Smuttynose Big A IPA

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

Pours a beautiful golden yellow color with a nice white head.Huge citrus/piney malt aroma that you could sit and smell all day! Upon first sip...WOW,HUGE citrus/piney hop blast with a malty backing. This baby hides the high alcohol very well!Excelent IPA! I would say that this baby needs a little more malt backing though to balance it out a little better.

This offering pours a lemon orange slightly cloudy that leaves a spotchy thin white head. The nose permiates hops, citrus, spicy, grapefruit, cloves, and honey a very interesting nose. The taste starts with a huge hop profile, but is only slightly balanced with a tiny malty presence of honey and flowers almost too delicate for a IIPA this brew needs a bit more malt balance. Overall this is grapefruit, spicy, hopped up monster. I like this version of their IIPA but it needs a bit more balance to take it to the next level.

Pours dark gold into a tulip. Micro head quickly dissipates to blot the surface. Sweet citrus and pine notes. Full with upfront sweet caramel with a lasting bitter citrus finish.

22oz bottle via trade with 46er3498 - Thanks Tom! - Pours hazy golden with a short foamy offwhite head that leaves weblike lacing on the tulip. Aromas of nice grapefruit, apricot, and some fresh cut flowers. Flavor is good grapefruit and apricot over a pretty good background of caramel malts. I’m impressed with the balance of this one.. Good sharp hop presence but a nice malt presence as well. Crisp and clean on the palate but full of body as well. Nice bitter hop finish.. Pretty nice brew..

Hazy light amber body with a small frothy white head. Sweet citrus hops aroma. Sweet citrus hops flavor, some light caramel in the background.

Cold 22oz bottle: Hazy dark orange color with medium ivory head. Aroma is mainly of pine, with notes of citrus. Taste is quite bitter and smooth. Full body. Very hoppy! I enjoyed this IPA more after it warmed up a bit.

A very nice and dark golden body with a bit of cloudiness, very little head retention. Excellent aroma, Cascade hops show up very nicely as well as a bit of resin. Nice cool body, good hoppiness that balances very well with the malts. Sharp tang in the end, bitter hop profile comes though nicely. A very nicely done IIPA.

Poured an amber-gold color with a nice intial head that had only ok retention, but provided nice lacing for the entire glass. Slight haze appearance. The aroma was citrus-like hops, but short of orange rindy or anything like that. Flavor was malty, maybe some light bread underneath, and lots of citrus and light floral hops. Melons also detected. Sharp and distinct bitter finish, a large bittering hop element. Mouthfeel was moderate to full for the style, but nothing sticky or sweet to it. Re-rated 5/08: Pretty similar experience, and this thing was darned bitter, finishing bittering hops very prominent. Looks like my original rating is pretty dead on, so leaving it alone.