Big Red
Southern Tier Brewing Company in Lakewood, New York, United States 🇺🇸
Amber / Red Ale - Imperial Special Out of Production|
Score
7.12
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Inspiration can sometimes be found in the strangest of places. This eccentric brew started with a single flower from a hop named Hallertau. The delicate and spicy aroma present in the flower has been responsible for generations of great beers. Hallertau hops are to a brewer what an old tractor is to a farmer: reliable. Big Red expresses the nobility of Hallertau by placing it at the forefront of this Imperial Ale. Pour it into a snifter. A swirl allows the spicy aromas to come forward as a taste to the lips reveals the complex balance between sweet malts and the bitterness of hops. Big Red’s ability to please is as dependable as your grandpa’s old tractor. Please consume wisely.
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7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7
(Bottle at Pikkulintu, Helsinki, on 2009-01-22) Deep amber. Clear. Dense white head that disappeared quite quickly. Hops, toffee and malts in aroma. Full bodied and little bit sticky palate with medium carbonation. Malts, hops. toffee, hint of boiled vegetables and some grassiness in flavour. Hoppy and bitter aftertaste.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Jan 2009
at 05:22
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Ruby beer with an off-white head. Toasty, malty aroma. Malty, toasty, caramel flavor with grapefruit/pine hops. Medium-plus bodied. Malt lingers with grapefruit/pine and light spiciness. Nice balance.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Oct 2008
at 20:49
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Pours a somewhat dark amber with a finger or so of head and aromas that feature big hops: pine, pineapple and a bit of floweriness. Flavor is thick with hops and sticky sweetness, but it doesn’t come across as overpowering or cloying like many of the big IIPA’s... still, it kind of has that flavor. Sweetness is caramel malt and hops are a little more on the pineapple/citrus side than in the nose. Pretty good stuff.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Aug 2008
at 21:42
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
22 oz bottle shared with natedoggkc at Waldo Pizza in Kansas City, MO. Pour is orange red, slightly hazy. Not much head to speak of, only a small wisp of white. Aroma is nice rye graininess and citrus hops. The taste has the same elements as the nose, with the graininess balanced with the floral citrusy hops. The finish is a bit hot, with some harsh medicinal notes present. Palate was on the thin side.
Tried
from Bottle
on 14 Jul 2008
at 09:18
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottle from Greenwood Gourmet Grocery in Greenwood, VA. Brownish red color with moderate head and good lacing. Big hoppy aroma with pine and nuts. Big hop taste that is vegetal with earthy, floral and piny notes. Some sweetness.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 May 2008
at 00:38
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 9
22oz bomber. Orange-brown color, filtered from the looks of it. Fresh amber malt aroma. This is an awesome Imperial Amber beer. Smooth and creamy with a solid Hallertau backbone. The warming of the alcohol and the creamy richness of the amber malt go together quite well. Really an exceptional beer by any standard. Pleasant lingering aftertaste of hops.
Tried
on 28 Mar 2008
at 21:55
7.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bouteille 650ml, courtoisie de Hogtownharry. De couleur ambrée orange et très légèrement voilée. Nez de houblon citrique (pamplemousse), résineux, légèrement floral et aux notes terreuses, malté de caramel sucré et de biscuits, moyennement fruité (agrumes, notes d’abricots), léger d’épices (poivre) avec des notes d’alcool et des traces de chocolat noir. Moyenne-ronde en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture moyennement crémeuse et aux notes résineuses. Goût amer de houblon résineux, floral et moyennement citrique (pamplemousse, qui dure toute la gorgée) avec un goût fruité (agrumes et zest, léger d’abricots) lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute un goût malté de caramel toffee sucré (notes rôties et traces de chocolat noir) et accompagné d’un léger goût de biscuits au miel, parallèlement à un léger goût d’alcool doux puis en finale l’on retrouve un regain d’amertume de houblon plus asséchant, plus citrique et légèrement terreux ainsi qu’un léger goût épicé (poivre) et de seigle asséchant. Post-goût long et sec, amer de houblon résineux, citrique, légèrement floral et terreux, fruité (zest d’agrumes) et avec un léger goût d’alcool et des notes de chocolat noir.
Tried
on 28 Sep 2007
at 20:13
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Bottled. A dark amber beer with a thin fast disappearing tan head. The aroma is sweet malty with a sharp hoppy note - especially with notes of grapefruit, combined with a malty note of caramel. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of caramel combined with a lighter note of hops - giving it notes of grapefruit, leading to a dry finish - somewhat like eating a grapefruit.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Sep 2007
at 17:20