Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga Substitute Ale - Lagunitas Brewing Company

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.01/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Great hop aroma. Generous head. Above average mouthfeel. Good malt backing, caramel, a bit of fruit. Nicely carbonated. Nicely drinkable. superior IPA just the right amount of bitterness. Recent bottle from Premier Gourmet. I could have a four pack in the fridge of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 13:48:54 | More by northyorksammy

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Lagunitas

The pour is a clear golden color with a white head. Somewhat hoppy with a nice citrus and floral hop character. There's a little phenol, maybe some white pepper. Sweet pale malt and bread notes. The flavor is quite similar to the aroma. A lot of citrus peel and floral hop flavors. A light spicy hop character, too. As with the aroma, malt and sweet bread flavors. Medium carbonation and body.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2011 19:21:03 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Huhzubendah for gifting me a sixer of this. Served in a mug.

Pours a clear golden-yellow color with a nice white head and quite a bit of lacing on the way down. The nose carries a heavy amount of what seem to be Amarillo hops. Good citrus and a bit of a floral character. Similar flavor, but not quite as pungent and overpowering. No malt to speak of, though a bit of booze works through, doing a great job to balance out the hops. No use of sweetness for that here. Boom.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 11:47:12 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.54/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

12 ounce bottle - $1.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours a near clear, light pale copper-hued body with an inch of white suds.

Smell: Heady, fruity notes of tropical fruits, varied citruses with pith included, a little liquid soap, and some resinous grassy undertones.

Taste: Pale malts, a bit of breadiness, and a low, brief sweetness imparted. Resiny, grassy, floral, but rather fruity, with tastes of pithy tangerine, mango, white grapefruit, pineapple. Moderate bitterness. Sourish, fruit juice quality with a sliver of resin and soapiness on the drying, bitterish finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Another hoppy-something from Lagunitas.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 02:48:16 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

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

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color (looks like a pils) with a creamy cap that leaves a few shards behind

Smell: Floral citrus, with pineapple and ruby red grapefruit tones

Taste: A hop bomb from the get-go, with citrusy flavors redolent of ruby red grapefruit and pineapple; slightly sugary, after the swallow, but the hops return to provide a bitter, citrusy finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate, but crisp, carbonation

Overall: The malts provide a neutral backdrop for the hops to work their magic and that is a great thing for a Double IPA to accomplish

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 17:54:55 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

4.28/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear light honey orange with a 1 inch fizzy off-white head that settles to a film on the top of the beer. Random dots and streaks of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of lots of tropical and citrus fruits mainly. Taste is of malt, pine, citrus zest, and tropical fruits. A mild bitterness lingers on the palate after each sip. This beer has a crisp carbonation with a bubbly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good IPA with the tropical fruit aroma and flavor that I love in hoppy beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 05:14:18 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

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

Bottle: Poured a deep amber color ale with a large off-white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of citrus and pine hoppy notes with light caramelized sugar notes. Taste is also a good mix between some caramelized sugar notes with a heavy dose of citrus and piney hops. Body is quite full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Lagunitas is master in brewing this type of beer and this one doesn’t disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 18:26:25 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

And the audacity to admit that their beer sucks is s profound that they wear it on their label like an ill-conceived tattoo, I'm most insulted that they actually pass off a pretty nice beer as something that sucks.

It's obvious horrendous appearance begins with an eerily hazed burnt orange hue and culturing bubbles that rise from its depths to fuel a foamy froth of sea foam to cap the beer. Its cellular lacing clings to the glass with broken spider webbing for a peculiar and alluring look.

And its pungent aromas are of over-ripened citrus fruit, juicy and plump in its scent are the notes of oranges, grapefruits, mangoes, tangerines, kumquats, apricots, pineapples, and lemons- its culmination of aromas are saturated with light caramel for a candied scent similar to that of the candied apples you get at the circus.

And its flavors suck every bit as much as aromas. That pungent taste of citrus is so dominant that little else arises. It's a little sad that all of us malt-lovin' beer drinkers are subjected to such sharp, acidic, and resiny taste. It's too bad that the underlying malt taste only offers support to the hops and don't offer much resistance. Distracted by the zesty taste of mangoes, apricots, pineapple, and blood orange, the beer can't soely focus on bitterness but instead shares the stage with tropical and citrus fruits.

