Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga Substitute Ale - Lagunitas Brewing Company

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

(Mind you, the first bottle cracked from the original six-pack was fresher, fruitier, more bitter, and completely phenomenal; Since then, a case was purchased. This review is from a beer from the case)

Poured from 12oz bottle into a brandy snifter

A: Bright, peachy tangerine color. Ever so slight haze almost not worth mentioning; remarkably clear. Beautiful vivid tone. Simple pour brought about a one finger head. Retention: average. Spotty lacing.

S: Mango nectar, leafy citric hops, pineapple, orange rind, sweet bread.

T: Very bitter bite. Tropical fruit, canteloupe, crackery, bit of a peppery nip on the finish. Lingering bitterness. Pretty unsuspecting. Pleasantly surprised.

M: Good present carbonation. Silky for an IPA; light for a DIPA.

This is one of the many great surprises that I have come across this year. Arguably, one of my favorite of the Lagunitas lineup.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 19:54:13 | More by thecheapies

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a clean yellow to orange-ish color with an off white head. In the aroma, orange citrus hops. In the taste, a dry orange rind citrus, pineapple, mango and a touch of apricot. A small hop bite and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry orange citrus rind in the aftertaste. What a nice mistake, big hops and I loved it!

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 18:55:05 | More by OWSLEY069

BuxMontBeerLover

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased a 6pk at Wegmans in Warrington, PA.

6pk - $12.99

Enjoyed in a DFH Signature Glass

A - Pours a fairly translucent golden-yellow color. Little to no head on the initial pour. A small amount of lacing left on the side of the glass.

S - Outstanding! The smell of citrus (grapefruit), hops and pine are fantastic. Easily one of the best smelling beers I've had in quite some time.

T - A fantastic DIPA. A great mix of citrus, hops and pine. Just enough malt to lend a sweetness to the overall taste. The alcohol is present but it never overwhelms the enjoyment of this beer.

M - A thinner consistency with a good amount of carbonation. A slightly bitter aftertaste.

O - A top-notch beer in every facet. Easily, one of the best beers of 2011, in my opinion. Lagunitas may have said they "suck" for not brewing Brown Shugga' this year. This beer more than makes up for their "mistake". I'd love to see this beer as a year round brew. Highly recommended.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 16:45:54 | More by BuxMontBeerLover

robbrandes

Oregon

4.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

poured from a 12oz into a tulip

brilliant clear copper, somewhat marginal head recedes to the thin ring. big resinous nose, hops are trying to fade a bit, but still quite clear of barleywine territory.
taste - boom, there's the hops! great juicy punch of pine, that unmistakable lagunitas yeast/malt profile.
would like a bit more body on this thing, turning up the carb just a hint would help backstop the slight thinness.
regardless, this is an amazing beer. and at the price, cannot be topped.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 06:12:30 | More by robbrandes

jjanega08

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

No freshness dating

A= Pours a beautiful bright yellow color. A little more orange than your crayola yellow. Actually looks like urine after a long night of drinking. The head is a small little guy that rises to a finger and falls fast into oblivion. A ring is left around the glass and some sketchy lacing is found on the side of the glass.

S= From the moment I cracked the bottle I could smell a beautiful hop bouquet. A tropical fruit bomb for sure. Tons of pineapple and mango in it. Dig a little deeper and you find fresh green hop resin. Smells like a fresh hopped beer acutally. No lie this smells like your hands after you roll hops in them. Not much maltyness to notice but it does contribute to the hoppy sweetness.

T= Just like the aroma. It's soooo good. There is an immediate punch of hops with a knock down drag out tropical fruit flavor to it. Tons of mango and pineapple. This then gives way to a solid buiscuit flavor. Straight dry buiscuit. Almost like a cracker flavor before the hops finish it out nice and dry. There is a sweetness that comes in through the middle but it finishes rather dry. This for sure has three distinct flavor points to it however. Really a fine IPA.

M= Perfection. Just enough carbonation to keep your tongue scrubbed.

