Smuttynose Big A IPA

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

Dark Orange. Vibrant, citrusy aroma of grapefruit, dripping pine needle and also some nice floral and grassy hops, almost English in a way. Phenomenal, sugary deep biscuit and caramel malt flavor along with hints of mainly English tasting hops; pine and grapefruit. Fantastic and unique. I loved this.

Hazy amber with good size white head. Strong hop aroma with a touch of citrus. Mostly hop flavor with hints of malt, citrus and pine.

Aroma is all hops. Rich mouthfeel with plenty of sweet malt flavors. Smuttynose does a good job of getting both citrus and pine flavors out of the hops in this one.

Bottle pours a fairly hazy amber with grapefruit highlights, small frothy off-white head, good carbonation, with so-so lacing.   Hops, caramel, and sweetened grapefruit on the nose.   Hop bitterness, slight pine, definite citrus flair, with strong notes of grapefruit on the tongue.   Good body and mouthfeel.   Finishes with floral notes and that mouth puckering hop bitterness.   This is fairly tasty!   Thanks goes out to slob for the trade!

Rich, golden color, nearing on peach, slightly hazy, with an attractive , frothy head, milk white, lace leaving. Vibrant aroma, showing pine, and citrus notes, a little bitter, but, terribly inviting. Mmmmm! Big, bristling hop dance...a tongue delighter for sure...yaaahh! This just floods the whole mouth with full-on hoppitude, no holds barred! Nice, candyish, sweet flavor meets bitterness, plus an adequate malt backbone, bready and, well, damn, the hops dominate and never quite quit! This is a hophead’s dream, just spills all over the palate and makes the mouth a buzzing playground of hoppitude. Damn, this is pretty right on! Just the stuff I like!

Wow! This beer was near perfect, pouring a hazy orange color. A frothy head which was ever so slightly off white almost a very pale yelllow. Aroma was really sweet with hop notes and some pine notes. Taste was really smooth although mostly hoppy, the inital taste had some sweet notes to it, not to sweet but just enough to take from the extreme hoppy edge

09.07.04 22oz bomber. Hazed, orange-amber pour with glowing highlights. Massive yellowish white head. Ridiculous lacing. Aromas are big, thick, sweet, and inviting - cotton candy, grapefruit pith, pine forest. Very complex nose for an IIPA. Active eff that dances around the brew with each sip, each hoist of the glass. Palate is thick, coating, and sugary/malty - but the balancing hoppiness is sharp and dry; the relatively tame alchohol does more than you could ask presenting itself on the palate and incorporating in the flavors. Hops dominate the tongue. This beer reminds me more and more of grapefruit juice each time I try it. The malts seem to be in place almost solely in effort to counter and balance the hoppiness. Truly, this is an outstanding beer. So good that I have bought two cases of the stuff, the type of purchase I’ve made only once before.

(Bottle) Pours a clear amber with a thick, foamy, off-white head. Aroma of grapefruit, florals, sweet malt, and alcohol. Flavor of hops, caramel, and alcohol. Would have guessed this one had more alcohol than 7%.