Its creamy upstart keeps the beer from dryness, just as its dry finish prevents the linger of fruit- you just cant' win with this beer. Its ultra-dry fruity finish is diffused by subtle bitterness and its warmth is circumvented by resin dryness. What's a guy to do but simply enjoy the beer!

Truth be told, it's hard to discuss the beer's taste in a condescending way while describing the attributes that makes it wonderful. If the beer does suck, then it sucks in the most wonderful of ways.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 07:50:32 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I like this offering more than Brown Shugga I gotta say.Poured into an imperial nonic a clear rich light to medium golden with a creamy 1/2 finger white head atop.Big pith citric hops in the nose,the aromas really jump out at ya,pine lends more hop complexity,a sweetish malt base is also well represented,light sugary sweet alcohol as well.To me this is almost DIPAish on the palate,big citric juicy hops over top of a sugary sweet base,the good thing here is the hops are much bigger than the sweetness.This is a great beer,maybe a DIPA mini-me,this is some good hop juice here.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 21:39:45 | More by oberon

TMoney2591

Illinois

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

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

Kinda bummed that I won't be able to try some Brown Shugga this year, so hopefully this stuff is turns out to be a suitable-enough replacement. It pours a clear brass topped by a finger of lightly off-white foam. The nose comprises orange rind, light lemon zest, pine resin, light leek, white grapefruit rind, and a nice undercurrent of rich caramel. The taste seems to simplify things a bit, focusing on the pine, grapefruit, and caramel. Yeah, it energizes all three, as well. Some mild balsa notes linger in the finish. The body is a light medium, with a moderate carbonation and a fairly dry finish. Overall, a very solid IPA. 'Nuff said.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 03:57:36 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Lagunitas Sucks. I was behind the radar on this one. I had first heard of it as a question in a local BeerAdvocate forum thread. It was called "Lagunitas Sucks in MN". Was someone maligning the quality of the beer that arrives here from Petaluma? No, no, it's a beer called Lagunitas Sucks, ironically, because their increased popularity has made the brewing of the winter seasonal Brown Shugga a hindrance to the continual flow of IPA and Pils. As an apology for such sucking, they offered this double IPA, which is faster to brew than a rich, malty ale like brown shugga.
Damn, I haven't had that in a while. I could go for one about now. Too bad Lagunitas Sucks.
Har, har, let's drink some beer. 7.85% ABV, IBU 63. I'm skipping the ritualistic copying of the garbledy-garble, which Lagunitas is legendary for, …let's just skip to, "We freaking munch moldy donkey butt…" It goes on like that. Also, once again, "beer speaks, people mumble", as well as my least favorite of all the Lagunitas slogans, "Life is Uncertain. Don't Sip." I won't go too far into a challenge about this idiotic opprobrium, just …why? Does sipping slow us down, and keep us from downing more of the daily beers they're chugging away to produce. I'm not encouraging to slowly savor and appreciate the delicate nuances that may be found? Maybe I'll sip, just a little, if they let me, then I'll chug-a-lug till my liver bursts! Or was I mumbling?

Clear, pale and peachy appearance, large, lacy white head.

Vibrant, fresh, hoppy aromatics, …orange, grapefruit, a little bit of lime, Some resiny pine, too. Overall, an abundance of hoppitude in all the right places, but not overpowering in any direction.

Drinking, a happy, hoppy dance on the palate. Non-stop delivery of bitterness. Sticks around a bit, lingers long, but softly diminishes. Lift the glass to the lip, boppity bip, there it goes again. A drinkable, sinkable, hop-delivery system that can be tossed back without immediate destruction of sobriety. Might take a sixer or so.

A likable, well-constructed IPA, from folks who know how to do it.
Already beer fans who've gotten over the absence of Brown Shugga are calling for this to made regularly, or at least, again, and if I remember what I've glanced at, they're doing it. And so, perhaps there's need for a new designation, the 1 1/2 IPA, the ducal IPA, the 8% versus the 10%, for peeps for whom 6% and hoppy is not enough. I've met them. I can't say I respect them. Those who disdain anything sessionable, but don't want to get drunk after two.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 09:44:03 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.1/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

The beer pours a beautiful golden color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is excellent. It has a killer hop scent surrounded by a solid pale malt aroma. The taste is good. It has a wonderful hop flavor; bold and full of citrus notes. The malt bill provides adequate balance and a smooth pale and Munich malt flavor. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a delicious DIPA. It's true to the West coast style and highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 00:57:56 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

At the time of this review, this is the #30 double / imperial IPA on the "Top Beers - American Double / Imperial IPA" list on beeradvocate.com. Served from a 12 ounce bottle into a Lagunitas mason jar "pig" glass because I am full of winning.

