259. Smuttynose Big A IPA

After my very poor choice with the Hopnotic IPA in the prior post I needed to find something good so I turned to Smuttynose. Some brewers simply brew great beer and you know going in the beer will be a good representation of the style, using quality ingredients and be consistently good. Smuttynose is one of those breweries.


The Big A IPA is their double/imperial IPA and it does not disappoint. Great orange color with thin white head. Lots of grapefruit in the smell with some malt sweetness as well. Taste is excellent with more grapefruit and citrus hops well balanced with some sweet caramel malts. I had no idea this was a 9.7% ABV beer until I went to their website to grab the data for the blog, no alcohol taste or burn. 


A very good beer and easier to find than many of the rare big IPAs.
Pros: Hop taste, well balanced
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 9.7% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 120
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Smuttynose

Brewers Description: 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. Na zdrowie!

223. Smuttynose Summer Weizen Ale

Snuttynose is generally one of my favorite brewers and their Big Beer Series has some of my top rated beers. The Summer Weizen did not meet my high expectations of Smuttynose. Still a quality beer but not as good as many others from this brewery. 


Color is typical pale yellow of most summer ales. Not a lot of aroma from this one but some bread, mild citrus and even a little spice. Taste is sweet up front followed by a mild hop bite and smooth finish. This is a nice summer beer and quite refreshing. 

Pros: Refreshing 

Cons: Slightly watered down

Alcohol Content: 5.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Smuttynose

Brewers Description: Light, tasty & full of character, our summer wheat ale is brewed with a combination of domestic and continental wheat and barley malts, lightly hopped & fermented with a Belgian wit yeast, resulting in a delightfully tangy & refreshing flavor.

This beer is brewed for warm weather enjoyment. Bring some to your next picnic, barbeque or Frisbee game.

Available in sixpacks and on draft from April through August.

162. Smuttynose Baltic Porter

If you have been following my blog you already know I think the Big Beer Series from Smuttynose is some of the very best beer available so when I came across the Baltic Porter at Whole Foods in Portland I quickly grabbed a bottle. With big expectations I opened this one and poured my first glass. Appearance is exactly what a porter should be,  black with a thick tan head which will last as long as it takes you to drink this beer. Aroma is plentiful with some roasted malts, hints of chocolate, caramel and even some raisin, very slight alcohol smell but not overpowering. Taste is slightly sweet to start but very complex and extremely well balanced. Something for everyone in this; malts, slightly hoppy, chocolate, raisin, coffee but no one flavor stands out. Even ay 9% ABV this is smooth, easy to drink and the 22 oz bomber was gone within the hour. I do not give out many ratings above a 4 but this one deserves it. Even if you do not usually enjoy porters or stouts you should still give this one a try. 
Pros: Everything

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 9.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Smuttynose

Brewers Description: Indigenous to northern Europe, Baltic Porters historically stem from the shipping of British porters to the Russian hinterland. Unlike their British cousins, Baltic Porters are often brewed with lager yeast, which is the tradition we follow. Big & bold, with flavors of coffee, dark fruit & raisins, this black beer is smooth as a chocolate swirl.

135. Smuttynose Gravitation

This one was a surprise to me. Not because it was another great beer from Smuttynose but because it was 12% ABV. I finished off this bomber in about 30 minutes as it was a smooth easy drinking beer not realizing it had a high ABV. I was asleep on the couch by 7:45. The beer pours a dark copper with minimal head, aroma was very fruity. The beer was strong but not overwhelming, lots of raisin and a slight alcohol burn. Overall a quality beer but not up to the same standard as the previous Smuttynose Big Beer series offerings. 
Pros: Color

Cons: Lot of raisin taste

Alcohol Content: 12.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Smuttynose

Brewers Description: First released in January, 2009, Gravitation Belgian Quad is the newest offering in the Smuttynose Big Beer Series.  This big, dark ale is brewed using a variety of Belgian specialty malts along with 200 pounds of raisin puree per batch.  The resulting flavor is a viscous mix of dark fruit, rum, toffee and raisins balanced with aromatic fruitiness of the Belgian yeast.  This beer has a starting  gravity of 23 degrees Plato.

126. Smuttynose S'muttonator

I may have mentioned before how much I enjoy Smuttynose beer and this is no exception. I have one more Smuttynose Big Beer series in the fridge and after this one I am very much looking forward to it. Whatever you think a "Big Beer" should be this is probably it; high alcohol content, complex flavor, great color, thick head with great retention - this beer has it all. There are a few Smuttynose brews that I have not tried yet and I will be on the look out for them as they truly do brew great beer. If you are at a store that sells Smuttynose trying to decide what to buy, grab a Smuttynose you will not be disappointed. 
Pros: Everything

Cons: Nothing

Alcohol Content: 9.5% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Smuttynose

Brewers Description: As the name implies, a doppelbock (double bock) is a very malty German lager beer. Typically quite sweet with some roasted malt undertones, doppelbocks range in color from deep amber to nearly black and are normally associated with the winter season. Traditionally, German brewers have used the suffix “-ator” in naming their doppelbock beers; we have, too. S’muttonator is a tasty mixture of German ingredients & good ol’ fashioned New England tenaciousness. Our brewers take 30 hours to brew a single batch of this traditional Double Bock. Take your time & enjoy its rich, malty & deceptively smooth flavor. 

