The Cambridge House Big Hoppy

Brewed by The Cambridge House
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Granby, Connecticut USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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Pours red with perfect khaki head. Fresh floral rose pedal aroma. Taste is dry and lots of flower grass hops

Pours a bit hazy amber with a small off white head. Aroma is a bit perfumey blending malts and hops together, a tad too sweet. Flavor brings quite a bit of hop, nicely done for an organic brew. There is a drier bitter ending as well, body carbonated just well.

22oz bottle in a tulip. Pours copper with a lacy, off-white head. Aroma of citrusy and piney hops, plus a little caramel malts. Flavor the same, but the malts are not enough. Average texture. A pretty good beer.

Great ipa, definetlynsome different. Flavors going on in there, toast, smoke, pine, flavors

Sharp citrus aroma. Hazy orange color with a small white head. Quick sweet beginning building to a sharp bitter finish.

My Bottom Line:
This hugely malty American Strong Ale brings together caramelized and toasted cereals in a round and oily mouthfeel where earthy and resinous hop leave their pleasant trail of bitterness.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam covers the dark amber red.
-If you are a fan of Stone’s Double Bastard and beers of that ilk, this will be for you.
-The luxurious body of this brew is one of its best features. Its big, but never sticky or too sweet.
-The Chinook signature is prevalent throughout, yet I can’t help but think a bit more variety in the hop profile would have rendered a bit more complexity.
-Mild alcohol warmth touches the back end.
-Hops are also leafy and wooden throughout.

On tap at the Torrington location.

GABF 2007. Wow. In my notes, I wrote that "this smells like the second coming of Hop Whompus," which is very high praise: nice fresh hoppiness with balanced malts, all blending together in loveliness. Unfortunately, the flavor does not live up to the smell. Mostly, it wasn’t fruity enough after the promises made in the aroma, the malts coming through and breaking up the continuity of the hop dream, the hops coming back only as a nice level of bitterness in the finish. Didn’t have the impression of "freshness" in my favorite IIPAs. Disappointing (only because the smell boosted my expectations so much; this is really a good beer).

Pours amber with a tan rocky head. Smells of bitter citrus, some grass, hints of resin, some spice and doughy. Tastes citrussy and resiny with a caramel finish.

on tap-pours a rich retaining light tan head that laces and amber color. Aroma is great grapefruit/citrus/pine hops (cascade, later lemon zest/Amarillo shows up), some sweetness. Taste is great grapefruit/citrus/pine hops (cascade, later lemon zest/Amarillo shows up), some sweetness, secondary medium malt. Finish is bitter pine/resiny. OK carbonation.

GABF 2007: Poured a hazy orange-copper color with an off-white head. Nice fresh sweaty and piney hop aroma. The flavor was a hop and malt mix. Very tasty. Fresh hop notes. Semi-sweet finish with a medium body.