Smuttynose Big A IPA

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

22oz bomber thanks to jjpm74. pours a deep orange hue with a smooth off white head that was pretty thick. aroma is citric, apricots, pears, pinneapple, lemon meriange, passion fruit and a little alcohol detected in the aroma. The flavors show both a good malt base and big hops-piney flavors are persistent in the hop profile-i guess cascade, chinook and centennial here. A good malt base brings fourth a sweetness in the flavor to offset the piney hop barage. Big grapefruit finish with some lingering malt profile (caramel). This beer has a great mouthfeal and body works nice. This is definately a more bitter/piney IIPA than your citric types (avery majaraja for example). The finish exibits the chinook hops-dry, resiny and slightly earthy/dirty. To be honest, i hate this hop, but it works pretty well here in this beer. This beer has references to dreadnaught in some places. Very solid and something I would definately try again!

22 oz Bottle: Couldy red/amber, perfect carbonation leads to a large fully lasting tan head. Aromas typical to IPA’s only much larger in my opinion, strong fruity and spicy hops, pine, some malts. Flavor lives up the awesome aroma, being dominated (of course) by the hops, strong and sweet, overpowers the malt only slightly. Lasting dry bitter finish. Lacing left me looking at my empty glass, beautiful. Good stuff!

From the 22oz bomber. Pours a clear bright gold with a big lacy creamy white head. Smells of sweet hops and nothing else. Hops taste is prominent. Very very hoppy and not much else. Can’t taste much malt here. Light bodied with a big hops bitterness. Persistent hoppy aftertaste. Bold beer, if uncomplicated. Very drinkable, especially for 8%. This beer has but one mission: batter your palette with hops and it does it well. Would be nice if the malt stood up better but still a very tasty IPA.

big 22 oz bottle thanks to clark. tons of sediment on the bottom, but somehow pours pretty clean. exactly as you would expect a IIPA to be--strong, hoppy, citrusy and resiny/piney. some malt and alcohol but primarily hops. good stuff but really unremarkable.

Head is initially small, frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy medium amber. Aroma is moderately malty (cookie), moderately hoppy (grapefruit, resin, apricot). Flavor is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation. Nice...juicy and luscious.

Nice golden pink color with a clean white head that stood up and laced the glass down to the last sip. Pleasing aroma of hops, but not a strong scent. Wow what a great balanced taste of malt, citrus and hops that fineshes with a meium bitterness and slight alcholol. Good strong beer from a brewer that’s becoming one of my favorites.

Poured a beautiful, cloudy yet glowing orangish brown. Nice frothy head about 3/4" tall. Scattered lace, like mountain peaks. Aroma is grapefruit, floral hops, honey and sweet potato pie: altogether, nearly flawless. Flavor is sweet and hoppy, fulfilling all of the aroma indications. Creamy and full-bodied. Smuttynose could put on a clinic with the way they nailed the carbonation levels and hops-to-malts marriage. Finish is dry and bitter / sweet. There’s a little burn on the throat. I want more more more. HUGE thanks to tpkenned for sending Big A my way!

Draft at O’Flaherty’s in Bristol, Pa. Nice floral aroma. Good hop bite. Finished on the dry side.