Beer is beautiful, it is amber, clear, aggressively carbonated, good retention, lacing is a plus, awesome looking beer.

Aroma is sweet, a little malty, citrus, pineapple, clean, smells good, a little sweeter than expected based on other's comments.

Beer is medium in body, sweet on the lead off and here comes the hops. Fruit salad beer, it is like hop candy, the sweetness of the backbone plays well with the hops, still a little heavier than expected but the hop flavors are all there. A very good little beer, glad I grabbed it.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2011 01:57:54 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

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

Bottle at Sycamore, Columbia, MO.

A - Poured out a clear, golden yellow color with a one-finger, white head of bubbly foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of sweet honey, citrus and caramel.

T - Nice bitter hop bite up front with some sweet honey and caramel. It had some citrus kick, too.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is a really tasty Imperial IPA. I'm glad Sanford at Sycamore was able to get some at his bar.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 02:34:07 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

4.38/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is clear golden yellow in color and has some hints of amber hues along with a moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a finger and a half high dense white head that has excellent retention properties and took a very long time to die down, consistently leaving a short head covering the surface and lots of lacy rings of bubbles down the sides of the glass.
S: Moderate to trong aromas of citrusy hops are present in the nose—tangerines and grapefruit seem to stand out in particular.
T: Like the smell, the taste is very citrusy and also has prominent flavors of tropical fruits in the form of mangoes. A light to moderate amount of bitterness is present.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is extremely drinkable, especially since the bitterness is subdued compared to other beers in the style and no traces of alcohol are present in the taste. It's packed with so many flavors of mangoes and citrus that I feel like I am getting 100 percent of my recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 02:11:31 | More by metter98

MasterSki

Illinois

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

On-tap at Bangers & Lace. Served in an imperial pint glass.

A - Big white foam that eventually settles to a thin cap, leaving tons of sticky lace behind. Transparent golden body.

S - Smell is a lovely medley of juicy oranges, tropical fruits, dank moss and pine, hint of cat pee, and lightly toasted sugars.

T - The taste is a bit understated compared to the aroma, but there's still plenty of grapefruit and piney hops present. Light sugary malt backbone, with a hefty dose of bitterness in the finish.

M - Medium body, with moderate carboantion. Perhaps a touch undersized and watery for 7.8%, but otherwise smooth with minimal alcohol presence. Plenty of resinous hop oils linger well into the finish.

D - If the taste had matched the aroma this would have been a serious contender in a very competitive genre. Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit and will have to have a few more pints/bottles of this one before it disappears for the season. Much better than Brown Shugga, so I hope they keep this as their holiday seasonal.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2011 00:11:51 | More by MasterSki

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.95/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap 12/4/2011 at Pour Farm in New Bedford, MA served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright gold color with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick on the glass.

S: The aroma contains piney hops, light caramelized malts and some citrus.

T: The taste starts out with a strong grassy hops bitterness followed by sweet flavors of citrus and caramel. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and brings some balance. The after-taste is hoppy and slightly sweet. Even for a hop-head like myself, this beer needs to sit for a few minutes to take some of the hop edge off.

M: Very crisp but not too smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down very easy, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, it’s a solid IPA but there are better beers in the style.

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2011 03:30:17 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.2/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours golden with 3+ fingers of ivory colored head, Good lacing & average head retention

S: Grapefruit, floral hops & breadyness show as this warms

T: Follows the nose, some tangerine peel & bready notes up front. Pink grapefruit, some pine & woodyness as this warms, a touch of dryness, pears & a bit of honey too. Finishes piney with grapefruit

MF: Fairly chewy, firm carbonation, great balance

Easy drinker, as usual Lagunitas kicks ass!

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 01:50:43 | More by russpowell

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Big thanks to jzeilinger for bringing this one for me to try. This poured out as a nice looking orange color with a white head on top. The head settles a little bit but leaves a really nice sticky lacing on the glass. The smell of the beer is ripe with citrus notes and some addition pine in there. It smells like a DIPA for sure, and a good one at that! The taste of the beer is hoppy with the citrusy pine notes with some subtle caramel malts in the finish. The mouthfeel is nicely carbonated and has an oily feel to it while remaining lighter bodied. Overall I thought it was a killer beer, probably best when it's fresh and I believe this was.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 14:16:08 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

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

Drank countless bottles of this beer, time to put a review on paper.

