Big Hugs - Half Acre Beer Company

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BA SCORE
93
exceptional
-
301 Ratings

THE BROS
94
exceptional
-
read more »

rAvg: 4.17
pDev: 9.59%
Reviews: 137
Hads: 164

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
Half Acre Beer Company

Illinois, United States

Style | ABV
American Double / Imperial Stout | 10.00% ABV

Availability: Winter. bottle (113), growler (18), on-tap (6).

Notes:
No notes at this time.

View: Beers (62) | Reviews (23) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by nhindian:

nhindian

Pennsylvania

3.8/5 rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into a Portsmouth Brewery tulip. Big thanks to Alewatcher for throwing this in as an extra in his 'Rare Bourbon County LIF', thanks Jeff!

This is the label with a 'King Kong' Cat stomping a castle and Japanese-influenced font. 10.00% ABV

A - Pours a flat black in color, and slowly but gradually develops a frothy, tan head. Coming in at about 2-fingers, the head is almost packed completely dense with bubbles so it almost resembles an inverted black and tan (though with a different shade of tan). The head retention is pretty good, lasting for several minutes, and as it fades it leaves intricate lacing.

S - This smells of roasted malts, a good amount of coffee grounds, and slight alcohol. There are notes of hop as well. Sniffs of chocolate ink their way out of the malts, but for the most part this is a robust nose focused on roast and coffee. Overall fairly sweet and enjoyable.

T - At first this beer is a pretty heavy hitter, bringing a big rush of espresso and chocolate, but it quickly drops the roast for more chocolate sweetness. Given the nose, I was expecting a lot more coffee and am kind of let down that there isn't more here. Near the end some citrusy hops add their own twist to the flavor, while a rather fusel alcohol finish is a bit off-putting.

M - Mouthfeel is moderately heavy with above-average carbonation for the style. This is definitely a full-bodied beer and it will take a while to finish. Normally this amount of carbonation would be a hindrance for the style, but with the relatively hoppy finish, I feel it goes well.

D - Drinkability is moderate. Honestly I was expecting a bit more from this beer in terms of coffee influence, because as of now, it's faint and short-lived. Probably not the best idea to follow Kate the Great with this, but it's still a solid beer if you like a more sweet, hoppy stout.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 03:20:08 | More by nhindian

More User Reviews:

chippo33

Vermont

3.75/5 rDev -10.1%

05-23-2013 04:23:41 | More by chippo33

oglmcdgl

Pennsylvania

3.75/5 rDev -10.1%

05-19-2013 04:32:49 | More by oglmcdgl

jakeox

Illinois

4.25/5 rDev +1.9%

05-18-2013 23:49:41 | More by jakeox

slemkuil

Illinois

4.25/5 rDev +1.9%

05-17-2013 16:35:07 | More by slemkuil

ehammond1

California

3.76/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Bottle (2010)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, crushedvol!

(Aged for 3 years)

Nearly black, but truly a very dark brown and ruby. Small dark brown head. Irregular spots of stick left down the glass. Pretty stout.

Not a hugely expressive aroma. Will adjust this as I let the beer warm throughout the review, if necessary. Roast and a touch of coffee. Just a bit of chocolate-covered dark fruit as well. In fact, as the beer warms, lots of oxidation character emerges. It's not distracting, but it's not ideal, either.

The flavor follows the aroma, with chocolate-covered dark fruits and a bit of roasted coffee character emerging nicely. Moderate bitterness. Very drinkable, and the alcohol is exceptionally well hidden.

Near full in body with low carbonation.

Excellent. This aged nicely.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 01:21:41 | More by ehammond1

bryang002

Illinois

4.5/5 rDev +7.9%

05-10-2013 03:08:32 | More by bryang002

justforrazors

Missouri

4.5/5 rDev +7.9%

05-10-2013 01:55:50 | More by justforrazors

dfhhead25

Pennsylvania

3.75/5 rDev -10.1%

05-07-2013 03:12:39 | More by dfhhead25

soldat329x

Illinois

4/5 rDev -4.1%

05-06-2013 21:14:19 | More by soldat329x

Kelp

New Hampshire

4.5/5 rDev +7.9%

05-04-2013 23:31:32 | More by Kelp

hopswap1

Illinois

4.25/5 rDev +1.9%

05-01-2013 02:35:28 | More by hopswap1

PHBoiler

Illinois

4.5/5 rDev +7.9%

04-30-2013 04:16:49 | More by PHBoiler

Etan

Illinois

3.5/5 rDev -16.1%

04-28-2013 04:29:37 | More by Etan

UCLABrewN84

California

3.95/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Thanks to queens1130 for sharing this one at Wowcoolman's tasting.

Pours an almost opaque super dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa, and coffee aromas. Taste is much the same with cocoa and coffee flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a nice cocoa and coffee flavor.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 00:42:15 | More by UCLABrewN84