Bells Big Head San Diego Style Ale

Formerly brewed at Bells Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Bottle from hopdog. Thanks for hooking it up man! Golden red colored brew with a nice head and thick sticky lacing. Well to start, this one smells like a big bag of weed. Also notes of sweat socks and cat pee. Straight up dank aroma. The flavor continues the theme with a lot more dank bitterness. Some black pepper makes an appearance too. Pleasant light sweetness helps "balance", but this one of pretty hop heavy. Some light sweet fruit like mangos or melons. Leafy, earthy hops round out the back end of the flavor profile. Nice and bitter with lots of lingering resins. My only complaint is that is is a little too hot. All in all though, a fantastic IIPA. Far better than Hopslam IMO.

5-13-08 bottle shared with lb4lb thanks to knight84 and hoppymeal!!!
Glowing orange red that is thick and dense but is crisp and cheery with a superb BIG HEAD. Immediate lacing from the fluffy white amazing head. Smell is fruity goodness - apricots and mandarin oranges play nicely with the bright and bold hops in the nose. Flavor is great - hoppy and has a nice citris grassy effect to it. It actually has a bold hop presence which I crave and adore here. However, the part that makes this beer so wonderful for me is the palate - this is what pulls it all together into one magnificent package. It has this bitter and sharp hop bite but has a creamy and smooth mouthfeel that just balances the flavor so well - it leaves me speechless. It leaves a nice citrisy bitter rind flavor on the tongue that leaves me wanting more and more and more. I got to try this at a tasting prior to tonight and this was nothing like I remember it being then. I thought it was average and not a great DIPA by any means. But tonight, I feel very differently. The more I drink, the more the flavor progresses and the more I want to weep because the glass is quickly becoming empty.

12oz from mbirder shared with my gf cyn, wetherel and bikesandbeers. Pours orange with a tan head. Nose is great very citrussy and big. Taste is hoppy and full of resin, lightly bitter and very nice. This is a solid serious DIPA. Very big mouth feel and lots of citrus filling my mouth. Good brew.

Fiery amber. Simcoey nose, very bright with some papaya accents. Chewy, slightly resiny hops. Decent amount of crystal malt and a dry finish.

Name: Big Head
Date: 05/03/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

Appearance: hazy dark gold, wispy off white head, bits of lace,
Aroma: sweet crystal and tangerine aroma,
Flavor: big sweet fruity malt flavor, lots of citrus and orange, touch of peppery alcohol, lots of bitterness to add balance,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

12 oz. bottle. Bronze transparent pour. Damp dank weed aroma. Pears, garlic peppercorns, conifer. Softening of vanilla and caramel malts. Flavor brings a black pungent bitterness of ground pepper, celery salt, and hotness. Burnt grass and bonfire. Quite green seemingly with all this burnt resin and chalky, leafy bitterness. Consistently seems overly warm, but never syrupy and even smiting sweetness a bit too readily. Brazen. Abrasive hop palate that renders itself slickly, still void of sweetness. The varietals here just seem a bit off kilter and rough; not sure which one it is that lends this dominant burnt leaf and ashy grass flavor, but that riding the peppery heat of too much alcohol totally washes away the finer moments of this beer, rather recklessly. Thanks Derek!

12oz bottle batch K8369. Intensely hoppy and resiny aroma. Slightly musty with hints of tree bark, perfume, alcohol. Citrus rind. High grade cannibis. Acetone and fusel alcohol as the beer opens. Pours a fairly thick looking dark orange with a thin film of an off white head. Starts with a very intense blast of ultra bitter hops. Green, grassy and earthy hops. Spicy. A very noticeable alcohol presence as well. Leaning toward full bodied with a huge hot, hoppy finish that lasts forever. Thanks Eben!

Holy shit there are litteraly an assload of hops the nose. It is even bitter in the aroma, tons of fresh picked plant and juicy hops. There is only a tiny hint of malt, it is there but just barely. The bitterness is almost immediate and very powerful. Way more plant than grapefruit it is kind of an assult on the palate, I can taste the potential but it is a bit over the top.