Lagunitas Sucks clone?

[kpr121]

Woohoo, I'm drinking one now!!! Just picked up a sixer the other day. I may have to pick up another (or 2) before they're all gone.

Favorite beer, converted me into an IPA drinker!

Just be aware that Sucks is better than 95% of the available IPAs out there. If youre like me you'll realize that none of the others (with few exceptions) put enough hops in their beers. That's the true joy of homebrewing, you can add as many as you want!

 

[bd2xu]

Just be aware that Sucks is better than 95% of the available IPAs out there. If youre like me you'll realize that none of the others (with few exceptions) put enough hops in their beers. That's the true joy of homebrewing, you can add as many as you want!

And pay for it. Grain is not expensive but hops add up quick. I think this 5 gallon batch is costing about 60 bucks

 

[kpr121]

Yeah if every other batch you make is going to be a double IPA, it’s time to start buying hops by the pound!

At the least, I try to always have a lb of the following hops:
Simcoe
Centennial
Cascade

 

[bd2xu]

I have already ordered cascade and centennial rhizomes. Trying to grow hops for the first time this year

 

[bd2xu]

Been in the keg for about three days now at 40 degrees, has a long way to go to clear up? Should I dump some gelatin in the keg? Here it is next to the real sucks

 

[kpr121]

Yea that is pretty cloudy…

Is that the first pull off the keg? You might be sucking (pun intended) some yeast and sediment that has fallen to the bottom of the keg.

Gelatin won’t really hurt, but I personally don’t like adding things to my beer that I don’t necessarily need.

Did you notice a lot of sediment when racking into the keg? If so, you might want to either A. rack a second time into a new keg, or B. add gelatin and hope it all sticks to the bottom of the keg. A third (slightly more drastic) approach would be to modify your diptube so that it pulls beer from ½ to 1 inch off the bottom of the keg, leaving the sediment below.

If it were me, I’d give it another couple days, pull off another ½ pint, and then another ½ pint. If the first ½ pint is clearer than yesterdays, and the second ½ pint is considerably clearer than the first you’ll know you don’t have a lot of sediment. I’ve had kegs where the first pint of the night is always a little cloudy. I just usually drink that one and the following pints are for everyone.

Or just add gelatin now, like I said it wont hurt anything. Its your call.

 

[Remmy]

I love this beer. I also love the Brown Shugga (9.9% ABV). I have one bottle left.

 

[gcdowd]

Just picked up some Sucks today, never had it. Looking forward to it

 

[Lagunitas]

This is one of my favorite beers. I might have to get some more before it runs out.

Are they going to continue making this as a seasonal beer for the foreseeable future?

 

[bobbrews]

View attachment 107112

Brewing a hoppy ale as cloudy and odd-colored as that is process related and really can't be fixed AFTER the fact. PM me with your detailed recipe & processes if you wish and I will try to help prevent this outcome for you in the future.

-----

No Citra in this beer folks. Lagunitas confirmed it in an email to a guy on BA. According to Lagunitas, they use Chinook, Simcoe, Apollo, Summit, Nugget and HBC342 hops for SUCKS. Hop selection may change slightly each year, but this is supposedly the most current lineup.

155 F (or higher) mash temp. & approx. 63-65 IBUs at about 1.083-85 OG / 1.023-25 FG. WLP002 starter, or at least Lagunitas' version of it.

I am of the opinion that the only kettle hop additions during the 90 minute boil occur at some combo of 60/45/30/20... Exclude one or two of those if you wish. This is presumably followed by a huge whirlpool/hopstand and a multi-stage dryhop. A minimum of 11 oz. total hops per 5-5.5 gal batch.

 

[bd2xu]

Brewing a hoppy ale as cloudy and odd-colored as that is process related and really can't be fixed AFTER the fact. PM me with your detailed recipe & processes if you wish and I will try to help prevent this outcome for you in the future.

-----

No Citra in this beer folks. Lagunitas confirmed it in an email to a guy on BA. According to Lagunitas, they use Chinook, Simcoe, Apollo, Summit, Nugget and HBC342 hops for SUCKS. Hop selection may change slightly each year, but this is supposedly the most current lineup.

155 F (or higher) mash temp. & approx. 63-65 IBUs at about 1.083-85 OG / 1.023-25 FG. WLP002 starter, or at least Lagunitas' version of it.

I am of the opinion that the only kettle hop additions during the 90 minute boil occur at some combo of 60/45/30/20... Exclude one or two of those if you wish. This is presumably followed by a huge whirlpool/hopstand and a multi-stage dryhop. A minimum of 11 oz. total hops per 5-5.5 gal batch.

