Lagunitas Sucks Brown Shugga Substitute Ale - Lagunitas Brewing Company

CenCalMario

California

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

12oz bottle poured into a standard pub glass.

A - Pours a crystal clear gold color, with a nice head, dissipates normally, nice lacing.

S - Lots of hop aroma. Lots of grapefruit, pine, citrus, very tropical. Beautiful!

T - All the aroma is in the taste as well... lots of hop resin, gooey, sticky, grapefruity yummyness.

M - Light to medium bodied. Nice carbonation, great feel.

O - Awesome beer, really liked it a ton. Great, unexpected, beer from Lagunitas. I like this beer much more than I like Pliny... yes that's right.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 20:42:00 | More by CenCalMario

uustal

Rhode Island

4.53/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a fairly clear, light yellowish orange with a slight pearl white head. The tropical hop aroma is off the charts. Great, strong notes of peach, fresh juicy mango, pineapple and a touch of fresh pine to boot. Just a fantastic aroma. Taste isn't bad either. Sweet, fresh, juicy tropical hop flavors to start. Again highlighting the trio that is so noticeable in the aroma. Tarter grapefruit notes are next before a tongue tingling resiny pine hops finish this one off nicely. Just a fantastic DIPA with a top notch, juicy and mouth watering hop profile.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 03:05:38 | More by uustal

Preismj

Illinois

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

Amber hue with big foamy head which quickly retreats, leaving tons of sticky lace. smell is of citrus, pine, pineapple and hints of earth. taste is hop forward but not overpowering. Extreme bitterness is met with a rush of wet hop flavor (tastes like a harvest hop beer)...floral and orange peel/kumquat. lips pucker, great carb. No dry finish here. Very drinkable. similar to harvest ale, but less hop forward, more bitterness and great west coast citrus style.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 01:26:22 | More by Preismj

portia99

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a Dogfish Head signature glass.

A - Pours a crystal clear golden color, amber highlights and a half finger of fizzy white head that fizzes away quickly to a collar, loose islands on the surface and a weak showing of lacing.

S - Whooo, this is packed with hop aroma. This is thick with heavy pine, sticky and quite sweaty/armpitty (in a good way), peaches, grapefruit and some tropical fruits. The hops don't leave any room for anything else.

T - Yep, hops here too. This might be the sweatiest beer I've ever had...sticky and hop resiny. A forest of pine, tons of pineapple, grapefruity...hop bitterness is medium high and manages to cut through the syrupy hop flavors well enough to actually balance off the fruity flavors rather well.

M - Lightish medium body with a somewhat heavy carbonation level. Sticky and syrupy hop flavors that make this wonderfully one dimensional.

O - No doubt that this is a super heavy hop forward DIPA. Enough sweetness, wring the flavor out of a shirt after a 5 mile run sweatiness, super tropical and piney hop flavors to make this an outstanding beer for a hop head. Don't quite get the comparisons to Pliny...maybe in its hop intensity, but I'd say that this is lacking a bit of subtlety that keeps this a tick below PtE. However, I'm gonna be really enjoying the remainder of the 6er I picked up today.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 00:28:23 | More by portia99

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Very much like liquid gold. Bright, clear, and a lively carbonation. Head is bright-white and leaves some solid lacing. Head dwindles to a thin cap on the beer. Sticks around for the duration.

Smell: Mango, pineapple, touches of mint and pine. Pungent tropical aromas mix with some nice citrus backing. Grapefruit flesh and orange sweetness. Malts are buried in the back. Slightly edge of bread crust and biscuit dough. Loads of hop depth and aroma.

Taste: Pine and mango in equal measure. Slick oily hops. Faintly bready malts on the back. It's all about the hops. Big resinous pine finish. Touches of mint leaf pop out after a few sips. Aggressively bitter on the back. Not attempt at balance, but it works. Orange pith and grapefruit zest.