O= One hell of a beer. I will be buying a lot more of this. I don't know why it took me so long to buy one sixer. I love lagunitas for all they do... Maybe not their RIS but everything else is top notch. This beer propells them deeper into my favorites category. Loving this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 06:02:47 | More by jjanega08

snaotheus

Washington

4.33/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass

Pours clear yellow with very little head and a significant amount of slow active carbonation. Smell is overwhelmingly hoppy. Smells nice and fresh. Lemony.

Taste is sweet and hoppy. Honey and hops. Love it.

Mouthfeel is medium and pleasant. Overall, very nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 04:35:11 | More by snaotheus

zeledonia

Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 29 November 2011; pretty darn fresh for a California beer in the midwest.

Pours a clear, bright golden-orange. It has a light radiance to it. One finger of white head, fades fairly quickly, okay lacing.

Smell is simply fantastic. Amazing fruity, citrusy hops. This is up there with the best IPAs I've had. Pineapple, grapefruit, some unidentifiable tropical deliciousness. Just enough malts to bring a warmth and fullness. Really nice.

Flavor is quite good as well. Given the hop aroma, I'm surprised by how well-balanced it is. I find many Lagunitas beers to be overly bitter, but this one is spot on. The bitterness is present but not overpowering, and the juicy, slightly piney hops give it some tasty punch. Finish is bitter but dries up quickly.

My main downside is the mouthfeel - it's rather light, and isn't clingy or sticky like I expect such a beer to be. Carbonation is right where it should be, though.

This is a really good beer. IMO, not quite on the level of Abrasive or Heady Topper, but pretty darn close. Wow. Lagunitas should make more mistakes, so they grace us with more epic apologies like this one. I will definitely be having a few more of these before they disappear.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 04:10:55 | More by zeledonia

jdense

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into Deschutes shaker pint glass 12.11.11.

Medium gold clear body a multitude of small bubbles continually rising to soapy white two finger head, medium slow dissipation with above average lacing retained. Big fruity hop aroma, grapefruit and apricot, clean malt backbone. Taste is more apricot than citrus ala Sculpin (!), a bit of piney resin on backend, clean malt bill. Mouthfeel on the light side of medium, good effervescence. Not sure about the hubbub about hop fade, this still tasting pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 03:21:23 | More by jdense

ehammond1

California

4.13/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle (2011)

Texas Liquor
Carlsbad, CA

Clear golden orange with a quickly forming, relatively persistent off-white head that leaves thick lines of lacing down the glass with each sip. Incredible clarity.

Pungent citrus aromas of juicy oranges, grapefruit, and a bit of pine combine for a wonderful aroma. This reminds me quite a bit of Lagunitas Hop Stoopid, which is a good thing, as that is a phenomenal DIPA and smells amazing.

The flavor follows the aroma with the citrus and slight pine flavors leading the way, along with a bit of sweet bread character at the end. While very good, and extremely hoppy, it's a bit too sweet for me to rank it with the finest DIPAs.

Medium to full mouthfeel with moderate carbonation.

A very good DIPA, as most DIPAs are from Lagunitas. That being said, this is not quite in the same league as the Plinys of the world.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 01:22:26 | More by ehammond1

horshack7

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Into a Tulip is a lightly hazy but it still has decent clarity. As for the color it's copperish with brassy hues.

Aroma: Lots'of grapefruit with sugar sprinkled on top. Bits of sweet tropical fruit, peach notes. Hops are very much citrusy and the malts give off a caramelized sugar aroma.

Taste: Quite the crisp mouthfeel. Grapefruit notes are in the front. Minor simple syrup in the middle with a touch of peach at the end. Sweet tropical fruit is mixed in as well.

