Smuttynose Big A IPA

A hophead’s delight enjoyed by those present at the latest The LoSBD meeting. Golden in color with a creamy white head, the aroma was a strong grapefruit and pine combo atop a struggling caramel malt. The flavor is intensely bitter with the hops. Wonderful! Oh, yeah - a thick caramel maltiness was quashed beneath it all. The lingering hop bitterness satisfied righteously. Thanks, Randy, for making this gem available, however briefly.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=18266>From RAYBOY01’s Fridge<font size=-1>

Pours golden with white head. Wonderful grapefruit and pine that only Gene and Joe could appreciate... Strong hoppiness. This is a hop monster that I look forward to having more of when Smutty comes to Wisconsin.

2005 bottle. Opaque yelow with a thin firm head. Heavy, sweet light caramel malt and resinous, musty hop aroma. Feels thick on the tongue but finishes thinner than expected. Very bitter. Flavors of pineapple, citrus and what’s that other flavor? Oh yeah, hops. Alcohol makes itself known. Kinda rough overall.

Bottled in 2005, Sampled January 2006
Pours an almost clear, copper color that is topped by a frothy, three-finger thick, pale tan colored head. The aroma is sweet and thickly cloying with ample notes of American hops; notably I get notes of ruby red grapefruit, sweet orange peel, and tangerine. As my nose get used to it some of the sharper hop notes begin to come to the fore; I get notes of pine, a nice herbal note, as well as a nice dry toasted malt character.

The beer is fairly dry up front, yet still manages to have a thick, creamy mouthfeel to it. The hops are evident from the get go, lots of herbal notes as well as notes of pine that has a menthol like edge to it. Because of the dryness, the citrus notes are not nearly as evident as they are in the nose. They are here though; I get notes of lemon peel, sour orange, and grapefruit peel,. I really like the mouth feel of this beer, it is quite satisfying with a soft creaminess that really coats the mouth. The bitterness of this beer starts immediately and carries through to a lingering, long, slightly astringent finish. The herbal notes really seem to be dominant, almost with a green hoppy character that at times has notes of grassiness to it.

In the background is a dry toasty malt character reminiscent of biscuits and fresh from the oven French-bread crusts. This is definitely a nice IPA, it has a solid hop character throughout, with a touch of malt character that adds a little something extra. With the level of hopping in this beer it perhaps needs a bit more sweetness, especially to amplify the citrus notes that are intrinsic to the hops. Overall though this is quite nice and definitely enjoyable.

Got this in a trade a long while ago, so it has about a year of aging. Served up at our KC tasting. Goldish, orange color with floaties (I had the last pour) and a hazy head. Aroma is brown sugar, citrus, vanilla, and mild yeast. Large mouthfeel with flavors of honey, sweet citrus, and malt. A year of age makes this more of a nice american barleywine.

22 oz bottle. Firey oranges, yellow, and reds. Whispy bubbles and top with a ring. The aroma is features boat loads of sweet malt, herby, citric hops, peaches and apritocs. Sweet, honey, grassy hops, with a lingering alcohol burn. Fuller body with a ton of carbonation. Middle of the road for style, yet easily enjoyable.

22oz. bottle, 2004 vintage. Strongly fruity, citric aroma, plenty of juicy grapefruit and lemon along with a noticeably sweet, grainy malt backbone alongside some faint apple, spice and alcohol. Dark golden amber color, lightly hazy, with a creamy, lasting, uneven head. Well balanced flavor profile, a goodly amount of malty sweetness combined with plenty of hop bitterness and flavor, nicely citric and refreshing with a bit of acidity and a small amount of peppery alcohol at the finish.Creamy, smooth mouthfeel, nicely full bodied. This may actually be a touch on the old side (~1 yr.) but is still highly flavorful and lively.

Hey, a nice big hoppy nose on this one! Piney, resiny, candyish, almost new mown hay. Dirty and earthy too, a touch of barnyard? Puckering tannic and dry in the mouth. More slight barnyard and earth character. Dry bitter finish. Amber color, full head, hazy.