Lagunitas Brown Shugga

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

Oh man! This is great. I picked this up at the corner market, simply because it’s Lagunitas and i’ve had a lot of luck with that brewery and very tasty beverages. This beer sure doesn’t disappoint! It’s got a really pretty dark amber body with a very thin tan head. It smells sweet, brown sugar and maple syrup, but there’s also a hint of hoppy pine. Taste is wonderful. I haven’t had a lot of luck with enjoying barley wines all too much, but this is simply great! It’s sweet, but not in a sickening syrup way, it’s just really balanced. It had plenty of hops, maybe a bit more would make it perfect, but this is just awesome. Sweet like sugar, nice thick mouthfeel, bit of pine and citrus on the end note. Awesome brew, I WILL buy this again :)

2007 bottle at the brewery during RBSG09. Dark amber with a light head. Malty caramel aroma with light sherry oxidation notes. Brown sugar and maple sweetness is well balanced by piney hops in the flavor, ending up with a balance that is rich, but not too sweet. Age seems to have mellowed this out nicely. I had it fresh on tap this past winter, and remember it being much hoppier. I like that balance that age has given it. The malts aren’t the most complex, but they are still nice. Smooth and full bodied. Solid barley wine.

Rerate: 2009 bottle. Yep, this is quite hoppy, but with lots of booze and sweetness to counter it. It has that simply "Lagunitas" hop flavor to it that seems to run across many of their beers. Clean, but a little too boozy at this point, and lacking much malt complexity. I heard that they dried it out a little more this year, and I can see how that may have shifted the balance more away from malt. I’m getting to a weird point with these guys where I can’t fault their beers too much because they are really clean and drinkable, but they just seem very similar and boring for the most part. I’m getting very close to being able to pick anything Lagunitas out in a blind test.

Pours and amber-brown; tan creamy head. Aromas of super sweet brown sugar, malts:bread and caramel. Tastes of malt, caramel, lots of sugar, alcohol and bitterhop finish. Very Tastey!

First off - GOD BLESS CAPITALISM! Any beer that describes itself like that deserves my attention. I bought this on a whim and didn’t think it would be good. This is one fine barley wine that isn’t as sweet as the description. Very mellow and smooth with a warming feel.

I tried this at a Bevmo tasting. I was really impressed. I always thought it was a brown ale. Boy was I surprised! This was so very tasty and rich. Yum.

Enjoyed this beer on tap at Max’s in Baltimore. The beer had a fairly clear amber-copper color with a medium, off-white, bubbly head that had great cling and average retention. It had a big pine and yeast aroma with some citrus and grapefruit, with a touch of grain and malt. A very sweet flavor with some floral and citrus components, and a touch of sourness. The body was quite wet, full and creamy, with little dryness and a lower level of carbonation.

Didn’t really know what to expect from this one, seeing as how this is one of the few brewers out there that doesn’t tell you what style beer you are about to take part in. However, Brown Shugga is an exceptional barleywine, with lots of well, Brown Sugar (from the aroma and flavor at least). Pours a dark, caramel brownish red hue that maintains a sliver of off-white head throughout the session. While not my favorite in this style, this west coast brewer produces another goodie.