Smuttynose Big A IPA

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Bottle year 2006. Yellow orange color, moderate head, decent lacings and retention. C hops and C malt aroma. Taste displays more hop variety and good balance with malt. Very sweet. Hop flavors are not as lively as a fresh IIPA. Must get it fresh next time it is available. Somewhat sticky and resiny.

My first Smuttynose beer and what an experience! Pours orange, with a white, thin head. Hoppy, citrus aroma. Starts bitters with a bit of high alcohol sweetness. Finishes bitter and stays with you, which makes me want to keep drinking. It’s a very well balanced beer, right up my alley. I can pick it up for $5 at my local here in Milwaukee (Discount Liquor) and I can’t wait to have another. I’d probably fly to New Hampshire just to try this on cask... Bravo.

2007 & 2008- both superb brews. Both looked the part very well- orange-ish color, nice creamy head. Aromas of hops and more hops. 2007 had more spice mixed in with the blast of citrus C-hops. Reminiscient of a young FFF Dreadnaught that hadn’t mellowed at all yet. 2008 left off some of the spice and went more in the tangy, resiny citrus direction with the hop profile. Possibly a small step down from the 2007, but not by much. Across the board superb brews.

Round 2. Orange pour with a medium sized white head. Huge grapefruit and pine aroma and flavor. More citrus and hops round this one out. A little on the sweet side in the finish, but with enough bitter to back it up. Very nice.

The color was golden/orange. The head was creamy, thin, white. The aroma was citris, fruity, and hoppy. The flavor was citris, fruity, hoppy, pine, acidic, and waxy/bitter. The palate lively. The finish was hoppy.

Thanks bmartin. Pours hazy peachy amber with some sediment. Two finger creamy offwhite head. The nose is very hoppy, fruity, citrus, apricots, mild alcohol, lightly spicy resinous hops. Very nice nose. The flavor was very hoppy, citrusy, grapefruit peel, viscous mouthfeel, light alcohol, spicy, dry. Has a nice viscous mouthfeel, feels like a lot of grain went into making this. Finishes spicy and a bit bitter. The flavor is the only thing I’ll knock points off for, there’s one area that just doesn’t make it for me.

ABV: 9.2% RateBeer rating: 97 Calories: estimated at 400 C Volume:22 fl oz Glass: tulip Purchased at: Canal Liquors, Burlington, NJ (Thanks Mike!) Price: $7.00 Consumed at: home First Impression: An amazing example of the style. Aroma is flowery, hoppy, and citrus. Visuals are a deep copper under a thin yellow white head. Visibly carbonated. Taste is a deep hoppy citrus & pine. Very nice example. I enjoyed it with a very spicy homemade chicken curry and some naan. Palate has a long beautiful finish. Tongue registers sweet, bitter, and salty. Second Impression. Amazing. An absolutely satisfying imperial double IPA. Aroma: 10 out of 10 Visuals: 5 out of 5 Taste: 10 out of 10 Palate: 5 out of 5 Overall: 20 out of 20

Pours a light highly carbonated copper amber with a large frothy white head and nice lacing. Aroma is lightly sweet caramel, pine, citrus and some spice. Flavor is spicy bitter, resiny, grapefruit, caramel and apricot. Long bitter finish. Medium mouthfeel.