Smuttynose Big A IPA

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

It pours a clear honey orange color. Pleasant hop and citrus tones, but not overpowering. Strongly bitter with a near grapefruit aftertaste. For IPA fans only.

Pumpkin orange. Wisp of head, but attractively rocky and sticky. Balanced nose of pine straw, peach skin, and sugared orange rind. Fairly herbal and sherbety. Soft, condensed carbonation. Full bodied. Slick but oh so tightly piney with a beautifully understated notion of bitter grapefruit rind. Gentle jellied malt character, but quite subdued at a colder temp. Rather than lending balance, a cool breath of alcohol somehow intensifies the tongue-clinging sappiness, which blankets the brighter hop elements. Delicious secondary notes of toast and straw develop as it warms. Sweetness soon takes foothold, as dried pineapples stymie the polished peach notes. Finishes orange rind bitter alongside a dryly herbaceous peach skin backing. Refined, but surprisingly modest, nose for the style, but the mouthfeel is luxuriantly soft with remarkable density, to boot. And while the malt shines at a warmer temp., this really should be savored at a near-cold temp. in order capture the resounding brightness of the hops. A few minor adjustments and this’ll really be something.

Poured a mostly clear orange color with a medium white head. Aroma of citrus and grassy hops with sweet malt. Flavor of caramel and biscut/bread with citrus hop flavor running through from middle to the bitter finish. Alcohol warms but flavor is hidden.

Wonderful lacng, great hoppy-citrus aroma. Flavor was bitter and hoppy with a touch of sweet. The alcohol can out at the end. Nice.

22 oz bottle: poured light orange with very little head. No ffttt when opening the bottle. I thought I was doomed. But, turns out it was carbonated. Big hop aroma. Light pine, pineapple, citrus. Flavor is sweet on first sip with a bitter hop finish. Flavor of pineapple, grass. Sweet malt. Very nice.

Pours amber with a strawlike bubbley head. Smells grassy with elements of citrus, yogurt, bananas, roses and caramel. Tastes of pepper, nuts and rose hips. Bitter alcohol finish.

Talk about lacing... Big IPA tapped at the Extreme Beer Festival. Offered a pleasant hoppy, grassy, citrusy aroma. Poured a deep copper-orange with lacing that was out of this world... you couldn’t even see the glass, it was just pure foam all the way down. Awesome. Palate was a little watery but taste was well balanced malt at the front, pitching a strong, bitter hop later on with grapefruit, grass, pine.

Pours a a copper color with a white head. Aroma is strong citrus and floral hops. Flavor is delightfuly bitter and hoopy. Good beer. Hides the 9% amazingly well.