Leinenkugels Big Eddy Imperial IPA

Formerly brewed at Leinenkugel Brewing Company (MillerCoors)
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin USA

I’ve been fortunate enough to try this on more than one occasion, first on-tap, second on cask. Pours a magnificent amber color with a creamy white head leaving rings of lacing around the glass. Smell is incredibly hoppy, full of citrus and grapefruit which dominates, but still shows signs of a solid malt base. It’s certainly got plenty of bitterness, not as many as some DIPA’s, but it definitely doesn’t lack hop flavor. Mouthfeel was medium to full bodied with really soft amounts of carbonation. Very drinkable beer; Leinie’s still has the capability to produce amazing beers.

I’m not going to pretend I know a ton about beer and use too many technical terms BUT I know what tastes great and this beer fits the bill. HUGE flavor. My first IPA and from what I understand...the only IPA I ever need try. Great job Chippewa and 10th Street plants!

Many glasses and a growler obtained via Dick Leinenkugel himself from a private tasting at Miller. This after having just spoken with the CEO of Miller. Great event! Hillarious how all the Miller employees were flipping out and lining up at the bar for this. Nobody could get enough. The place even managed to have the proper glassware. Very surprising! Anyway, as for the beer...Shocking is the best way to describe this coming from a huge macro-brewery. If you never knew who made this, anyone would think this was an outstanding IIPA. Beautiful murky orange hue. Whipped Cream-like head with a decent lacing. Layer upon layer of hop aroma. All four varieties displayed well and easily picked out. Well done malt backbone to stand up to the intense bitterness. Body is appropriate for what they’re trying to do. A bit resiny on the palate with a touch of alcohol, but a pleasant sensation of caramel and biscuit mixed in. Finish stays strong and leaves your lips smacking. Again, shocking!

Sampled on-tap at Stonefly during Hulot’s World Release Party last night. Served in a tulip glass. Dark orange hue. Smelled like several different citrus fruits...lemons, oranges, grapefruits. Taste was more citrus hops and a very pleasant bitterness. Extremely full mouthfeel, this is a sipping beer. Very impressive Leinenkugel production.

This is a big beer. Drank on tap (unfortunately, not hand pulled) in West Bend. BIG hop aroma, BIG hop flavor with almost no malt flavor. Almost too hoppy, and syrupy as well. What saves it is the sheer audacity of LK brewing a big tasting IIPA like this. As someone else said, it’d do very well in a blind test. Definitely not like other Leinie’s beers. And that can be a good thing.

on cask at Great Dane-Hillsdale. pours copper with white head. nose is hoppy but cask dulls this. tropical fruit notes in the nose. flavor fruity hop notes, piney and grapefruit, some sweet alcohol in there too. this just isn’t bitter enough and the alcohol is pretty sweet. just not a big enough malt backbone and the hops are more flabby. not balanced well. i think this could be better on draft.

On cask at Great Dane-Hillsdale. We were surprised when we arrived after Capital that Great Dane couldn’t serve their own beers. Crazy Wisconsin laws. But we were over it pretty quick when we saw they had this on tap. As devon said, at least 15 minutes for them to hand pull our pitcher. Pours a clear orange with a beige head. Carmel malt backbone in the nose with lots of tropical fruit on top, pineapple passionfruit. nice. Medium to full creamy body. The flavor is similar to the aroma, sweet creamy carmel with tropical notes all over it, orange citrus, and bubblegum. Balanced with a piney bitterness. Finishes with a sweet carmel and pine flavors. Well done miller, ha ha, who says that?

On cask at Great Dane-Hilldale. It took atleast 5 min just to pump my glass and atleast 15 for the pitcher that the rest of the guys ordered. But it was certainly worth it. Dark brown with creamt off-white head. Nice citrus, piney hop aroma, med sweet malt, very substantial nose overall, one of those come drink me beers. Oh this beer tastes real good, lots of orange, bubblegum, white winey, very sweet, I agree with John’s statement of lots of "blossoms and petals". At first I thought that the body was a little thin for the style but as I drank it, it became appropiate. Overall a great beer from LK, lets hope for some more.