Mouthfeel: Long finish. Flavors linger for a long time. Moderate carbonation on a medium body puts this right where it should be. Oily mouthfeel makes this incredibly smooth and easy to drink.

Overall: If this is an apology beer, I accept Lagunitas' apology. Loads of flavor and another winter IPA that I hope makes it in to regular rotation. If I could lock down a case of this and Celebration every winter, it sure would makes things a lot easier. Let's hope it's not just a one-off.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 20:44:43 | More by Goblinmunkey7

Tilley4

Tennessee

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

Big thanks to inebriatedjoker for providing me the chance to try this beer....

Poured into my new CBS snifter...

Clear yet bright golden with a nice fluffy snow white head.... First thing I notice is the pungent aromas of lemon, orange, some pine needles and a little of the onion/garlic thing... A nice blend of hops without one in particular standing out... Bready malt aromas linger behind the rush of hops... Interesting...

Bitter rush of the pine and citrus hops immediately followed by the slightly sweet and bready malts used... Touches of the onion flavor here and there but doesn't dominate as in other brews.. Nice and bitter... Long slow oily finish with the bitterness fading to a nice citrusy residual....

I enjoyed this beer quite a bit and I have several more of these to crack open... I like the fact that the ABV is manageable and it isn't a 9% head cracker that you can only have a couple of...

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 16:32:50 | More by Tilley4

Nachojon

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- By the looks of it, it doesn't look like much. Clear, golden thin head that dissipates quickly. Above average lacing.

S- Great citrus hop aroma. Doesn't attack the nostrils like my very favorite IPAs, but quite impressive none the less. Nice grapefruit and a solid dry aroma.

T-DELICIOUS. I read so much about it, I am one of the later BAs on the Sucks tasting line. So with all the hype I really wasn't expecting it to live up. However, it's all there. Great double IPA flavor, big citrus hops, even some lemongrass and pepper.

M- Nice and dry, I could go for a little more tongue-burn in my IIPA but it's definitely good stuff.

O- I love Lagunitas and this is my new favorite Lagunitas beer. Going to be a go to beer for me while this is still available.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 05:59:57 | More by Nachojon

Hopfenpeter

Maryland

4.13/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer was poured into a crystal mug. The color was a medium gold with a creamy off white head building about one and a half fingers high. It did not stick around to long, but left good lacing.
Tho nose is a plentiful arrangement of flowery and citrusy hops. Lot of fruit and even some pine notes in the end.
The taste up front is full of fruit like pineapple, mango, peach and citrus. In the middle the malty notes mingle in and sweeten things up slightly, just to be balanced again by some earthy pine notes in the finish. Well done!
A really masterfully crafted Winter IPA. I hope I can find another six-pack!!!

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 03:57:55 | More by Hopfenpeter

vic21234

Illinois

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

Was surprised to find plenty of 6-packs of Sucks remaining at one of my local liquor stores today. 12oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A- Pours a clear golden-orange color. The white head on it quickly dissipates.

S- Awesome. Tons of overall citrus notes, specifically mango and grapefruit. Also getting some pine aroma.

T- A nicely hop forward beer. I get lots of grapefruit notes, and the bitter hop taste sticks around for awhile. A slightly malted finish.

M- Light, bitter.

Good stuff, glad I came across some in my area after thinking it was long gone.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 21:10:30 | More by vic21234

Pintofbrown

Iowa

4.47/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

What a hilarious bottle! So many little comments and insight, I really dig it. I poured this substitute holiday ale into a shaker pint.

Appearance- There was barely any foam on the hard pour. It mustered one finger width of bubbly cap, but it dissolved quickly to a slight ring with foamy bits scattered on the lid.

The body is a transparent gold with some neat auburn hightlights where the light hits it.

Smell- Wow, absolutely fantastic, hoppy nose.There is so much grapefruit and a candy sweetness that is more reminiscent of pineapple. And it is strong. Resiny-pine intimations are also present behind that great citrus pop.