I used the recipe on this thread, fifth entry. Everything went right, used whitlfloc. I know it will not be clear with all that wheat but this is the cloudiest beer I've made yet. Mashed about 153. OG was 1.079, fg 1.010. Used wy1272 with a 1.5L starter. Decanted starter and only pitched yeast. Ferm temp stable (swamp cooler) about 66. Dry hopped 10 days with pellets in secondary, then cold crashed for 3 days at 36, racked to keg, it's been there about 3 days. Yes this was one of the first pulls but it was cloudy like this going into the keg. Maybe after a couple weeks will be clearer. Here's a screen shot of actual recipe I used.

 

[Kuckoo]

Also one of my favorites. My buddy and I went up to Sonoma Valley in early February for the Pliny the Younger pilgrimage. Lagunitas Sucks came very close to being the best beer of that trip. I brought a growler each of Sucks and Elder home. Oh how I miss them. Keep us updated on how the beer turns out. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

 

[merrskis]

Also one of my favorites. My buddy and I went up to Sonoma Valley in early February for the Pliny the Younger pilgrimage. Lagunitas Sucks came very close to being the best beer of that trip. I brought a growler each of Sucks and Elder home. Oh how I miss them. Keep us updated on how the beer turns out. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

I'm making my monthly Lagunitas and Russian River pilgrimage tomorrow I wish I had a kegerator I'd grab the 7.75 gallon Sucks for only ~70 bucks in a heartbeat. It got my girlfriend to like hoppy beers finally so its a winner in my book.

 

[bobbrews]

I know it will not be clear with all that wheat but this is the cloudiest beer I've made yet.

I wouldn't blame the wheat for clarity issues. Using malts like wheat or rye will reduce the polyphenols and increase the protein levels at low percentages in your grain bill. As the levels reach higher and higher, from to 25-40%, the amount of polyphenols are reduced to such a low percentage that the proteins have nothing to link with and the beers are very clear. The addition of torrified wheat should've allowed the malt enzymes to more completely attack starches and proteins.

Your haze issue comes across more to me as a a mash that was not fully converted and/or perhaps it is due to poor brewing water/too many dissolved solids. How long did you mash for? Did you test your pH and did you make any mineral adjustments?

Another possibility could be chill haze. Hop tannins combines with proteins in an unoxidized state. These protein-tannin complexes formed with non-coagulable proteins cause chill-haze, because they are soluble in hot wort but precipitate in the cold, and since they are relatively light-weight, they will float and will not totally form sedimentation.

Did you attain a full rolling boil before adding your first hop addition? Vigorous and violent boiling helps coagulate unstable proteins. Wort should be boiled well before adding hops, so tannins from the husks are eliminated in the hot break, thus reducing the chances of chill-haze development. To be completely sure of this (and to get more character from the malt) I typically like to boil my all grain batches for a full 90 minutes, and add my first hop addition at 60 minutes. I've found that these IPAs are clearer and more complex.

If none of this applies, avoid agitation of the fermenter at all costs. Let gravity and time clear your beer. To offer further help, use gelatin after the first day of cold-crashing. 1 tsp. dissolved in 2/3 cup 150 F water.

 

[LovesIPA]

I typically like to boil my all grain batches for a full 90 minutes, and add my first hop addition at 60 minutes. I've found that these IPAs are clearer and more complex.

This makes total sense to me. I'll have to try this on my next IPA brew.

This is why I love this forum. I find so many of these nuggets of wisdom to add to my own brewing process.

 

[bd2xu]

Been in the keg for about three days now at 40 degrees, has a long way to go to clear up? Should I dump some gelatin in the keg? Here it is next to the real sucks

It's gotten a lot clearer but still very cloudy. Not fully carbed yet and tastes pretty good. I think it's a protein haze from the wheat but I need to research that some.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

"tastes pretty good"...how similar to Sucks? To say that I am developing a minor addiction to this beer would be a lie...it is a MAJOR one and I would love to brew something similar.

I would ask about your Boulevard Tank 7 clone but that would be a topic for another thread! A great beer!! I hope to brew up a Saison that I got from Northern Brewer next weekend.

- Brent

 

[bd2xu]

It's very citrusy, a little more bitter than sucks and does not have that earthy spice I taste in sucks. This attempt yielded a good beer but failed on the clone attempt. It is also a lot lighter and a lot cloudier but I'm hoping it gets clearer.

Very excited about the tank 7 it's been in the fermenter now for 15 days and still seeing a bubble or two every 20 or 30 seconds. I'm going to be really patient with this as its my first use of 3724 and its notorious for taking its sweet time. I've had it up to 93 degrees (water bath with aquarium heater) for the last week, everything I read says it shines when you can get it up this high, also finishes in a couple weeks vs 6. I'm going to be patient and not even check SG for a few more days.

