Smuttynose Brewing Company - the Big Beer Series
Smuttynose makes limited edition batched every so often and bottle them in 22 oz. bombers as their Big Beer Series. A few months ago, I reviewed the Wheat Wine. On my travels I crossed paths with a couple more:
Big A IPA
75 /100
This is their Double IPA. Apparently, the "A" stands for "Ass" making it Big Ass IPA. And that's kind of what this is. It has an murky, amber color with a slight froth that leaves a minor lacing on the glass. The aroma is citrus-y, with an agressive hop presence. There's a sugary malt taste in there but it's all but buried with tons and tons of hops. It's tasty, but falls short of the Russian River, Stone and Alesmith hop glories I've come used to. This is less balanced and the hops run rampant. The 9.2 ABV% warms the body quickly. One bomber of this is a lot.
Farmhouse Ale
82 /100
The Farmhouse Ale is Smuttynose's venture into the Belgian world of the Saison. Often I worry when sitting down with American interpretations of this style - more often then not, it just doesn't work. This one works.
It pours a unfiltered, straw yellow haze. It has an aroma of bread yeast, clove and bubble gum - sweet but subdued. It has similar flavors, very juicy but somewhat tart. It's very reminiscent of Ommegang's Hennepin. This is the finest of the Big Beers I've tasted.
