What's up with Lagunitas Sucks?

Yep. I was at Total Wine a couple of weeks back and the distributor was lining up 6 packs. I picked one up and was thoroughly disappointed. I didn't read the date (I rarely bother with Lagunitas) but since the distributor was releasing them at that time, I assumed they were as fresh as can be down here in Florida (maybe 6-8 weeks old?). Anyway, very little bite to the beer. Rather flat. Used to love this beer. I think something is off, but could be wrong.

 

I mostly go to my 'local' Total Wine & More (in my neighboring state of Delaware) to buy wine. When I do buy beer I always check the dates. They demand 'free labor' from the Wholesale Distributors to stock the shelves. I have little doubt those Wholesale Distributors place their oldest stock there since no Total Wine & More folks bother to check. I mostly buy seasonal products since they are likely to be fresh.

Cheers!

 

I’m beyond excited to pick some up and enjoy this winter season!

 

Wait, folks care what Heineken does?

 

Lagunitas holds a special place in many beer drinkers hearts out here. Soo many good memories of their abrasive hops and affordable stouts. Stoopin it up with lagunitas bombers or getting well beyond sober before stumbling back to motel 6 next door to their Petaluma spot.

Its like an old flame you dream about sometimes, but then they're in the news again, winning a lawsuit on behalf of Cargill so that they can keep dumping known carcinogens in the pond next to the daycare...

 

You can’t just leave that dangling without explain more!

 

Well then you wake up from your fevor dream and realize that really she is still that brewery that puts out affordable beer, will pointlessly obtuse date codes, and a steadily decreasing intensity of flavor. And no matter how sad it is you are literally drowning in amazing beer made by people inspired by that same first love so shit ain't so bad.after all!

 

I get it. Even if I don’t quite get it all, I get it.

 

Honestly, when sucks comes around is when the missing of lagunitas is most painful for me personally. That first batch was so damn good. Just sharp and dry and unapologetic. I feel like lagunitas has just gone the way of stone, super tempered lineup, obviously geared to have the broadest appeal. Obviously a decent business choice if you're trying to be a global beer brand but they used to be so damn fun and irreverent. Now it's just some.canned corporate marketing bullshit about how their juicy hazy IPA is "innovative" because it's in 4 packs of pint cans or something.

My first lagunitas sucks was at a bar in reno in December 2010(?) visiting a close friend who had just gotten out of prison and was on parole and stuck in Reno. I found an iPhone (hot shit back then) under the air hockey table we were playing and gave it to the bartender. She got a hold of the dude who left it and when he came back for it he asked who turned it in and bought me a pint in appreciation for not stealing his fancy phone. Sucks was his recommendation. Genius. I probably bought a case of quarts (also genius, fuck the haters [and my liver]) that winter. Way too good

 

hm, what BA do I want to hang with and listen to stories all night long while drinking... @unlikelyspiderperson

 

I had it a week or so ago fresh and couldn't have been more disappointed. It used to be close to a 5 star beer for me. Perhaps my palate has changed but for the record I still enjoy most other "old school" IPAs such as Torpedo, Stone IPA, etc.

 

I think you have some ex-girlfriend issues...

 

LOL, that story of yours could be scripted into a movie scene or a Johnny Cash song if he were still alive.

 

I really wish she'd stop defending corporate polluters. She should've finished art school...

 

Ha, those quarts were awesome. They inspired a lot of spirited discussion here on BA, too.

 

Their beer finder suggests I would need to drive to Petaluma to get this. I'd happily try a fresh bottle for old times sake.

 

I picked up a six pack this weekend. It tasted close to how I remember it. My wife loved it. For $9.99 I was very happy with the purchase.

 

I loved those quarts. I re-used them all for home-brew, because it's way less of a pain in the ass to put 5 gallons of beer into 20 quart bottles than 50-something 12 oz bottles. I believe I once thanked Tony Magee via this forum, on a string he was posting on, for using crown-cappable 32 oz bottles instead of twist-offs, and he said it was done on purpose for that very reason. Might have been some other forum...

 

And now this year they are doing sucks and not Brown Shugga.

 

I had their recent release of Sucks and am somewhat (well mostly) unimpressed, granted I never had the original version, so cannot speak to that. As others have said this one falls too mainstream. It tastes similar to many of their other Lagunitas beers. Sweetened and resinous candied citrus. The same flavor and slightly overly sweet. One reviewer said that all Lagunitas beer start to taste the same. I definitely can concur that many start to taste the same after trying this beer. Don't know about you, but this one didn't stand out and was another wheel in the sugary Lagunitas cog.