Bright orange gold pint, perfectly clear with sharp clarity. Lasting head of foam that has a creamy texture on it's surface. Drippy lace is left behind over time. Healthy skim on the surface that never breaks.

Pungent citrus, orange mostly, sweet but also generally dank with hop-stank™. Resiny, lush, almost tropical with candied orange peel and green hops.

Flavor delivers more lush hop flavors, very citrusy again, moderate resiny bitterness, grapefruit and orange peel derived, some light pale malt notes in the middle. Dry and pleasant aftertaste of lingering hops. Medium bodied, and very sessionable despite the higher ABV. Pretty delicious IPA. Amped up citrusy hops with a great drinkability to it.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 01:40:24 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

3.7/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a light amber with a frothy large white head, good retention and lace.

S: Notes of sugar cane and hop oil, pine resin, hoppy for sure.

T: Strong malt character, but the hops take over quickly. Pine resin, bitter melon, dry and bitter at times.

M: Frothy, medium-bodied, creamy, rather long aftertaste.

O: With the high original gravity compared to the ABV, I expected this to be sickly sweet. It isn't but it still has some considerable malt flavours. But at its end this is a hop centered beer, fans of Lagunitas' hoppy stuff should like this.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 06:31:30 | More by Halcyondays

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, the perfect choice for your holiday six-pack needs (especially since at this time of year, I don't feel too put upon to blow 20 bucks on a half-dozen beer...). Party leftovers, shared now on Christmas, with my mom...and poured into her 'vintage' 1960's era Hamm's chalice - oh yeah!

This beer pours a clear, darkish golden colour, with one skinny finger of thin foamy off-white head, which leave a few updrafts of lace around the glass as it quickly abates. It smells of citrus cream and caramel malt, apricot and pineapple the most predominant aromas, with a twinge of pine essence slowly rising. The taste is sub-moderately bitter pine and citrus rind, soft caramel, almost bready malt, faint apricot/peach, a bit of musty weediness, and a distinct lack of any booze warming. The carbonation is moderate, but a tad prickly at times, the body a tepid medium weight, and pleasantly smooth. It finishes off-dry, the fruity hop sweetness more up front than any attendant dry bitterness.

Hoppy? You bet your mistletoe-adjacent ass. Bitter? Hardly at all - Scrooge himself seems to have wielded control over that particular item on this wish list. Anyways, a worthy mea culpa/marketing stunt, whatever, it's good, and way more approachable/poundable than I had been led to believe. Mom (she of the bitter beer face tendencies) said it wasn't bitter at all, and quite nice. Ah, it's a wonderful life...

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 04:07:39 | More by biboergosum

tempest

Pennsylvania

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

Wow, heck of a DIPA for being sub-8%—though I tend to like my hop bombs on the lighter side. The aroma is rich with a mix of rye and grassy citrus. The flavor opens with juicy, floral hop notes and progresses back to the spicier, grassy pine of the aroma. The malts, unlike in most DIPAs, provide a distinct, dry bready undertone to amp up the complexity. I gotta say, I really prefer this to BrownShugga'. Grab this up if you can find any more. It's sort of like Southern Tier's 2XIPA, but with an extra kick of malty goodness.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 23:44:01 | More by tempest

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

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

Very piney and oily nose. Lots of hops on there. Flavor carries hearty and syrupy hop character. I think that's what really defines this one: thick and syrupy. It's a good ale as it's consistent and well done and very Lagunitas in execution. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 05:23:55 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.73/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: Poured a clear, glowing yellowish-orange colo wih a nice white cap which resedes after a moment leaving some lacing and bubbles

S: The nose is melons, apricot, mango, flowers and a pine needle

T: Immediate fresh melon presence with a following of apricot, mango and then a floral hop finish. I really dont get any pine on the taste. A little sweet biscuity malt backing and tad bit of soapiness on the finish. It tastes a little perfumey as well.

M: Medium bodied, well carbonated, lingering hops and sweetness

O: Not to shabby but damn fellas, its not that damn good.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 23:24:44 | More by barleywinefiend