Smuttynose Big A IPA

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

ABV: 9.2% RateBeer rating: 97 Calories: estimated at 400 C Volume:22 fl oz Glass: tulip Purchased at: Canal Liquors, Burlington, NJ (Thanks Mike!) Price: $7.00 Consumed at: home First Impression: An amazing example of the style. Aroma is flowery, hoppy, and citrus. Visuals are a deep copper under a thin yellow white head. Visibly carbonated. Taste is a deep hoppy citrus & pine. Very nice example. I enjoyed it with a very spicy homemade chicken curry and some naan. Palate has a long beautiful finish. Tongue registers sweet, bitter, and salty. Second Impression. Amazing. An absolutely satisfying imperial double IPA. Aroma: 10 out of 10 Visuals: 5 out of 5 Taste: 10 out of 10 Palate: 5 out of 5 Overall: 20 out of 20

Wow! This beer was near perfect, pouring a hazy orange color. A frothy head which was ever so slightly off white almost a very pale yelllow. Aroma was really sweet with hop notes and some pine notes. Taste was really smooth although mostly hoppy, the inital taste had some sweet notes to it, not to sweet but just enough to take from the extreme hoppy edge

Re-rate: The last time I tried this it was lacking carbonation. This time it was well carbonated and better than before. I updated my rating due to the increased appearance of a head and the improved mouthfeel from the carbonation. I love hops and can't get enough of them. This beer was one of the hoppiest beers I've ever tasted! THIS IS GREAT if you are a hop lover like me. My only complaint was the lack of carbonation. Maybe I got a bad/flat bottle, but even so, I will try it again. I would have definately given this beer a higher rating if there was more carbonation. I will definitely re-rate this beer again, maybe the next time the carbonation will improve.

My god is this good. This is what an IIPA should taste like. I’ve found that the secret to a good hoppy beer is lots of malt, but with very light malts. This provides strong body and balance, but without becoming overly assertive. It gives the hops a table to stand on. Big A accomplishs this flawlessly. Huge resiny hops. Sticky, sweet and fruity. Grapefruit and pine. Entirely hidden alcohol. Strong bitterness, but in that smooth, rounded off warrior fashion. I’m damn impressed.

Poured the beer into two glasses.. one for myself and one for my father. Poured with some floaties - hopps or something. half way through I found myself doing the familiar slow-blink. strong stuff. This beer turned me on to IPA.

As most people know, I’m very partial to the IPA’s. This one is no different. Probably my favorite to date. I like my IPA’s to have a citrus finish of which this one definitley has. And it also has the ABV. to get me where I’m going. I would compare this very closely to STONE IPA which is one of my gold standards. I believe this one edges the stone out just a hair because of the higher alcohol and a little bit stronger hoppiness.

My first Smuttynose beer and what an experience! Pours orange, with a white, thin head. Hoppy, citrus aroma. Starts bitters with a bit of high alcohol sweetness. Finishes bitter and stays with you, which makes me want to keep drinking. It’s a very well balanced beer, right up my alley. I can pick it up for $5 at my local here in Milwaukee (Discount Liquor) and I can’t wait to have another. I’d probably fly to New Hampshire just to try this on cask... Bravo.

Time to step up to the Big A!!! Light Amber colored, Hoppy, malty, sweet tea drinking Double IPA. Great Beer!!! Nothing more to say, big flavor, super drinkable. I really really like this one. By far the best Smuttynose beer I’ve had. Another beer that I would tell you that if you’re not trying to acquire I don’t know what could be better or comparable.