Unrefined Shugga'
Lagunitas Brewing Company

A: crystal clear; bronze in color; 2 finger finely pored light golden tan head that receded to a wispy cap with a thick collar; nice lacing;

S: brown sugar and alcohol;

T: very little flavor up front; from the middle through the finish, it's brown sugar balanced by moderate bitterness;

M: medium to full bodied; moderate carbonation; dry finish; alcohol is warming, not hot;

O: nicely done; a little too sweet for my taste;

RB transfer

Clear, amber color. Medium-sized, off-white head.Caramel, dried fruits, malt, and some alcohol in the aroma. Sweet, malty start with lingering hoppy bitterness in the end. Not the best from Lagunitas, but still something new in the era of hazy beers.

Bought a single to try, and it sat in the frig for a couple years, until I decided, “tonight’s the night.”

A - Transparent, dark copper body, close to brown, with a light tan head and extensive small bubble lacing.

S - A strong snap of spiced hop notes, grassiness, and strong, strong sugar sweetness.

T - An open of lemony tea notes, malty sweetness, and a sharp tannic finish.

M - Mild carbonation, moderate weight, a touch light for the big ABV, with some resiny build over time.

O - A solid Strong ale, but not spectacular. Glad I tried it once, but I'll not be seeking it out again.

 

12 ounce bottle into a tulip snifter. Had 12/19/21.

Pours a clear copper color, with a half inch foamy head with good retention and a decent amount of slick foamy lacing. Aromas of caramel, malt, pine, light brown sugar. Flavors of pine, malt, caramel, some brown sugar, some hop bitterness on the finish that lingers. Smooth, a lighter medium body that has a little bit of a thin and watery feeling, well carbonated.

Definitely does not have the fuller body of the original and that and the slightly watery mouthfeel are negatives. Not bad overall, but seems kind of faded in comparison to the good old stuff.

an updating of the old classic brown sugar, pretty similar beers, but most in my circle agree this is different enough to be less good than the original. i get the concerns with some of the old name and branding, but the recipe was fire. maybe it got too expensive to make too, i know supply chain stuff has been weird with covid. this appears to substitute a cane sugar product for what we all know as brown sugar, not sure how different these two gravity sources are, but it seems like at least somewhat, as this is lighter overall, less sweet, balanced, and indeed flavorful than the original like perhaps this is more completely fermentable, so it ends up kind of drier and less interesting, like more of its identity and character has been chewed through, but the hops, the booze, and the overall vibe of this are mighty similar. i think i notice this most in the nose. maybe a shade more blonde this one, kind of in that bronze to light copper range, clear for what it is, and with a frothy sudsy inch of white head with fine retention and obviously high carbonation which i love in the style. nose is sweet but almost a generic sweetness to me, lightly woody, with some pine influence from the hops, even white pine lumber to me, a little honey thing, a light caramelized richness but its not that heavy really, and there is bitterness in this as well, festive without being spiced, really robust, and this is where the lagunitas house ale yeast really makes a positive contribution to one of their beers. the flavor of this is cool, most of the grain and raw sugar richness is up front, most of the hops are on the back end and the swallow and aftertaste, but there is this glorious middle where they overlap that makes this special, not quite as dramatic or long lasting as brown shugga proper, but close. more minerals and earthiness later, a baked warmth setting up the alcohol heat, and gin and bitter citrus notes from the hops to counteract any sweetness stuck on my teeth. its real close to the original, but loses a little of the uniqueness i reckon. still, awesome beer for cold weather, ages pretty well, and is dangerously intriguing, a few of these goes a real long way. nice modernizing of this, if unnecessary from a pure beer standpoint...

 

Pretty much just a sweeter version of the regular brown sugga same body as the base beer dry hoppy aggressive but fairly easy to sip on. Not sure I would seek it out again but not that bad either.

 

12 FLUID OZ bottle
Served in a tulip glass

This beer pours a brilliant copper hue. Floaties are pervasive. It is topped with a couple inches of tan head that leaves great lacing.

Caramel, candies sugar, and booze are the main aromas.

Sweet with candied sugar. Burnt sugar in the middle. Booze in the finish. Sweet flavor throughout

Kind of a thin body with a smooth mouthfeel

Boozy, which I like. Other than that, nothing special

 

 

Found this one as a single from the local beer store. Could not find a date anywhere as to when it was bottled.

Poured into a clear glass. Color is of a light amber look with a thin off-white head. The Smell is somewhat hops, malt and sugar. The taste is a little sweet from the sugar. The 10% ABV is a nice touch and adds to the drinking experience.

(12 oz bottle, 302 1 2, 5195; purchased single off shelf at Shangy's last week... poured into a fat tulip)

L: clear, tawny-amber liquid; lots of reddish-tan foam on the pour, beautifully dense, cauliflowered bubble builds... impressive thick half-moon lace streak at the top, but only a thin, broken, bubbly collar holds

S: caramel-effluent, light hint of green grass... lightly spicy booze or cinnamon (coffee) cake... slow emerging note of apple brandy, also pissed khakis... the apple note grows, accented the caramel... expression is obscured, though the intensity is busting to break out

T: bracingly bitter, floral blade; dry apple cake low-mids, caramel dust up front; slow shift to light brown sugar, young fig rind; subtle acidic toast crumbs lingering... the apple brandy remains as a top note, just the sharp booze, while the floor is certainly unrefined sugar, in fact, marginally similar to the powdered jaggery I used recently in a homebrew

F: strident bitter bite with the booze accenting its sharpness, slicing out from behind the oily bounce of its medicinally-attenuated worty nectar... peppery heat, scattered sting... honestly, I think it's tactile sensations are arresting; delicate, slinky, demure

O: a malt and sugar ponderpiece; makes me think of Yards' Jefferson Ale, though this is a couple degrees more weathered; the Yards is more deceptively indulgent... its scarring slash of bitterness definitely helps give this a needed jagged contrast... it's not dynamically distinct, lacking depth, but huh is it for sure a sipper... something I'd consider buying another bottle or two for sharing; glad I finally tracked it down (1973)

I used to get pretty excited over Brown Shugga or whatever from these West coast brewers, so when I saw this, I decided to give it a whirl. My usual brew supplier moved and his license has yet to move with him, so I have had to scrounge around for whatever good brews I can find. The stuff that should be fresh hasn't been and I figured this should keep pretty well.

It pours brown and beautiful with nice foam. The aroma is subdued but basically nice and sweet and a little roasty. The taste is surprisingly not too sweet - bittering is huge in the aftertaste. It grow on you. It will put you to sleep too.

Recommended. I still like this brewer. The last Lagunitas I had was a free can on a flight from Geneva to Newark in 2019. It tasted great at 30000 feet and this one tastes great at 628 feet.

Look: It pours copper and clear with an off white head. Head retention is moderate.

Smell: It has caramel aromas with citrus. There is also some pine notes in the background with a bit of spice.

Taste: It is a bit sweet up front with sugar and caramel. It has citrus as well with pine.

Feel: It has a medium full body with a bittersweet finish.

Overall, it's sugary and hoppy with a blend of flavors.