5 Seasons Big Hoppy Monster

Brewed by 5 Seasons Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Atlanta, Georgia USA

Tap @ brewery. Huge floral hop aroma. The citrus tastes are of grapefruit, limes & lemons. This is certainly a great IPA. The malt isn’t all that present but that’s ok with me. This baby kicks ass at about 70 ibu’s. Taste is sweet, dry and bitter with a ton of crystal malts.

I love hops and this beer is definitely a hop lovers beer. The 2003 version was more hoppy than that in 2004; so much so that a good friend said that it just ’smelled like grass clippings’. Could use a little more malt to balance out the hops, but I guess that may be for the upcoming Five Seasons Imperial IPA.

Big Hoppy Monster pours to a beautiful, bright, deep amber color with a tight white head that fades and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is very fragrant with zesty, lively aromas of grape fruit, lemon, and pine. This signature aroma comes from the use of PNW hops such as Cascades, Columbus, and Centennials, and they are in this beer in abundance. Some nice crystal malt is used in this beer, but it really doesn’t stand a chance in the nose, and only acts as a spring board for more hop flavor on the palate. Big Hoppy Monster has a wonderful sweet malty, candied grapefruit hop flavor, that just dances on the tongue. I’m guessing this beer ranges from 5 to 6% abv, but peppery alcohol is not a flavor factor in this beer. Big Hoppy Monster finishes with more sweet malt and candied hop flavor up front, then ends with a big, citrus burst of grape fruit hop bitterness that lingers on the tongue. Big Hoppy Monster is a very impressive AIPA, and is a classic example of the West Coast style of this beer. I really loved the citrus/grape fruit character of this beer from the use of Cascades. Citrus hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness dominates this beer, making it pure hop juice. I was surprised to see how dark this beer poured, so they have attempted to give this beer a nice crystal/caramel malt base, but hops, as it should be with this style, is the star here. And the reason you should not be afraid of this Hop Monster, is the fact that it is a gentle hop beast. This beer is just loaded with hop character, but it isn’t so over the top that it is going to make your face wince or your mouth pucker. What I loved the most about this beer was it was so hoppy, yet so drinkable. Big Hoppy Monster would make an excellent aperitif beer to rouse the appetite before a meal at 5 Seasons, and would work well with some of the salads or grilled pizzas on 5 Seasons menu. Or you could do as the brewpub suggests and enjoy this beer as an after dinner mint. An excellent beer, from a very impressive brewpub.

A big IPA in the West Coast style. Nice deep amber/light brown. Decent head. Hops from beginning to end, but reasonably balanced by the malt.

Clear Amber with a reddish tint and a beige creamy head. Delicious hop scent, plenty of citrus peel but not overwhelming at all, in fact the sweet malts are just as (if not more) noticeable. A full-flavored, chewy feeling beer. More of an English IPA. Well balanced with plenty of hops but just enough for balance, not the astringent Left Coast hops we’ve come to know and love.

I will always enjoy my visits to 5 seasons. This one isnt huge but it does acheive some balance. A nice hop bite followed up by some caramel and malt explosion. A dark reddish brown apperance with a moderate head. Its gotten even bigger since the 6% law was overturned, but even before this was awesome

Sampled this at the brewery today. WOW. Great hop aroma, and the body does not disappoint. Great malt balance for the level of bitterness in this one. If you like hops, you will greatly enjoy this. I am looking forward to this going on tap.

While I really consider this a 5 Seasons brewpub beer, I had this under the Terrapin Beer Co. label. I've also had it at the brewpub. The reason is that the two breweries share a brewer in Spike Buckowski. The Monster is pretty hoppy, although it seems not all that much of a monster next too the Terrapin Rye P.A. It's possible that this is a pretty malty beer as well and while the Rye P.A. is no malt wimp, Rye seems to accentuate hops to me. This also has a fruitiness to it that makes it seem a little more British than some of the cleaner American IPAs.