Notes: A solid beer all the way around and rather drinkable. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 01:15:21 | More by horshack7

kirok1999

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear orange with a nice rising head and a good amount of lacing.
Smells strongly of a nice blend of citrus...in fact, damn near every one I can name. Sweet candy promises a really nice sipper.
And it is. The citrus dominates the taste, with some pine resin and mild floral notes. The sweetness lingers to be followed by a very nice dryness where the less citrusy parts are more noticeable.
This is listed as a Brown Sugga replacement. Good idea, I hope they keep making it because it's now one of my favorite DIPAs.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 00:19:51 | More by kirok1999

jondeelee

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lagunitas Sucks (bonus points for self-deprecation?) opens with a strong IPA aroma, full of hoppy goodness, including pink grapefruit juice, lemon/lime spritzer, and hints of pine. Just as strong as the hops, however, is a massive sugar rush, smelling almost Jolly Rancher candy-like in its potency, and bringing huge levels of cherry, orange, and nectarine fruit aromas to the brew. The result smells in many ways more like candy than beer, or at least more like an extra-sugary mimosa, but made with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice instead of orange juice. The overall effect is appealing, but strangely so, and lets you know that you're certainly in for a sugar buzz.

On the tongue, the beer proves to be just as sugary as the nose belied, with almost all of the flavors translating directly onto the tastebuds. The first impressions are, in fact, much like a grapefruit mimosa, but with more bitterness from the hops, which do thankfully add a greater proportional pine note than was evidenced in the nose, distinguishing the beer greatly. In subsequent sips the more bitter and piney notes from the hops take a greater role, as well as a dandelion-stem undertone, and the fruity champagne sweetness somewhat subsides. But there are still a lot of sugary fruit esters in here, and the Jolly Rancher cherry/orange sensation continues to a good degree. Some toast and biscuit notes lie beneath to add grounding and earthiness. The aftertaste is largely grapefruit and pine hops, with lingering touches of candy sugar, and fades very slowly, slightly numbing the tongue in the process (a result of the 63.21 IBUs). Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium to medium-high.

Overall, while the hoppy notes are great, I found the beer to have just a tad too much candy-like sweetness, and wanted a few more grain flavors to help balance things out. Even then, this is still good fare, despite the self-deprecating label.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 23:11:19 | More by jondeelee

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a bright and clear golden orange with lots of rising bubbles. Solid four fingers of white foamy head with good retention. Lots of lacing sticking around the glass.

Smell: A huge aroma of citrus hops. Big hints of grapefruit, pineapple, oranges, and mango. Light hints of pine resin, lemon zest and honey. A subtle presence of sweet bready caramel malts. The citrus hops are the main thing here. Very nice.

Taste: Like the nose indicates, a big taste of citrus hops. Good notes of grapefruit, pineapple, oranges with orange peel, mango, and lemon. Also some pine resin. Solid bready base of caramel malts with some hints of honey makes for a pretty sweet IPA. Bitterness is somewhat subdued but the big flavor is still there.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation. Somewhat chewy and creamy. Finishes somewhat dry but sweeter than a typical double IPA.

Overall: A Very good IPA. Nice tropical taste and well balanced. One of the best new brews to come out this year.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 06:59:59 | More by MattyG85

Gmann

New York

4.3/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a straw color with a short wispy pure white head that settles into a light cap.

The aroma is big on the grapefruit hops. Very juicy and fresh aroma. There is a floral honey sweetness. All hops, very good.

Big grapefruit in the flavor, with subtle pine in the finish. Great hoppy flavor without any crushing bitterness. The malt is light with some honey sweetness. Perfect body to showcase the hops.

The feel is light to moderate with tingly carbonation. Drinks light for a DIPA and I like that. Not much bitterness in the finish which is surprising with all of the hop flavor.

Great beer, all hop flavor without a cloying sweet malt body. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 03:59:54 | More by Gmann

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into tulip - thanks to scalene

Pours a clear auburn color with an orange hue. Frothy white head retains with a layering of white haze. Large rings of patchy film string across the glass.

Super juicy hops in the nose with an absolute explosion of fruits. Pineapple, grapefruit, tangerine, and oranges with pithy bitterness. A hint of sweetness with bready notes and slight warmth.

Really nice bitterness up front with aggressive citrus flavors. Grapefruit pith combines with orange peel and a dash of pineapple. Apricot hints with a decent malt backbone. Sweet bready notes with soft caramel. Finishes bitter and juicy with a light warmth.

Lighter medium body, well carbonated, sticky and juicy on the tongue. This is BY FAR the best beer I've ever had from Lagunitas - I want more!

