet maltiness balances out the hops. This is a pretty complex taste. Love the fruity hops!

M - Medium bodied and medium carbonated with a bit of creaminess.

Wow! This is a really great double IPA. About as perfect as I've had. I love Lagunitas and Brown Shugga but this one really takes the cake. I haven't had anything from these guys that I didn't love.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 03:26:30 | More by RoninTK3

Rion

North Carolina

4.96/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

By far probably my favorite beer that I have tried! Poor's a beautiful golden color with a really nice head that settles well. Holy Shit the smell is absolutely fantastic. Pineapple, grapefruit, orange just an amazing smell that takes my breath away. Taste just as good if not better then it smells. The carbonation is very well balanced and the sucks is a very easy beer to drink. But WOW just a fantastic beer!!

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 14:53:40 | More by Rion

dcook11

California

4.95/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I was so surpirsed by this beer. This is hands down, the best tasting and smelling IPA I have ever had. No visible freshness date, poured into a tulip.

A- Completly clear, with champagne like bubbles rising to the top of the glass. Hardly any head, no real lacing.

S- Perfect. Ripe tropical fruit. Hops, fresh cut grass.

T- Risin, pine, tropical fruit, crisp, clean, prefect.

o -magnificient, just outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 01:01:05 | More by dcook11

gshak

Texas

4.95/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - pours a clear golden yellow, with a finger's worth of head that dissipated quickly leaving some lacing.

S - probably the best aspect of this beer. Overwhelming aromas of guava, mango and peach. Some pineapple and citrus notes as well. Exceptionally well done...reminiscent of Avery Maharaja, albeit a less malty, intense version.

T - extremely well balanced. Sweetness from the malts upfront, cut by the hops in mid-palate, and a very smooth and crisp finish, inviting another sip.

M - medium mouthfeel, light carbonation and hits the spot for an ipa with none of the cloying, sticky overbearing sugary richness typical of american dipa.

D - this concoction is so dangerously drinkable that in the interest of public welfare, I may have to take away some points. But then again, oh well ....

This is, by far, the best sixer your $10 can buy this holiday season.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 07:26:54 | More by gshak

Hokies

Rhode Island

4.95/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Wanted to see what all the hype was about so here we go.

Pours a golden amber hue with a massive white head that is hanging around like it wants to drink the beer too. Quite impressive.

The aroma is filled with pine cones, mango and tropical fruits. Exactly what I like in a DIPA, one that is not loaded with straight pine.

The taste if awesome, alot of pine but filled with mango, citrus and other tropical fruits. Only a little sweetness from the malt, which for hopheads is a good thing.

A very drinkable beer and a new favorite from Lagunitas.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 05:25:10 | More by Hokies

lonewolfcry

Minnesota

4.95/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Re-rating the quick "had" review from earlier.
Not going to go into the details which everyone knows already about (that & I'm lazy)
I just had to give Lagunitas the credit they deserve - especially considering the back story as how it became Sucks in the first place.

This beer is amazing, as we all know, to say the least.
I went through six 6 packs - which is a hell of a lot, considering all the other beer I've been drinking this winter
Personally, I would rather keep this as a seasonal than a year round - simply because I want to be able to look forward to it, and not have to check bottles dates all year (they're hard to see).

But if you must have a traditional review:

A: It's an IPA - what do you want it to look like...OK it looks great!
S: Amazing, and spectacular!
T: Off the charts - fantastic - bravo!
M: About as good as you can get, save only Heady Topper (and I still don't know how they pulled that one off)
O: A+ (Please, please don't go year round with bombers!)

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 22:24:55 | More by lonewolfcry

Nordstrand

Virginia

4.93/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Good god people - Lagunitas makes an awesome IPA and pretty damn good Pils but this is something special.

A: Yellowish gold, mild head - nothing special

S: A barrel of wet hops in the heart of a pine forest

T: Imagine you're Jew from the book of Exodus - you've been trying to get out of the desert for 39 years and 364 days and finally realize you've found the promised land. Taste like that would feel.

M: Crisp and amazing

O: Overwhelming hops taken to a sophisticated level. Try and get your hands on some!

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 02:00:08 | More by Nordstrand

mudbug

Oregon

4.93/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From the hilariously labeled bottle into a standard pint glass results in a pretty slightly hazed dark yellow body topped with a half inch head that recedes fairly quickly into a thin cap that leaves lots of sticky lacing on the sides of the glass, nice.
Aroma is outstanding, pungent mango, kiwi, pineapple, all of them extremely bright and fresh,,, wow, just superb.
Taste compliments the aroma nicely, bitterness is upfront with a grapefruit rind astringency.the malt sweetness is just enough to keep things from going too bitter, but just that. Nothing shy about this beer, it's in your face bold and delicious.
While the flavors and aroma yell out DIPA in the vein of Pliny the Elder, it's just a tad thinner.
What an astoundingly good beer, If this is suckage then I'm all for it all the time, Bravo.
Edit review of on Tap at the Brewery.
Over the top excellent, Plus one in every category.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2011 00:14:29 | More by mudbug

scottyshades

Florida

4.93/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Pours a semi hazy amber color with a frothy/creamy white cap. Retention is excellent.

S: Wow, did not expect this! The aroma is mostly citrus, tropical fruit (pineapple, maybe mango), and sweetish. Kind of similar to Sculpin to me. Very impressive and nicely balanced.

T: Hop bomb...pineapple, grapefuit, mango, orange. There is a sweetness that balances the bitterness of the hops and strikes a real nice balance. This is the best beer that is widely available by far.

MF/D: Medium body (thought this was a single IPA at first), semi-aggressive carbonation, and a clean citrus finish.

Notes: Sorry Brown Shugga', move over for your replacement

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2012 20:48:27 | More by scottyshades

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.93/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a mostly clear orange/gold with a small white head fading into a wisp and leaving sticky lacing.

Aroma features loads of dank grapefruit, tropical fruit and just a hint of caramel sweetness.

Flavor starts out with a bright citrus/grapefruit flavor. Also some tropical fruits such as mango. Just at touch of malt before finishing off with a big grapefruit flavor with some underlying pine. Very bitter and dry finish.

Creamy mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Fantastic beer and much better than the seasonals it replaces. As far as Lagunitas beers only Hop Stoopid comes close to matching this. Easy drinking and goes down way too smooth at this ABV.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 21:51:14 | More by jmarsh123