     Big A IPA - Big Beer Series (Smuttynose Brewing Company)
Smuttynose's Big A IPA is one my favorite hoppy beers. It holds a big place in my heart as it was one of the first so-called Imperial or "Double" IPAs that I ever had. Now the competition for with this style has gotten pretty fierce. A former once-a-year release in their Big Beer Series, Big A is now a year-round beer for the brewery. I picked up a 4-pack the other day after seeing that it had been bottled in April. Fresh beer is the best beer and this is proof!
From the Smuttynose site: "Ever since Stash Wojciechowski, the “Killer Kielbasa,” created this Imperial IPA for our Big Beer Series, Big A IPA has gotten a lot of attention. Lauded by the New York Times and Men's Journal Magazine, it’s been one of the most talked-about beers around. Brewed in very small quantities, it has also been one of the hardest-to-find. Until now. Big A IPA has everything you’d want in an India Pale Ale, only more: more hops, more malt & more flavor. Now it’s available year-round, so you can enjoy this big, flavorful beer any time you want. Na zdrowie!"
Here we go...
Pour - clean, clear and super bright orange and amber. Like a sunrise in a glass with a good inch of white foam on top. That sure looks good!
Aroma - a massive amount of pine and sweet citrus comes barreling out of the glass and assaults my senses. If you are remotely allergic to the aroma of fresh hops then get your epi-pen ready! Big green sticky cones of aromatic hops are what this is all about. The freshness really is noticeable in the smell and I am very excited as how that will translate in the flavor. Taste - one sip and the gates to hop heaven have opened. My tongue is at once numbed and battered by bitter, piney, grapefruit hop flavors. A big wave of sweet orange flavor from the malts comes to the defense and does so very well indeed. The fresh, crisp hop flavor is excellent and the high ABV lends to that warming feeling that just adds to the whole enjoyable experience. Awesome stuff from the folks at Smuttynose.
Overall - love it. Its been awhile since I had a bottle of Big A but this experience confirmed my affinity for this hoppy brew. Get it fresh and you won't be let down.
Would I buy more of it? - without a doubt. I'll be buying more this weekend!
Note - (From the Brewer's Notes page)
"For our hopping regime we went with Cascade and Nuggets in the boiling addition. Centennials were added every 5 minutes for the last 30 minutes of the boil. We added Crystals into the whirlpool. Dry hopping was done in both the fermentor after primary fermentation and the bright tank. We used a mixture of Chinook, Nuggets, and Sterlings in the fermentors and whole leaf Centennials in the bright tank." 
Posted by Russ Labels: American IPAs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