Taste- The taste is not nearly as sweet, but I think that may be because the bitterness really kicks your mouth around. It does not give you the common courtesy of doing something like sorting out the sweetness on the palate.

After the bitterness has had its moment, grapefruit becomes very prominent. There is not so much pineapple, being replaced by more of the resiny hop oil flavor. There is only a slight biscuit malt impression near the end, and that is really appreciated.

This IPA can stand on it's own with the flavor hops, and letting the beer get too malty could have really affected the taste score.

Mouth feel- This is fine medium body and the creaminess is decent. It is not distracting, but it is also not knock - your - socks off good.

Overall- This is a very enjoyable IPA with a world class nose, no doubt about it. The flavors pull back ever so slightly on the palate, but they are still fantastic.

Yes, it is definitely worthy of the praise it has been receiving, and I would gladly have this again.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 17:43:14 | More by Pintofbrown

DevilsCups

New York

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

Simply outstanding.

Tons of mango, grapefruit and guava notes in both smell and taste. Excellent offering by the guys and gals at Lagunitas. Please, do yourself a favor and search out this brew. Sorry for the short review, as I've been drinking these back to back to back.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 05:17:11 | More by DevilsCups

jeonseh

Indiana

3.68/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a GI tulip.

A - quite a beauty of a DIPA. Color is a soft copper with hints of yellow. There is a white one finger head that formed on. The poured and settled to about a quarter as I drank the beer.

S - main notes are citrus. Smells of grapefruit with hints of pine hops. The malt backbone makes itself known as there is also a sweetness of caramel and orange that mixes with the hops. I also noted hints of lemon and wheatgrass

T - at first, there are notes of piney hops that blends well with sweeter flavors that keep this well-balanced. I note hints of orange and candied lemon. Medium finish that leaves a slight pine bitterness lingering on the tongue. Overall, a tasty but I would have liked to see a bit more of a malt sweetness as that aspect seems a bit thin

MF - light body with medium carbonation. Until the carbonation picks up as you drink, the MF at first seems thin and in general, I think a little it more body would help make this a great beer

O - overall, a solid offeing from Lagunitas, and definitely a good beer for them to throw together for the holiday season. Would like to see this around each holiday. It has good flavor, is well-balaced, and isn't too heavy. In general, the main aspect i find lacking is that this Abbas a bit thin in the body.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 03:31:14 | More by jeonseh

BeerPhan86

New York

4.15/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Very excited to find the last six pack of this at the local beer store. Not so excited when the same store offered it for growler fills a few days later! Awesome brew nonetheless.

A - Pours a beautiful clear golden color with about a half finger of some off-white head. The head quickly dissipates but there is some very nice sticky lacing. Very clear and clean looking pour.

S - TONS of citrus and tropical fruit. The amount of pineapple coming out of this aroma is amazing, it is definitely the dominant fruit. Plenty of grapefruit and citrus hops. Other tropical fruits are there as well, maybe some mango. A little bit of sweet bready malt is in there too but the hops dominate the aroma.

T - Much like the aroma. Definitely more of the west coast style IPA with tons of citrus hops, but there are some grassy hops in the finish, which is a tad dry and boozy. My only complaint is that the alcohol is not very well hidden at all, and there has been no attempt to hide it. Very boozy aftertaste. Very flowery and tropical/citrus fruit hop profile makes this one stand out from other DIPAs I've tried lately.

M - Medium body with spot on carbonation. Not too slick on the lips for a DIPA which is nice.

O - An outstanding hop bomb of a beer that is well worth 10 or 11 bucks for a six pack. The hop profile is incredible with low bitterness, just plenty of bright fruity hops. The level of booziness in the aftertaste is the only drawback on this one. Check it out!