 

[jamesdawsey]

@bd2xu: If you want more of an earthy spiciness add some chinook near the end of the boil. It's very similar to columbus, but less citrus and more pungent earthiness. As for the haze, stick with the 90 minute boil and move your 90 minute hop addition to a 60 minute addition. I don't know the exact reason off the top of my head, but this will help with what may be a chill haze. Just some thoughts. Otherwise, keep us updated! A successful clone of SUCKS will be a beautiful thing.

 

[chocotaco]

this became my favorite beer...then it quickly disappeared... then I discovered Pliny the Elder... but I'd love to try them back2back to compare.... but Lagunitas Sucks will always have a special place in my heart as it turned me 'on' to the Hop-side

This may be sacrilege but IMHO Sucks >> Pliny. Pliny is great when it's fresh out of the brewery, but every other time I've had it lately I have been disappointed with the aroma and flavor. Maybe it's just because Pliny is so hard to get that it makes itself a let-down. Sucks just punches you in the face with a huge, sweet, floral, citrusy hop aroma and flavor, and then balances it out with a nice, light malt back which is personally what I like out of an IPA. I am sad that Sucks is finally gone (it lasted much longer at the MegaMart than I expected it to).

Similar easy-to-get face-punching IPAs include Firestone Double Jack (year-round at my MegaMart, personal fave), Gubna ($$$ but worth it) and Sierra Nevada Torpedo (not the cream of the crop but a good go-to).

I have a lot of recipes to get through but will definitely be trying to suss out a Sucks clone using the info from this thread. Thanks to all that e-mailed them to get info (though I feel like they are f-ing with us a bit to protect their recipe).

 

[redd1982]

found this one online.. If anyone can help to translate this to a partial/ extract recipe it would be appreciated

5 gal. batch
90 min. boil
primary 17 days @ 64
secondary 5 days @ 67
tertiary 5 days @ 69
brown bottles 21 days @ 72
1.085 OG 1.025 FG
53.5 IBU
8.0% ABV

10# Great Western Premuin 2-row Malt
3# Rahr Red Wheat Malt
1# Rye Malt
1# Thomas Fawcett Oats, Malted
10oz Briess Torrified Wheat

1 ea Rice hulls 75 min mash
1 ea Whirlfloc tablet 15 min boil
1 ea yeast nutrient 15 min boil

.5 oz Columbus 90min
.5 oz Simcoe 20 min
.5 oz Columbus 10 min
1 oz Centennial 5 min
2 oz Amarillo 30 min post boil
2 oz Centennial 30 min post boil
3 oz Citra Dry hop 10 days
1.5 oz Simcoe Dry hop 10 days

English Ale (WLP002)

Mash @ 155 for 75 min 5.859 gal
mash out 2 gal @ 212 for 15 min 2 gal

MoeIPA,
Have you brewed this recipe? If yes, how did it turn out? I had a few issues with the recipe. The color was way off and the IBU's were high than your recipe (78 IBU's).

My favorite beer and I would like to get it right...lol. Thanks in advance.

 

[Leppy]

I have a converted recipe, BUUUUT I've RDWHAHBed a little too much and can't get it here. Maybe tomorrow.

Any chance of getting that extract recipe?

 

[mike024]

I actually live two miles from lagunitas. According to the bartender there, the actual recipe has not been released to the public. He says the brew master is more stingy with that one than any other. They have released many, just not this one.

 

[bd2xu]

Just kicked the keg on my clone. It was a very good IPA and I got tons of compliments on it. I would say it was in the ballpark with Sucks but definitely different. I used the recipe near the beginning of the thread and whirlpooled with hops for 30 mins post boil after chilling down to 180.

 

[Chewie181]

I have a converted recipe, BUUUUT I've RDWHAHBed a little too much and can't get it here. Maybe tomorrow.

Any chance of getting that extract recipe?

I would also be VERY interested in a converted recipe....

 

[mike024]

The clone can not come close to the original. Lagunitas uses a house made hop extract that they use in this recipe. It is the same for the Hop Stoopid. These two beers will never be able to be done by a home brewer unless you have an inside source. I have a source that I can get hops from straight from the brew master. He will not give up the recipe for the beer or the hop extract though. Fortunately for me I know of one little hole in the wall that still has sucks. I am drinking it well into June.

 

[jonnyp1980]

ive noticed that their sumpthin and sucks are very sweet..i wonder if they add and non fermentable sugar to bump the sweetness??

 

[bobbrews]

ive noticed that their sumpthin and sucks are very sweet..i wonder if they add and non fermentable sugar to bump the sweetness??

NO. They are just higher finishing gravities... particularly Sucks. It has to do mainly with the yeast selection not being so good of an attenuator. If they added a significant amount of non-fermentable sweetener, the body of these beers would be off the charts full.

