Lagunitas Brown Shugga

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

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.

Dark reddish amber and clearer body than standard. Nose has grapefruit, cookie dough, caramel, and hops that remind of soy sauce. Taste is rather straightforward with hop bitter and sweet caramel. Kind of mellow with slight alcohol warmth. A little sticky. I enjoy most barley wines, so it’s a given I’d enjoy this, but it’s not one of my favorites.

Enjoyed on tap at the Clark Street Ale House in Chicago. I’m not surprised to see some 4+ ratings on this. Very nice barley wine, though I won’t rate it that highly. In fact, the hop characteristics and abv lead me away from a barley wine designation for this. This is carmely, malty, sweet, and yes, brown shugga-ey. I’d probably have classified it as a hoppy strong ale.

12 oz bottle: Nice sweet malt aroma, definite big hop characteristic as well, maybe some brown sugar scent but subtle. Appearance is amber/red with a thin tan head. Taste has definitely got some caramel malt in this, citrus hops, sweet, and alcohol is present on the back end. Palate is somewhat sweet on the lips, very tongue coating, and aftertaste has a lingering caramel maltiness and a bit of alcohol. Overall, it’s good but not great kind of like most of the Lugunitas that I’ve had. Maybe it’s too young. Will check back on this one in a year.