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 02:44:29 | More by BeerPhan86

DarthKostrizer

California

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

Look: Orangish yellow in color with a 1/2+ inch head and great retention

Smell: Very strong hop aroma. Lots of floral, pine and resin on the nose

Taste: Based on the nose the flavor is a bit of a let down. Still has the good hop flavor but just a tad bit muted compared to the nose

Mouthfeel: Just under a medium body and mildly carbonated and slightly bitter

Overall: A very good dipa especially for the price and availability to me. This one just lacked just a touch in the flavor department to make it a great dipa. Highly recommended

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 02:16:35 | More by DarthKostrizer

BeerMaverick

Massachusetts

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

A - Light golden color that doesn't suggest a Double IPA, but a lighter lager. Minimal head that fades almost immediately. Having trouble believing that this beer is a DIPA at this point.

S - And here is where the style is given away. Tons of fruit and floral aroma radiating out of the glass. Hard to specify the fruit at this point, but definitely some expected citrusy esters. Minimal piney notes that often dominate this category.

T - The citrusy character is much more overwhelming here suggesting plenty of lemon and lime. The pine taste is slightly more pronounced and is complemented by some sweeter fruits such as pear and apple. Faint orange notes are present as well leading to an extremely well balanced flavor.

M - The previously mentioned fruit lingers from this surprisingly lighter-bodied brew. Although the fruit presence shows fortitude in terms of sweetness, the furtive hops do their job.

O - Fantastic name for this beer, and Lagunitas...you don't suck. For "screwing up this badly", as you suggest on the label, you've still obtained insanely high ratings for this beer. I do miss Brown Sugga', but this is a fantastic substitute that many breweries would strive and fail to obtain.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 00:35:42 | More by BeerMaverick

dogfishandi

New York

4.08/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle a little above fridge temp poured into an SA perfect pint glass. no freshness info.

pours a clear golden color with a super retentive white head, stayed at about 1 fingers worth till it was gone. also some nice sticky lace left on the glass.

a nice dank, floral hop aroma with hints of citrus and pine. a nice light bready malt is noticable behind all the hops.

again dank, pine, and floral hops mostly, a little candied citrus. a very nice bready malt flavor is noticable, although very hard to describe.

a nice resinous feel, very smooth going down, slightly lower carbonation which compliments the rest of the beer nicely. easy drinking.

definatly a good IPA, something i would buy again. id like to see this as a year round as well. one of the better lagunitas IPA's ive had.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 20:09:29 | More by dogfishandi

bosox941827

North Carolina

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

12oz bottle poured into an imperial pint glass
A - medium rough pour throws off a decent, tiny-bubbled head that thins down fairly quickly. Beer itself is a gorgeous light orange color.
S - Pour this one rough as you dare and stick your nose right in there, as you're not going to smell too many beer better than this one - Sculpin, Hopslam, Pliny (maybe) and that's about it. I get a ton of fruit - mango, guava, pineapple too. Just great.
T - As it smells, pretty much. Nice bit of sweetness up front, and I get some roasted malts just a bit as well. Then comes in the real nice bit of bitterness which is perfectly balanced with the sweetness and is quite complex; again getting mango and guava, maybe some stonefruit and pine as well. The dry bitterness hangs around for as long as you can wait before you take the next sip. Alcohol, near 8%, is completely non-existent.
M - Just a bit on the heavier side, which a low-medium amount of carbonation.
Got this as a gift from a buddy or else never would have tried it - this beer is fantastic, though. Have tried other Lagunitas (but not the "real" Brown Shugga) but am really blown away by this one. Can't imagine Brown Shugga is better than this....they need to make it year-round. Get this while you can though - it's great.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 19:45:32 | More by bosox941827

tdm168

North Carolina

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

Pours a pale orangish-amber with a mountain of thin, loose head that has decent retention. The nose is incredibly floral with some citrusy undertones. The flavor is citrusy and mildly bitter. The malt character is lightly bready. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with some heavier than usual carbonation.

