Big Cock IPA

Here it is folks, the long desired Big Cock IPA choked full of Amarillo and Simcoe hops. Standing at 7% ABV and 70 IBU's it's the American definition of the IPA. This was one of the Might-Be-Pints that we sell in the tasting room Saturday's Noon-3 for $1.00. I finally got around to reviewing it on Saturday morning following a win at the Lagomarcino's Cocoa Beano 5k. (I'm sponsored by the brewery)
Served cold in a GRB pint glass.

Appearance: Portrayed with a glowing amber color that remains soft around the edges. Complete clarity, yet just short of indefinite brilliance. Carbonated bubbles arise from the depths of the glass while maintaining a sporadic profile. The head is fantastic, as it initially is characterized with a pillowed peaked texture, and then to dissipate after minutes leaving behind a dry styrafoamed lacing.

Aroma: A sweet carameled backbone holds a foundation against the citrus, near tropical smelling hops. I was expecting the aroma to be more up-front, but it remains relatively subtle and difficult to decipher. Some grassiness is present alongside a floral undertone.
Taste: The front is easily sweet with caramel and biscuit barley to balance the huge hop dose that is to come. The midtase introduces a mesh of very sweet malt liquor in conjunction with a developing hop citrus. Amarillo are perhaps the most apparent here, while Simcoe seem to carry out the finish of the beer. I think the caramel and Amarillo make a great parallel in any beer. As the beer rounds into the end, a spicy zesty character develops. There is a minor presence of dark fruit before the finish. Less of a fresh Simcoe flavor and more of a sweetened orange peel resides here as well. The end make up a grassy aftertaste with a residual sweetened fruit tannin flavor, reminiscent of grapefruit and even plum. Alcohol is hardly acknowledged. As the beer warms, more hop complexities become apparent, as well with the alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Smooth. Carbonation is lesser in this beer, but just perfect! The body is a lot bigger than many of the others (Red and Pale for example) leaving a thickened texture and a stickiness on the lips. The bubbles lightly foam throughout the whole mouth and then wash down is a soft, velvety manner. The end is a bit cloying on the roof of the mouth, but crisp and dry.
Overall Impression: A great standard for the American IPA with a big malt base and citrusy hops to match. Carbonation is perfect and the appearance was impeccable. This was batch #2 fermented in our FV2 (20 bbl) while the first batch was a full 40 bbls. I think this one had more of the Simcoe presence, but I would still have liked more tropical hop flavor, while batch one had more bitterness and Amarillo character.


92/100