Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga Substitute Ale - Lagunitas Brewing Company

LampertLand

British Columbia (Canada)

4.11/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lagunitas Brewing 'Sucks Brown Shugga Substitute Ale' @ 7.85% , served from a 6pack of 331 ml bottles purchased for $19

A-pour is a clear gold with a good size off white head leaving a streaky lace along the pint glass

S-citrus grapefruit and pine

T-smooth and crisp tasting IPA , sweet fruit start , bitter hop finish , well balanced

MF-mild carbonation , full bodied , nice on the palate

Ov-good/great beer , buy far the best of the beers recently sampled , I can finally say I like an IPA , pity its a limited release and expensive , but so worth it !!

sampled alongside Deschutes 'Hop Henge' , Driftwood's 'Twenty Pounder' & Phillip's 'Amnesiac'

prost LampertLand

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 16:17:05 | More by LampertLand

beertunes

Washington

3.21/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured into straight pint glass. Poured a semi-hazy light gold color with over 1-1/2 inch of off white head that had good retention and light lacing.

The aroma was nice, lots of floral and pine hops, and an almost unnoticeable amount of malt. The flavor was the same, pine hops over most of the tongue, some floral in the middle, just a hint of citrus in the finish, and a very low malt presence.

The body was very much on the thin side of average, if it were any thinner, I would knocked some more points off. Drinkability was OK, fairly typical for style, although at below 8%abv, is this really an Imperial IPA? The low alcohol made drinking easier, but hurt the beers chances of of matching expectations. Overall, a nice enough little beer, one worth trying, but not one that matches the hype that has been thrust upon it.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 00:45:02 | More by beertunes

macher0

Kentucky

4.75/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured into a tulip glass.

A: Light copper color. Translucent. Less than a finger of head that slowly retreats to a small, frothy film. Moderate lacing that remains in circles around the glass.

S: Oh ya. This is the BEST part of this beer. Very aromatic. Strong citrus and pineapple. Floral. Hops become prevalent as the beer opens.

T: Pleasant bitter hoppy hits you on the front, which gives way to a floral finish. Piney-bitter finish.

M: Moderate body. Moderate to highly smooth. Medium carbonation.

O: An extremely good DIPA. Very smooth and has an outstanding nose. Excellent for the price. This beer is worth going out-of-your way to aquire.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 18:29:12 | More by macher0

PattyMelt

Michigan

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

Just had my first 6 pack of Sucks this week!

A- Orangey yellow, white head, nothing too crazy.
S- Citrus hoppy, kind of tart.
T- Orangey/lemony citrus, very crisp and refreshing initially. Some slight caramel sweetness on the back.
M- Very nice! Pretty full bodied. Great carbonation, slightly lingering taste but not too crazy.

Overall, this is a very good DIPA. Crisp and tasty, but still an easy drink. A must try!

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 13:05:15 | More by PattyMelt

GilGarp

Colorado

4.64/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

12oz bottle served cold into a pint glass.

Sucks is a hazy copper orange color with thick sticky head. As it settles, some nice lacing is left behind.

Aroma is super hoppy and full of citrus and pine. It has an unmistakable Lagunitas hop character that's turned up to 11.

Flavor is super hoppy and bitter but relatively balanced for a huge IPA. It has good sweetness but the malts don't impart a ton of flavor. The hops lend lots of aroma, flavor and bitterness. Citrusy, piney, and resiney dank hops.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and nicely carbonated. Very bitter but drinkable by not being out of balanced.

Overall a fantastic double IPA. Easily the best available in a 6-pack.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 04:18:13 | More by GilGarp

LambicPentameter

Kansas

4.41/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured out of a 12 oz bottle into a Green Flash 16 oz pint glass with a bump like an imperial pint glass. Didn't see a 'drink by' or 'bottled on' date.

Appearance - Pours an orange-tinged golden yellow color with a frothy off-white head of about a finger to a finger and a half. Lacing is slick looking, and doesn't hang around long.