This is an awesome IPA. It's got great hop character and a light malt character. This is no Brown Shugga so I'm still a little disappointed, but I won't take it out on this beer. I love it!

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 02:57:46 | More by tdm168

tankg

Pennsylvania

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

Had this first at Fathead's in Southside of Pittsburgh - had previously bought some in bottles at D's in Monroeville. Knew if it was like Brown Shugga that I would dig it the most - correct. Alcohol burn more prominent in the bottle format but excellent both ways. Maybe my favorite DIPA - 2X is excellent as well. Two thumbs up for Lagunitas...and Happy New Year

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 00:04:29 | More by tankg

AleWatcher

Illinois

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

Served in shaker pint.
Orangey golden color. Nice white head. Great lacing and decent retention.
Smells dry- bready/toast malt, big hop notes.
The hops hit mainly with pine and citrusy notes but there is a little melon I pick up that works well. Luscious and juicy. Dry bitter finish. Well balanced. Great flavor.

Body is medium and has good carbonation.

Overall-- this is a great beer. I hope this becomes a year round brew from Lagunitas! Just delicious.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 22:30:33 | More by AleWatcher

WoodBrew

Illinois

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

Wow....I never realized that Sucks Holiday Ale could be so awesome!!! This beer is Zombie Dust on Steroids. The beer pours a golden clear copper with thin white head that is lacing quite nice. The smell is citra hops and subtle spice. The taste brings a great mixture of pine and citrus with enough malt to balance the beer which leaves a nice coating on the tongue....which Semco hops usually do nicely. The mouthfeel is a full body with good carbonation. Overall this is a fantastic beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 22:16:17 | More by WoodBrew

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

4.29/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a clear gold with 3 fingers of fluffy head that dissipates quickly leaving behind nice webbed lacing. Light-moderate carbonation. Very impressive color.

N: Orange, pine needles, lemon and light caramel aromas.

T: Orange and lemon citrus and resinous pine upfront. Mid-palate brings in some thin caramel with the former hops really shining through. Finishes with resinous pine and bitter citrus.

M: Medium-full bodied, creamy, sticky and dry.

O: I'm not a huge fan of extreme West coast styled IPAs (hop-water) but this is fantastic. Akin to a fresh hop ale. +2 to Lagunitas. This one is ALL about the hops!

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 16:58:16 | More by justintcoons

NiceTaps

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer should have everthing going for it , but comes up a little short in my book.

A - Nice pour and golden color but no head whatsoever.

S - Strong citrus hop aroma, almost too strong.

T - Bitter hop taste with notes of citrus and spice.

M - hangs around well.

O - not their best but it sure doesn't suck.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 04:23:32 | More by NiceTaps

PerHops

California

4.22/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This one pours a very light golden color that is very translucent. Almost no head and low visible carbonation. It is as far away from a christmas beer as I could imagine. Great aroma of mango, pineapple, pine and floral notes. The flavor is fantastic. Huge burst of tropical fruit followed by orange and some white pepper and a bitter finish. Great level of carbonation makes this dangerously easy to drink. I really like this beer, yeah Lagunitas sucks...

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 03:57:45 | More by PerHops

flagmantho

Washington

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

Poured from 22oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: light golden hue with a tiny touch of haze and plenty of effervescence. Head is a thin finger of frothy white foam. Not bad.

Smell: huge, funky, citrusy and fruity hops with a sweet backdrop. Complex, bright, and overwhelmingly appealing.

Taste: rich and fruity malt; it almost tastes like it was fermented with a Belgian strain. The hops remain bright with a little bit of a funk to them. This beer has some of the best hopping I've ever tasted, plus a je ne sais quoi that makes me think of a saison. Great.

Mouthfeel: medium-thick body with a big carbonation and bodacious creaminess. Fan-damn-tastic.

Overall: this is one excellent beer. An uninspired appearance is completely atoned for by being an awesome freaking beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 03:38:12 | More by flagmantho