Rum Barrel Aged Brown Shugga'
Lagunitas Brewing Company

taking something already sweet and intense and adding sweetness and intensity had me worried a little bit, but man this is good, even the slight oxidation and hop fade are not problematic, this basically becomes elite american barleywine, and there is a cool almost crystalline aspect to the sugar in it, like the real essence of packed dark brown sugar, the cane in the rum just enhances that, its really good. its unique because its not real full bodied, it has some grain color and richness, but its not one of those stick to the rib types, and the actual palate lightness is shocking for what it is. still well carbonated too, so this can be sneaky, although i guess the alcohol does come out a bit at temperature and you know what you have in front of you. the oak is light, its more the rum itself, sweet start to finish, more herbal on the hop side now than when the beer is fresh and not wood aged, but still a candied citrus note hanging on, toffee and maple and molasses nuance, lots of layers its not a monotone sweet at all. light vanilla, butterscotch, and late onset bitterness that brings it back to american barleywine. nothing can top the original, its one of the most iconic beers in all of craft as far as i am concerned, but this special edition is really cool, the rum is a wonderful choice and cool way to double down on the actual sugar flavors, well worth seeking out...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tastes like an unbelievably sweet and hoppy barleywine. There's Lagunitas DNA in there, but the rum barrel addition really just pours on the sugary sweetness, with maybe a note of tropical punch (pineapple, coconut) on the nose and tongue. Definitely interesting, and a few sips of it ain't bad, but much more than that is just too much.