Smell - A fruity melody, with highlights from lots of different citrus fruits. Predominantly grapefruit, but notes of tangerine and orange come through as well. Each time I smell it again, I pick up a few more, maybe even some lemon rind. Only drawback is that I wish it was more forward--it really feels like I have to work to coax out all the elements.

Taste - Unbelievably drinkable for a DIPA. Obviously, it's on the low end of ABV for the style, but it's wonderfully smooth and refreshing. The citrus elements are again present, this time more heavily with grapefruit. Some hop bitterness with hints of caramel in malty sweetness in the background.

Mouthfeel - Silky and a very balanced carbonation feel, but there is none of the lingering resin feel that often comes with DIPAs.

Overall a wonderful beer. The citrus notes are refreshing and mask the alcohol. Not my favorite DIPA, but easily the most drinkable I have had.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 02:12:27 | More by LambicPentameter

BrausBeforeHaus

Virginia

3.86/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I think this was more marketing ploy than actual genius.

Don't get me wrong, this beer was palatable.
I think I bought into the hype. Some kind of substitute was supposed to be in place of brown sugar. Pardon me for not noticing the subtlety in this west-coast hop party, which still dominates the initial taste. The sweetness, if any comes out later. It is arguable if this be deserves a "premium" rating like it has been given. Lagunitas has superior brews than this if you are willing to look around.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 06:09:26 | More by BrausBeforeHaus

PaleZombie

Arizona

4.46/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter

A - Tangerine color leaning more towards the golden end. Lots of small carbonation bubbles, about 2 fingers of pillowed white head.

S - This smells awesome! Pineapple, mango, citrus, grapefruit. Little bit of floral hints also. Lots of awesome hop scents.

T - Taste is very similar to the nose. Lots of bold tropical hop flavors, also a tad bit of malt flavor to balance it. Slight amount of alcohol but it is very well masked.

M - Feels nice in the mouth, just the right amount of carbonation. Medium leaning towards the heavy syrup side but not to much.

O - This is probably the best beer I have ever had, the more I have it the better it gets. Pick this up if you see it! Also the price is great, $8.99 for a 6 pack. Cant beat that for a beer of this quality!

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 03:28:24 | More by PaleZombie

midnitesun11

Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

I've had this beer many times and every time it just gets better! Awesome beer that's now readily available in my area too.

Pours a brilliant golden color with a frothy, white one finger head. Tiny carbonation bubbles rise up from the bottom of my glass.

The aroma is of hops and citrus. Definitely getting a sweet smell also maybe caramel.

Taste of hops and an orange citrus. Has a bit of a spiciness but a really good sweet brown sugar caramel taste!

Mouthfeel is thin but coats your mouth with the nice hoppy sweetness of this beer! Not too much of a lingering bitterness either.

Overall this beer is great, really drinkable and cost friendly! This is one of my "go to" beers for sure. Lagunitas definitely doesn't Suck!

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 01:02:10 | More by midnitesun11

lstokes

Illinois

4.26/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours a clear gold with 2-finger head, impressive lacing, pretty carbonation. The smell has a very aromatic quality to it, lots of pine but also a kind of floral quality. It tastes awesome--dominated by pine, but with a solid malt backbone and a real brightness from grapefruit, mango, citrus. Finishes somewhat bitter but clean. It also has a very light mouthfeel for something of this hoppiness which I'm really digging. Keep it around--I'm sad that it's going to go away!

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2013 02:33:45 | More by lstokes

ajramirez1

Washington

4.39/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Interesting double ipa. Brown sugar sub is a good choice and pleasing.
Lagunitas keeps doing work, pick up this 6pk. Good color, the smell really stands out.
Havent seen this beer on tap yet and looking forward to trying it.

Have to add text to get this rating to 250 characters so this gibberish is just to meet that quote. So if u r reading this...f your couch.
A-

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 21:27:17 | More by ajramirez1

zimm421

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a tulip. Appears a beautiful bright amber color with a good amount of off-white head, that leaves good lacing. Head sticks around for a bit, and never really goes away.

