Smuttynose Big A IPA

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

Orange pour with offwhite 2 finger head. Strong Citrusy hop aroma. Tingling palate with a Fantastic balance of spicy hops and subtle malts. Well crafted and a pleasure to drink. Less bold than some DIPAs but this the balance is welcomed in the style.

22oz Bottle: Orange amber in color w/ a fluffy off-white head. Nice lacing as it dissipates. Grapefruit hop aroma. Strong, very strong aroma. Flavor mirrors the aroma. Very hoppy, the grapefruit variety. Crazy bitter, hoppy madness. Nice full body. Great beer!

Snifter. Pours a beautiful opaque amber with huge lumpy, frothy two finger beige head. Aroma is of spicy hops with lots of citrus and a slight floral note. Flavor is an incredible blend of bittering hops with a subtle balance of malt. Lots of citrus and spice. Surprisingly not as harsh as expected from the style. Balanced and subtle. If your looking for a bracingly bitter, knock your socks off DIPA, you won’t find it here. What you have here is an expertly balanced, though low key and subtle example of the style. Hops are quite prevalent, but hop character is not overwhelming. Palate is prickly and resinous with a sticky middle and slightly dry finish. Another unique and world class offering from the boys at Smuttynose.

7-12-08 bottle shared with lb4lb thanks to the wonderful kmweaver
Beautiful rich thick glowing orange amber pour with a great dense off white head and some slight lacing. Smell is fruity apricots, oranges and fresh flowers. Flavor is fruity and rich and sweet and bitter. Mouthfeel is perfect here - it is thick but not syrupy, refreshing but not thin. Ideal all around. A great IPA in all ways. Thanks Ken!

Bottle in trade as an extra courtesy of kmweaver. Thanks man!!
Pours my favorite color for the style; a gorgeous glowing and hazy bright orange with a fluffy light beige head atop that leaves nice lacing. Smell is big and bold fruity hops with scents of peaches, apricot, oranges, melon and clean, fresh citrusy fruits with a hint of alcohol peeking in perhaps. Taste is crisp and bitter but not overly so, with fresh citrusy and hoppy fruity flavors and a nice balance of malt as well. A touch of alcohol is noticeable and only holds the beer back from near perfection for me. Full mouthfeel and crisp bubbly carbonation provide a perfect refreshingness to it. This is a fantastic beer, that for me, only suffers from a slightly higher ABV than necessary. Thanks again for this one, Ken!

Amber orange pour big white frothy head bottled in 2006 big floral aromas combined with sweet and grassy notes wonderful sweet malty balance with citrus and earthy hops

Love this one! Smutty IPA is my staple and this one just is bigger but with similar aroma, appearance, flavor. The use of hops is great. Have spoken to the brewer about this years edition and due to the hops issue, several hop variations needed to be used. Limited supply so get yours!

Bottle (2008). Pours orange with a lasting and sticky off-white head. Sweet grapefruit and pine needle aroma. Medium body, Flavor is very well balanced with sweet citric and pine notes, as well as peach and caramel. A tinge of alcohol is very faint. This beer is a perfect combination of taste, drinkablility and affordability. $6 for a 22oz. bomber? Sure, twist my arm.