The snow is really coming down outside, and I’m glad to be inside eating a hot pizza. After I pulled the Epic Simple Ale out of the beer fridge, I saw this one behind it. I also picked this one up during my work trip to Seattle a few months ago. I’d heard a lot of good things about this brewery online (and their support of the local homebrew community), and was a bit disappointed I didn’t get to stop there (although I did manage to hit 12 breweries during my trip).
Location: Poured into a curved pint glass from the 22oz bottle at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 7.3% ABV, 80 IBUs, 8 SRM, 1.064/15.7 Plato OG, 245 Calories
Ingredients: Malt: Pale, C40, Wheat; Hops: Nugget, Cascade, Fuggle, Ahtanum, Glacier; Yeast: Irish Ale
Appearance & Aroma: It’s very clear and copper-red in color. There’s a good amount if carbonation in it, but the head is just a thin layer of creamy bubbles. The aroma has a good dose of caramel malt and earthy hops.
Taste & Feel: The body is light medium and the mouthfeel is crisp from carbonation and hoppiness. There’s a bit of caramel and dark breadiness up front, with an earthy hop flavor and bitterness in the middle. The bitterness grows a bit during the dry finish, giving it a hoppy aftertaste that lasts for a while.
Food Pairing: This is a solid IPA with some maltiness up front and earthy hop flavors through the finish. I love this kind of beer with a thick, juicy cheeseburger. There’s something about the interaction with the bun and the caramel maltiness and the cheese and the hops that makes these a great combination.
Overall Impression: With a name like Big Hoppa, I was expecting a huge hop bomb of a beer, but it was a very drinkable IPA with a good amount of bitternes, and a decent caramel malt backbone. It’s got a good, smooth bitterness and hop flavor that I enjoyed. On my next visit to Seattle, I hope I get a chance to stop at Big Al Brewing and try a few more of their beers.
My Rating: 
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