Nose is full of pine and earthiness. Very hop forward, with only a small hint of malt coming through. Not overly strong on the aroma, but it is pleasant. The taste starts out well balanced, but is quickly taken over by a strong bitterness. Again, lots of pine, but this time some floral notes come in, adding some complexity. Different in the fact that there isn't a large malt base backing it up...

The mouthfeel is fairly smooth, but has a decent amount of carbonation. It is very sticky, and that resinous feel is left behind. Overall, this is a good brew, but in my opinion, over-hyped... All together it works pretty well, but it just doesn't blow me away.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 20:01:33 | More by zimm421

MaineBrewing

Maine

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

A - poured a clear golden color,slight orange hue. 2 finger light head with some large bubbles. Head lasted for a few mins, the died toms nice frothy cap. Sticky lacing lasts throughout.

S - ridiculous amount of hops in the nose, almost smells like I would imagine the color green smells. Smells like sticking my nose in a bag of hop pellets before throwing them in the kettle. Piney, citrus, resinous, bright, and floral mmmm. That's it. Sweetness too, but not really much malt, no yeast or alcohol bouquet. So delicous smelling, and very intense hopppiness, straight up 5 on this aspect.

T - Great taste, very bright, citrusy, piney flavoring hops dominate, slight cereal malt backbone to keep it all in check, finishes with only an ever so slight bitterness that actually grows in intensity after it lingers for a few. Very clean taste, not getting any yeast profile or even any alcohol, just amazing hop character with a good balance of sweet malt.

M - medium body, there's a lot of carbonation but at the same time it is very smooth. Finishes very crisp. Very quenching and enjoyable.

O - overal to be blunt, hands down better than Maximus and should replace it in their year round lineup. I don't care if it's been brewed since 96, this is a better DIPA and I want more. top of my list of DIPAs so far.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 02:02:38 | More by MaineBrewing

McNealc31

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a bit lighter and crisper than expected. The frothy white head doesn't stick around for long. Hops completely dominate the aroma. Yeah, a double IPA for sure. Hop oils assault the palate. Grapefruit and pine, mostly. Hint of heat from the 7.8% ABV. Rye comes through a bit in the finish. But this is all about the hops. Surprisingly, it's only 65 IBUs. Thought this would push closer to 100.

Hop heads, get it!

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 23:57:58 | More by McNealc31

Bones10

Illinois

4.71/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

This is my first bottle, thanks to Mike Z. At work!

It's fantastic! Go get some if you can. I'm smiling because I know I have five more and the store where I made the purchase has more for tomorrow. Seriously though, this is something any IPA drinker should have. It is just plain great. Now get off your couch and get some!

I just had to add that the second is as good as the first. YeeHaw.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 01:45:28 | More by Bones10

benclimbs

California

4.04/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Overall a great beer - pours cloudy but with a nice bright color.

Smell is extremely driven by spice but very hoppy - makes me wonder what hop profile they use for this...complex and delicious, very unique for a big west coast IPA but one of those i want to keep going back and analyzing.

Taste is really really nice, balanced, hoppy and bitter with some fruit, pleasant...a bit of spice at the end.

Overall this is one of Lagunitas best, probably my favorite of theirs along with hop stoopid...great stuff for $11-12 per 6/pk

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 04:06:42 | More by benclimbs

jmaharaj

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Looks decently appetizing. Light orange threatening to turn yellow with a small head that shrinks to an island in the middle of the glass. Smell is wonderful, clean, crisp hop notes of papaya,mango and grapefruit. The taste is a little disappointing, the malts struggle to keep up and the beer falls quickly off the tongue into an almost unpleasant bitter chalkiness. there is a rye sharpness that only seems to accentuate the unpleasant finish.
Wish this was a little more balanced.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 04:00:57 | More by jmaharaj

julianjarvis

Virginia

4.78/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Words can't describe what I think of this beer. It is one of the best beers I have ever drunk - period. The hops flavour is amazing with a really floral interesting tint and the way it leaves your pallet clean afterwards is superb. No lingering bitterness. I also find it far lighter than a lot of DIPAs and certainly light for the ABV. Better than any east coast IPA i've tried. I can't stop drinking it. Very very good. I would recommend anyone reading this to go and buy some immediately. The other great thing about it is the price. Cheaper than nearly all the other double IPAs around. Fantastic beer. I think I've said enough!