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 03:41:06 | More by xnicknj

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

4.8/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance. Pours a pretty clear, rich yellow gold with a hint of amber and 2 fingers of bubbly white head.

Smell. Nice citrusy hops, orange peel and persimmons. Pretty frikin' awesome.

Taste. Wow! Yellow grapefruit juice with a little pineapple and persimmon again. Nice easy bitter finish. Just a little sweet, but dry enough in the end. And what's with the abv?? Is that just a lie?

Mouthfeel. Medium body with above medium carbonation.

Overall. Blown away by this one. I have to say, I wasn't a huge fan of Brown Sugga but this, this is pretty sick. I don't think I've even tasted a persimmon in the last 10 years but it seems distinct in this brew. I need some more of this stuff. I was happy to see a single here in taxedupthepooper-Canada because $20 for 6 is just stupid. ...considering being stupid now.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 03:06:33 | More by Rutager

grover37

District of Columbia

4.3/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a sixer from D'Vines for $11. Poured into a DCBeer.com becker.

Appearance (4): Pours a clear, light gold with a finger and a half of sparse white head. A coating of lacing all the way around the glass at the top, but none further down.

Aroma (5): Wow, this is where the beer shines. An extreme West Coast hop profile with loads and loads of what smells like Amarillo. Smells like sweet, resinous, pine with tangerine, grapefruit, and passionfruit. Maybe a touch of lemon grass and some light caramel round it out.

Taste (4): Hugely fruity up front with the citrus notes from the nose dominating: mango, passionfruit, and lemon. The bitterness doesn't show up until the finish along with an overwhelming sweetness. The same citrus notes stay through the middle but are then dominated by the sweetness and a lingering pine. Some mango shows up here too, but is not huge like the front end. This is just too sweet for me, especially when it warms up, but the hop flavors are second to none.

Mouthfeel (4): A touch slick but still smooth and a little creamy. Medium side of full bodied and medium-high carbonation which makes those hop flavors shine.

Overall (4.5): This would be a near perfect beer if not so damn sweet; a common complaint of mine with Lagunitas. The hop profile is phenomenal; it should probably be more balanced considering the residual sweetness, but the hops dominate any malt bill. Will be drinking this one all winter hopefully; lives up to the hype, particularly for those that don't mind the signature Lagunitas sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 02:10:23 | More by grover37

Blanco

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beer pours a light golden color with fluffy white head. The smell is hoppy, with tropical fruit and citrus notes. Very refreshing and inviting. The taste is a huge tropical fruit explosion with slight hints of citrus. The hoppiness is apparent in the taste, but almost no bitterness here. Body is light, mouthfeel is lively.

This is a fantastic beer. I went in thinking this was just going to be another good IPA and realized it was great. The tropical fruit flavor is awesome...like a Sculpin Lifesaver. Excellent.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 01:03:50 | More by Blanco

Zorro

California

4.55/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Got to love the sense of humor in the name of this beer.

Clear gold colored beer with a small white colored head.

Smells strongly of hops, mostly citrus scents. Strong grapefruit and lesser amounts of orange, lemon and kumquat.

Starts out strongly of citrus juice flavor and not bitter at all. Strong grapefruit and orange flavors with just a slight bitterness like you get from eating a grapefruit. There is no way to describe the taste of this without saying DAMN this is tasty! Layer upon layer of citrus flavor with no harshness, I suggest you replace your morning orange juice with this stuff.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall I repeat Damn this is Tasty! Think I will head out and buy all the six packs of this I can find.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 00:49:48 | More by Zorro

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

4.44/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Special thanks to N. Ketchum for the bottle. Happy Festivus buddy...

Poured out of a 12 oz bottle into a snifter.

A) Pretty clear looking amber. Not much head at all. Ample bubbles to look at. Not much lacing.

S) Flower petal, pine and grapefruit juice

T) Real nice malt/hops balance, the sweet transitions well to the bitterness, making you look forward to that next sip. There's a bit of cracker here, with pine and citrus. Just a hint of alcohol as it warms.

