Lagunitas Brown Shugga

Brewed by Lagunitas Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Petaluma, California USA

Amber with tiny beige head. Sweet aroma with toasted malt, caramel and hops. Very sweet flavor with caramel, hops and toffee notes. Ends bitter.

Received 12-oz bottle from Liquid Solutions.biz in Portland, Oregon. Pours a semi-clear dark amber brew with an average sized light beige head that slowly dissipates to a thin head and creamy ring with some spotty lacing. Aroma of roasted caramel malt, citrus zest, a touch of molasses and some grapefruit. Taste is medium bodied, light carbonated with flavors of roasted caramel malt, some light brown sugar/molasses character and some dark pitted fruit. Finish is semi-sweet with a light caramel aftertaste that finishes with an alcohol warmth. Could use a little aging.

Hazy orange with beige slowly dissipating head. Aroma of citrus, grapefruit, toasted malts, bread and caramel. Taste of caramel, floral and citrus hops, brown shugga and alcohol. Speaking of which, can Lagunitas make a beer that doesn’t have the alcohol detract from it? Very mild bitter finish that’s somewhat cloying and acidic, like I just guzzled some orange juice. The law of diminishing returns applies here as I seemed to like it less with each sip.

Pour is medium brown golden with a finger light tan head. Aroma is of sweet malt and caramel. Flavor has a bit of a hop bitterness with more sweet caramel in the finish. Not as sweet as the aroma but still good. A bit of roasted character in the flavor. Good brew. May buy again.

I did not like this the first time around, the second time was a winner. Pours a dark Amber-caramel colour. litte white head, sweet malted and alcohol aromas. With The first initial taste comes the brown sugar, after that its an immediate jolt of alcohol straight to the brain. Sweet and enticing, its like you forget each time what the taste before it was like. One,two punch- it brings you back for more.

On tap at Capital Ale House - Innsbrook on 08/30/08. 2006 vintage. Murky brown body with a small creamy off-white head. Big caramel, molassas, brown sugar, raisins and cirtrus hops aroma. Very sweet sugar flavor, some caramel and molassas with some citrusy and resiny hop kick and a firm bitter finish. Full body with moderate carbonation and a fairly smooth thick finish. 8/4/8/3/17-4.0 Bottle on May 24, 2008. Clear dark amber body with some floaties and a large creamy tan head. Huge molassas and caramel aroma, some rum soaked fruit and faint citrus hops. More heavy caramel and molassas in the flavor, some citrusy and resiny hops. Medium full body with moderately low carbonation and a somewhat hot finish. Original Score: 7/4/8/3/15-3.7

Bottle @ Kolding Bryglaug Americans tasting.
Bought @ Ølbaren, Cph.
Pours clear copper-orange with a creamy off-white head. Aroma is powerfully hoppy, fine caramel and rather vinious. Rather light mouthfeel actually. Flavour is initially bitter, vinious and light caramel. But it is surely terribly sweet and sugary.

1+ year old bottle (06 or 07?) - Brownish color with a medium head. Aroma is very sweet with a sugary-citrus hop essence along with some rich candy. Flavor is very sweet and still hoppy - citrus, caramel, stickybuns, brown sugar. Quite sweet and a tad hot with a thicker mouthfeel. I think this has benefited from the age and is quite reminiscent of the Old Gnarleywine. Really good brew.