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 00:34:06 | More by julianjarvis

weonfire

Kentucky

4.54/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A - Opaque, golden/brown, 2 solid inches of creamy white head

S - Awesome. Sweet brown Shugga, bombing citrus hops. Lasting.

T - initial: sweet citrus hops, bitter level is a 5/10, pineapple. finish has more citrus, carmel and has some booze on the way down. Sweet hoppy bitterness lingers for a few moments.

M - Frothy, high viscosity, cream, big & full body.

O - Excellent. Love the Brown Shugga sweetness which is balanced very nicely by 68 IBUs. Booze is low but enough to taste. Froth level is the perfect amount you want for a IIPA, head also remains for entire brew. Highly recommend this to even non IPA lovers. Its certainly worth the $11.99/ 6 pack.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 02:11:23 | More by weonfire

ProudBeerSnob

New York

4.66/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured from bottle into tulip glass. Crystal clear golden I color with a nice airy head that never completely disappears and leaves lovely lacing.

Was expecting more from the nose. Very faint citrus, with some resiny aromas.

The taste is where this beer excels. Wonderful hops whomping my palate then leaves it clean. Appropriate mouthfeel for the style; a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 00:49:50 | More by ProudBeerSnob

bulldogg915

Wyoming

4.26/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance- gold bottle pour with nice head retention and lacing sticks. Smell- sweet pine and hops are very prevalent- slight caramel. Taste- great hops up front- the dry hopping is great. Mouthfeel- lingering and slight carbonation. Overall- one of my fav IPAs. I've tasted literally thousands of beers in the past few years- and this is my first rating as I sit here- so hopefully I get better at this.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 21:21:10 | More by bulldogg915

chrisgalvin

California

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

I just bought a 6 pack of this at Trader Joe's for like 6.99! Love it. Love it. Love it. Everything from Lagunitas is fantastic and this is no exception. True to their style, the brewery character shines through in this Brown Shugga. It's like a big ol' red ale with the signature blend of hops and malt character. I still can't believe that I paid 6.99 at TJs and this is on the Top 250. I'll have to do some ISO:FTs.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 04:31:32 | More by chrisgalvin

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

4.11/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled Feb 18, 2013.

Beer is clear golden, a bit of orange. Moderately-sized white head. Good retention, some lace.

Tropical fruit: sticky mango and passionfruit. Grapefruit. A bit of biscuit.

Taste is obviously hop-focused. Orange, grapefruit and lemon. Some tropical flavours as well, some mango. A bit of pine and resin. Slight caramel malt, but very minimal.

Medium bodied, moderately carbonated. Quite oily.

Overall, quite good indeed, but not the powerhouse that I was expecting based on the reviews.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 18:53:02 | More by jrenihan

Kreko7

California

4.65/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Delicious DIPA with spices, caramels, tropical fruits and pine notes. Long lasting bitterness with a super fresh hoppiness make this a great brew. Balanced with great body. Hopheads unite on this one. Overall amazing and could drink this bad boy all the time!

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 05:54:03 | More by Kreko7

Oakenator

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a brownish yellow color - somewhat deep hue but could be deceiving. Solid head and lively - carbonation continues from the bottom of the glass a long while after pour and maintains a nice thin layer of head on top of the beer even 30 minutes later. Smell is hoppy yet sweet - strong pine, grass and brown sugar - the aroma is really a treat. Taste doesn't disappoint - really solid and would like to see this one brewed regularly. Grassy bitter hops up front - maybe a tad of spice but then finishes with brown sugar sweetness. Really nicely balanced and really accentuates the hops when fresh.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 23:04:02 | More by Oakenator