M) This is a very smooth medium bodied beer, with a good amount of carbonation. A nice soft finish awaits you with a pleasing aftertaste.

O) As far as seasonals are concerned around Christmas, this one is right up there with SN Celebration in my book. I would echo what others have said about hoping this one is available again next year.

Addendum) 1/9/13 I've had this brew on tap and out of the bottle this year, and I realized I shortchanged it in appearance and aroma. I adjusted my rating accordingly. This is a fantastic beer, and I love drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 00:31:23 | More by RoamingGnome

hoser

Alberta (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Wow, never have had a beer clear my sinuses before. Another awesome brew from maybe the masters of using the hop oil.
If I could wish for one thing in this brew is a little more of a malt background. Have some Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild in the fridge will make sure to compare the two before they are gone. Once again Wow!

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 20:54:51 | More by hoser

chilly460

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Amber body head with gold highlights. Pillowy two finger head dissipates a bit, but stuck around well. Plenty of lacing rings the glass to the bottom.

S - Strongest aroma I've gotten in quite awhile, big hoppy nose with oranges, mango, and pineapple. Some dry bread in the background.

T - Right there with the smell, this thing is like a big bowl of citrus. Sweet orange is the prevalent flavor, rich juicy deliciousness. Some more robust mango in there too. Finishes with a bit dryer pine hoppiness.

M - Solid for the style, medium body, decent carbonation.

O - The buzz about this beer is correct, huge aroma and flavor profile, I hope they continue to brew this baby.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 13:37:11 | More by chilly460

pdoran10

Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Lagunitas Sucks pours out a completely clear golden color into a snifter. Half a finger of head that fades very quickly and leaves little lacing.

Smell is dank citrus and resin. I just dry hopped an IPA homebrew with citra while drinking this beer. Pretty sure this is made with citra.

Citra is my friend.

Taste is slightly bready with a resinous melon and sharp orange flavor from the hops. Did I mention that I like citra hops? Nice light malt profile to let the hops shine. Awesome.

Mouthfeel is slighly creamy with moderate carbonation. No issues here.

Overall a simple but impressive beer. Very tasty and one of the better values in hopy craft beer right now. Having one of these and then having any of Wildmer's beers with some of the new hop strains in them makes me realize that Lagunitas is really good at making hoppy beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 06:33:17 | More by pdoran10

Wreckoncile

California

4.72/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12oz glass into nonic.

A - Pours a slightly hazy but mostly clear straw honey with slightly under a finger of head that leaves fairly good lacing.

S - Strong hoppy nose with dominant piney resins at first and yielding to a citrusy note that mixes equal parts lemon and grapefruit. Some slight maltiness at the end of the scent.

T - Really complex flavor. The sip starts off with a bit of a malty sweetness, almost bready. Although this balances shows immediately, the hops follow up immediately thereafter and hit you with a strong grapefruit flavor and strong IBUs. Sweetens out in the aftertaste and balances really well.

M - A slightly higher carbonation in appearance than in fact. There are some effervescent bubbles in the glass, but they don't come through on the mouthfeel, as it has a much silier texture than the bubbles in the glass would show.

O - Overall a really solid DIPA, among the best you can find in major distribution. Hoppy, but with a well balanced though subtle malt characteristic that doesn't detract from the hops at all.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 05:50:16 | More by Wreckoncile

JayAre46

Texas

3.73/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Alright, yes lagunitas you suck i love brown sugga' so much but oh well i felt if this is what you were replacing it with it must be good. Poured into a nonic and yields a pale golden color with a white soapy head on top and has coarse spotty retention. the aroma. the aroma is a big citrus punch with some pine, floral and dank hops. CITRAAAA a light sugary sweetness came initially but im not getting it as much anymore. the taste follows the nose definitely, the citrus is there and there is a good hoppy bitterness in the finish but not enough. im not a fan of this sweetness it has, which is just too much and fights the hops and is not complimenting at all. there is some light breadiness as well. the mouthfeel is just like the majority of their IPA's, medium carbonation and crisp. overall i want my brown shugga' back!

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 04:06:46 | More by JayAre46