Try?
Smuttynose actually has two IPAs, and it’s important to distinguish the two. Smuttynose Big A IPA is sold as part of their “Big Beer” series, and is a double IPA. It’s actually even bigger and bolder than the IPA under discussion today.
That said, Smuttynose IPA (sold in six-packs of twelve ounce bottles) is a far more drinkable brew I think, and one that probably makes a better companion to food than its big brother. It’s one a good number of awards, too. Here are some kudos right from the Smuttynose website:
** GOLD AGAIN! Smuttynose IPA wins the GOLD MEDAL for BEST AMERICAN BEER at the 2004 Great British Beer Festival. This following last year's Gold Medal win for our Shoals Pale Ale.
** MORE GOLD... Smuttynose IPA wins the GOLD MEDAL for BEST IPA at the 11th Annual Great International Beer Festival in Providence, Rhode Island
** Smuttynose IPA awarded Silver Medal at this year's Stockholm Beer Festival.
Smuttynose IPA is all-American hopped, and it’s dry hopped too. Dry hopping
is a process whereby the beer is conditioned on whole hop flowers, imparting
an extra dose of hop aroma. Simcoe, Santiams, and Amarillos are used. The
beer has 65 IBUs and is about 7% alcohol by volume.
Smuttynose IPA pours to a bright orange color with a thick rocky head
formation and a robust hop nose strongly suggesting grapefruit. A thick
layer of Brussels lace forms on the sides of your glass, and leaves a thick
layer of foam all the way down to the bottom as I drain the liquid.
If you’ve heard someone talk about grapefruit character in a beer and
wondered what that was all about, this is a beer that you need to try. It’s
firmly in the American style of IPA, with plenty of hop aroma and
bitterness. And again, the aroma suggests fruity, citrusy, bitter grapefruit
flavor here. Lots and lots of it.
The body is not as pronounced as in many American IPAs, and I don’t get the
chewy caramel flavor common to the style. That only serves to make the beer
more drinkable, however, and leaves the hops all the more pronounced.
Smuttynose IPA finishes long and dry with a pronounced bitterness that
lingers on the tongue after sipping. Overall, this is just a fantastic brew,
satisfying, drinkable, and packed with hops. I wish I had bought more than a
six-pack, and I’m hoarding my last two bottles jealously.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
