So what happened to Sucks?

I have not seen fresh Sucks since last Fall. Even then it was just bready/ crackery and disappointing.

I had fresh on tap at the brewery last summer and thought the same thing.

When it was a winter seasonal... my goodness was it good.

I do believe, if my memory serves me correct, that Lagunitas stated they could not make that exact recipe year round because of hop availability. So it likely is a different beer.

 

Where is the date on the packs? I remember where it was on the 32-ounces, and it was hard to see on some bottles...is it in the same place?

 

Got a case of Sucks from the distributor here in KY about a week ago and it was bottled in December

 

Used to be right up there with my favorite beers. The first time I popped one back in 2013 it smelled and tasted like a Mango Melon tropical Starburst. I was transported. It was totally a defining moment in my personal IPA voyage. Now: malt bomb. No way it's the same beer.

 

Probably the last time I had Sucks was December 2014 when a friend brought me two 32 oz. bottles as a gift. It wasn't old but it was getting close. It does drop off fairly quickly and after 5 weeks it's just about lost all that citrusy hop bite.
Like everyone else seems to be saying: There's just too many other new breweries to try and some are doing fabulous IPA's, to got and buy some Sucks that's been on the shelves for 3 months or more!

 

It sucks now

 

Sucks is great. There's too much beer to drink so people are moving to the next beer.

 

I love Sucks, but I'm, well... a serial ticker (for the most part). I rarely revisit any beer.

 

This is an interesting discussion because I typically attribute a change in attitude towards a beer I love to my evolving/ changing palette.

But in this case, I think it's the beer. I remember buying both Hopslam and Sucks (back when it was released once a year) and admiring how good it was - bright, juicy and citrusy and incredibly easy to drink for an IIPA. But now, it seems to be so much maltier than I recall, without that same hop character.

Still a good beer, but not the same beer.

 

Interesting to read the descriptions of old Sucks. I've only had Sucks once and it was an old 12 oz bottle (roughly 6 months old, mostly kept at room temperature) that I wasn't expecting much from but there was a HUGE pineapple aroma and flavor. Sweeter than most IPA's - due to the age most likely - but I haven't had any other beer with that much pineapple going on. I'm sure that what I drank wasn't anything like fresh Sucks but I was pleasantly surprised. Anyone else have this impression of old Sucks?

 

Agreed. In most cases I think people just have fond memories and the beer is the same as before. In this case, I think they changed the recipe in order to make it year round. Then they launched it in those absurd 32oz bottles, and essentially killed it. It's not even on my list anymore. It certainly is still a good beer, but there is a lot of good beer out there.

 

for a serial ticker you should have way more ticks than you do...

 

Considering I'm in my early 20s, in college, and have a tendency to buy the more expensive options, I'd say I'm doing reasonably well.

 

The stopped making it in 32oz around the beginning of the year, but 6pks have been in regular production for just over a year now. Down Low is intended to take the 32oz distribution (yes, it's a completely different beer).

 

I just learned how to read the Julian dates on the neck so I'll once again check for freshness and try again.

Sucks was my favorite when it was seasonal only release. Once it went year-round, I stopped buying altogether because I didn't know how to check for freshness. Let me see if I can find a fresh one to sample and report back.

PS: Year-round distro is the kiss of death for many of the top IPAs. Just too hard for distributors/shop owners to figure out the inventory properly to maintain fresh stock (most don't even care/don't put out the effort though).

 

My last 6-pack of Sucks was about one year ago. I knew the beer was fresh because I removed that beer from a case (and the production date was easy to read on the case box). That beer was fresh (less than a month old) but it tasted noticeably different from prior drinking experiences; I was not a fan of this batch of Sucks. That was my last purchase of Sucks and given the amount of other good hoppy beers on the market likely to be my last purchase of Sucks.

Cheers!

 

Give that man a cigar.

 

As others have stated it is sometimes hard to find fresh. Although it is nice to have the availability any time of year, I like the concept of a once or twice a year release so you know when it is fresh. There are so many options out there now that if a bunch of breweries did this with their IPAs there would always be something good to buy at any given time. Only problem would be convincing them not to slap a "Limited Release" label on it and jack the price...

 

It really is a shame this beer has fallen from grace. Every time I see it, I check the date and see that is is at least 3 months old and I move on. One day I hope to find one less than 2 months out and relive the glory years, but I believe it is wishful thinking at this point.

 

Just wait. Soon they will be sending it out in green bottles.
Gotta love your Heineken