125. Smuttynose Maibock

Have I said that I like Smuttynose beer before?? If not I am saying now. This is the 7th beer from Smuttynose and other than the Star Island they have all been superb. This one will make it into my to 10 list for 2011. Color is a bright, crisp orange with a very nice floral aroma. Taste had lots of malt with a very nice warming affect from the fairly high alcohol content. Finish is clean with a minimal amount of hops. This is part of Smuttynose's Big Beer Series. I have 2 more bottles from this series in the fridge and after trying this one I am really looking forward to the others. 
Pros: Everything

Cons: Nothing

Alcohol Content: 8.7% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Smuttynose

Brewers Description: Bock beer is a broad stylistic category describing a wide range of malty, lightly-hopped German lager beers, ranging in color from light straw to dark brown, from medium to full body. Maibocks, typically released in the springtime, tend to be light in color and medium to full-bodied bodied and usually feature German “noble” hop varieties. As is the case with other traditional styles, American brewers have taken some creative liberties with bock beers, often with outstanding results. We brew our Maibock to be hugely malty & subtly finished with a variety of continental hops, with an eye-pleasing russet brown color. Prosit!

98. Smuttynose Star Island

This is the first beer from Smuttynose that I would not recommend. It is a fine beer and something that I was able to finish easily but it did not live up to the other varieties of Smuttynose that I have already reviewed. It may simply be the style of beer as Belgian style ales certainly do have a unique character but this one just seemed a bit off. Color was great with a thick head, aroma seemed to be all over the place with some hops, grains and fruits in there. Taste was just OK and a bit disappointing after my other Smuttynose reviews.
Pros: Color

Cons: Inconsistent aroma,

Alcohol Content: 5.1% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Smuttynose

Brewers Description: Visitors to Smuttynose Island, peering across the dark waters of Gosport Harbor towards the ragged rocks of neighboring Star Island, are sometimes startled by the fleeting sight of mysterious, alluring creatures swept up from the Atlantic’s cold, inky depths.  Or so they tell us.

Our Star Island Single is an eminently sessionable, abbey-style ale offering a beguiling mix of flavor and refreshment. This medium-bodied golden ale features a slight residual sweetness from Honey Malt and hints of citrus and tropical fruits from the unique Belgian yeast it is fermented with, leaving a crisp dry finish. Enjoy it sociably while you savor good times, tall tales, friendly company & life’s unexpected pleasures.

96. Smuttynose Winter Ale

Snuttynose is quickly becoming one of my favorite brewers. I have yet to have a bad beer from Smuttynose and some of them end up on my top list. I have not started my top Winter seasonals yet but this will certainly be on it. Nice dark color with tan head that leaves a nice lacing on the glass. Aroma is sweet with some malt and hops in there. Taste is smooth with plenty of sweetness but very well balanced. This would be a great session beer and another solid offering from Smuttynose. 
Pros: Color, smooth easy to drink

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 5.1% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Smuttynose

Brewers Description: Smuttynose Winter Ale is a full-bodied, amber beer brewed with a special Trappist ale yeast. Stylistically reminiscent of a Belgian Abbey Double, it features fruity aromas and flavor, balanced by soft Crystal hops. Warming, mellow & pleasantly complex, Smuttynose Winter Ale is your perfect cold weather companion. Available in sixpacks and on draft from late October through February.

66. Smuttynose "Finestkind" IPA

Smuttynose is quickly becoming one of my preferred brewers with every beer being in the top 2 for its style. Their Pumpkin is my favorite fall style, Brown ale was great and the Pale ale was solid while not my favorite Pale. This IPA is a perfect example of a pale ale with a solid amount of hops but the aftertaste does not linger too long. Color is great with a nice white head which lasts and leaves a great lacing on the glass. I cannot think of a better IPA and I am not usually impressed by IPAs.

Pros: Color, bite but not a lingering aftertaste

Cons:  Minimal aroma

Alcohol Content: 6.9% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 65
Rating: 

Brewers Website: Smuttynose Brewery

Brewers Description: Portsmouth is a colonial era seaport town, so it goes to follow that sooner or later we'd brew an India Pale Ale as a tribute to those big, hoppy 19th century ales that made the long sea voyage from England's temperate shores, 'round the Cape of Good Hope, to the sultry climes of the faraway East Indies.

But there's another reason we brewed this beer, one that's closer to our home and hearts. Hopheads. 

Ten years ago we brewed our first batch of Shoals Pale Ale, our American interpretation of the traditional British ESB (Extra Special Bitter) style. At the time, it was widely considered to be darned hoppy. However, a funny thing happened over the last decade - our Shoals Pale Ale didn't change; beer lovers did, and we started to hear more and more: “Why don't you guys make a really hoppy beer?”

You could say, then, that Smuttynose IPA is a physical salute to the glory of the American hop grower. The citrusy hop flavor coming from a mixture of Simcoe and Santiams is pleasantly balanced by a smooth bitterness from the Amarillo hops. The beer itself is light bodied and crisp with a golden color that will throw a slight haze, as we bottle it unfiltered. At 65 IBU's, this is definitely not a training-wheels IPA, but is meant for hop lovers looking to satisfy their craving in a way that's not easy to find. We think they’ll be quite pleased.