 

[jonnyp1980]

NO. They are just higher finishing gravities... particularly Sucks. It has to do mainly with the yeast selection not being so good of an attenuator. If they added a significant amount of non-fermentable sweetener, the body of these beers would be off the charts full.

Thanks. Always wondered.

 

[bd2xu]

The clone can not come close to the original. Lagunitas uses a house made hop extract that they use in this recipe. It is the same for the Hop Stoopid. These two beers will never be able to be done by a home brewer unless you have an inside source. I have a source that I can get hops from straight from the brew master. He will not give up the recipe for the beer or the hop extract though. Fortunately for me I know of one little hole in the wall that still has sucks. I am drinking it well into June.

True, my "clone" from the recipe on this thread was fairly close but not a clone. However, it was one of the best IPAs I've made. The 4 cereal grain bill added and lot of complexity. For the flameout hops, I chilled to just below 180 then whirpooled the hops for 30 mins, then chilled down to pitching temps. Great recipe nonetheless.

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

ive noticed that their sumpthin and sucks are very sweet..i wonder if they add and non fermentable sugar to bump the sweetness??

Pretty sure they mash @156-158

 

[tommyk]

It has a high FG because of all the 'cereal' grains used as well, right?

 

[barneygumbleburb]

mashout at 212? is that right?

 

[skibb]

A more up-to-date hop-bill for the beer:

The hops we use are Chinook, Simcoe, Apollo, Summit, Nugget and HBC342 hops. I agree, Sucks rocks. I can probably bathe in it. And as far as the 32oz bottles, not quite sure where we stand on those at the moment. We are only running Sucks as a seasonal in six packs at this time but I am not quite sure what our final decision will be when it comes to making it a year round. We will all just have to wait and see.
Thanks for the great email,
Nina Anguiano
First Line of Defense Lagunitas Brewing Co.

source: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/lagunitas-sucks-clone-317407/index2.html

Also from their CYBI interviews they say the CO2 extract they use is derived from Williamette

Based on the hop usage/timing from their other published recipes (CYBI) I'm thinking for a 6 gallon batch...

OG: 1.085
FG: 1.025 = 7.85% abv

82% 2-Row
9% Wheat malt
9% Rye malt

Summit, nugget, CO2 extract @ Bittering
1oz Chinook @ 45
1oz Nugget @ 45
1.5oz Chinook @ WP
1.5oz Simcoe @ WP
2oz Simcoe @ DH
2oz Apollo @DH
3-4oz HBC342 (sub citra) @ DH

 

[gbarron]

Based on the hop usage/timing from their other published recipes (CYBI) I'm thinking for a 6 gallon batch...

OG: 1.085
FG: 1.025 = 7.85% abv

82% 2-Row
9% Wheat malt
9% Rye malt

Summit, nugget, CO2 extract @ Bittering
1oz Chinook @ 45
1oz Nugget @ 45
1.5oz Chinook @ WP
1.5oz Simcoe @ WP
2oz Simcoe @ DH
2oz Apollo @DH
3-4oz HBC342 (sub citra) @ DH

This looks good but what about the oats?

I'm glad to see some activity on this thread. With winter coming, hopefully we'll start seeing Sucks around these parts again in the next month or two. But after March it will be gone and I will be desperate. I would love to see a good clone developed by then.

 

[Fungi]

I emailed Lagunitas 2 weeks ago inquiring if they'll have Sucks this year & they replied to me last week & here was their reply. (i was stoked they actually replied, though didn't answer my recipe my question )

"From one Sucks lover to another, I am on your make-this-a-year-round-brew team. And it is definitely on the table for all the beer gurus here to talk about. As for now it’s set to be coming out late December and hang around for a few months. But who knows, maybe next time it won’t go away.. and just stay forever. Wouldn’t that be a dream come true.





Keep on Keepin On,



Chelsea Martinez

Lagunitas Brewing Company"

 

[LovesIPA]

The quarts of Sucks are out. I bought a couple the other day at the store.

Has anyone brewed the clone recipe in post #74?

Has anyone else gotten anywhere close to this beer? I'm drinking one now and thinking I need to stock up on some more 32oz bottles.

 

[eandersen]

Anybody else find the new stuff a little more dank than last years?

 

[Bill33525]

Just got a six here in Tampa; Opened/poured a tulip glass full... Very danky! The dank subsides or maybe my nose can't smell it after a while. Columbus??

 

[YukonLT]

Just picked a sixer to try for the first time, drinking one now. This is a truly great beer! I get regular access to all the Vermont beers sought after (Heady Topper, Hill Farmstead, Lawson's Finest), and this one is definitely in the same league. Bummed it's not a year round release, but such is life.

Cheers!