Big Hugs - Half Acre Beer Company

BigBigPickle

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bought a bomber at the Half Acre facility on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago - what a great looking place. The loading door was open and it smelled divine. Looked cool too - I will be booking a tour soon.

A: Pours jet black, cola with a toasty brown head - marvelous looking beer in the glass. The head has okay staying power and there is great lacing on the glass.

S: HEAVY malt and coffee grounds with a sweet, slightly nutty smell.

T: Bitter at first, sweet, too sweet and fruity. Some coffee, but I have to be honest - way too thin and sweet fruit for a big beer like this. I really think it missed the mark.

M: Just okay - thin body with residual coffee and hop bitterness creating a decent mouth feel.

D: Eh. I would like to try it again to be certain of this review, but not at $10.99 per bomber. I drink a lot of stouts and this one missed the mark for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2010 15:24:38 | More by BigBigPickle

DoppleJock

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

01/10/2010
1 pt. 6 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass.

Binny's on Clark St. just got this in stock a few days ago...

A: Pours like coffee, looks like coffee. Almost no head retention, but leaves a caramel ring around the inside edges of the glass.

S: Medium-bodied coffee scents with hints of caramel and toffee. Should have sipped this from a coffee mug!

T: Was expecting something really malty, but it's actually pretty mellow, which prevents the alcohol from overpowering the coffee taste (doesn't taste like 9.5% ABV). Really pleasant coffee aftertaste as well.

M: VERY smooth. Would actually drink this beer instead of coffee in the morning if it wasn't socially frowned upon at work.

D: Some imperial stouts are a "one and done" event, where drinking a few bottles in one sitting would be too much for me. Not so in this case. I could easily finish this bottle now but I want to save some more for later.

Verdict: If Half Acre was open at 6:30 AM like Starbucks, I'd start going there for my morning coffee! (I pass the brewery every day on my way to-and-from work).

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 02:48:07 | More by DoppleJock

homebrew311

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: pours a deep black with a slight amount of clarity on the pour, a coffee colored head forms and persists, leaves heavy lacing

S: strong brewed coffee notes on the front which are melded with chocolate and roasted barley. Smells very robust

T: the taste is similar to the nose with some added malt sweetness in the mid palate, some molasses, lots of roasted/burnt flavors, not as much coffee on the palate as the nose led me to believe , this beer is good but isn't anything I would go out of my way to get

MF: creamy texture, medium to thick body

D: the alcohol is well hidden and the flavors are smooth. I was expecting the coffee to be more prominent than it was. Overall I enjoyed this beer, but it wasn't as good as I hoped for.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2010 06:09:01 | More by homebrew311

emerge077

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Black stouty body, arcing mocha lacing all around, ringing the glass. A solid skim spreads across the surface, receding from about a finger of initial foam. In the light there's a glint at the rim of burnt ruby mahogany.

Aroma is a little estery with a nice and warm note of mellow, rich coffee. Roasted malts and coffee candy.

The flavor is similarly estery, in the end it's more like a big coffee porter. Bitterness is moderate and coffee derived. Some unsweetened dark chocolate may also be responsible to a lesser degree. Lingering roasty malt aftertaste. Fairly rich but light bodied and dry in the finish. Not palate-destroying or syrupy like so many other American RIS'. Some dark fruit inklings that never really express fully. Easy drinking, a growler would almost be a better option if you're sharing. Nice stuff...

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2010 03:32:15 | More by emerge077

trbergman

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle poured into a tulip.

A - Pours an inky black with a half inch of tan head that leaves behind plenty of lace.

S - Espresso, dark chocolate, caramel. A little subdued, but good.

T - Plenty of coffee, with chocolate and a sweet note of dulce de leche. None too roasty, though there's a fair level of hop bitterness. Hints of dark fruit - raisins, figs. The finish is lengthy and bittersweet.

M - Medium-full body, though surprisingly light for its 9.5% abv. Some added dextrins could really take this beer to the next level.

D - Big Hugs is very quaffable despite its strength. An impressive beer from Half Acre - I think that with a few small tweaks, it could be stellar.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2010 05:16:31 | More by trbergman

heliosphann

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

64oz growler from paco1029384756. Thanks Frank! Shared with fellow BA infestaxion in pint glasses.

A: Pours Dark black/brown. A finger of dense, mocha head that collapses somewhat quickly. Small amount of lacing, but not much to write home about.

S: Roasted coffee and creamy chocolate reign big in the fragrance dept. Nutty, earthy tones come to the front as the beer warms up.

T: Some of the same coffee and chocolate that were mentioned above are present, although not nearly as prevalent. Instead there is a good amount of dark fruit and malty sweetness. There is also some nutty flavors mixed in as well. Some earthy hops squeak through to balance things out. Along they way there is a little bit of booziness, but not much.

M: Medium bodied. Carbonation is just right and helps highlight the flavors. I think it could be a little thicker, but my qualms are minor in this regard.

D: For a 9.5% Stout, this drinks really well. There is a slight bit of booze shining through, but overall very little. I'm getting ready for my second pint and might be ready for a third after that.

Half Acre continues to churn out a very nice lineup. Luckily they're pretty close by and hopefully I'll be able to visit the Brewery/Tasting Room soon. I found Big Hugs to be a little deceptive, but it turned out to be a solid brew.

Serving type: growler

01-03-2010 21:53:03 | More by heliosphann

keithricker

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

So I stopped in to the brewery store to see what this was all about, and I got the story on this new concoction from promising young brewery, Half Acre.

Initially, I thought the idea behind the kitty cat and the cute name ... might have something to do with one of the brewer's favorite pets, as it is not at all unusual for brewers to name something after a pet. It's actually one of those things that's rather en vogue at the moment.

As it turns out, there is no office mascot or family pet bearing the Big Hugs namesake, and the name was actually intended as an ironic take on the current trend for dark beers to take on dark and sinister names and bottle designs(i.e. Dark Lord, etc.). After learning this, the humor in having a giant, cuddly kitty cat terrorizing the Chicago elevated transit system was not lost on me.

Since the other reviewers did such a fine job describing this beer already, I'll just give a quick overview of my impressions. First thing you'll notice is the fantastic aroma. It smells sweet, with aromas of coffee and dark chocolate truffles.

The taste comes in two phases. When it first hits the tongue, I get hit right away with a sharp and sour burst, reminiscent of sharp cheddar cheese, lemon, and sour dough. This very quickly subsides in to a very smooth, mellow, and lightly-sweet taste of dark roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate.

As noted by other reviews, the mouth feel isn't as big and bold as one might expect for an imperial stout. In short, this isn't one of those "huge stouts" that pours like motor oil and tastes like dark chocolate fudge brownie dough mixed with soy sauce, and leaves you feeling 10 lbs heavier. Rather, Big Hugs probably straddles the line between an imperial porter and a coffee stout.

Bottom line, though, is that this is just a very good and enjoyable beer. A real nice, easy drinking coffee-infused treat. I don't know what their long-range plans are for this, but Half Acre already has a serious hit on their hands with Daisy Cutter, and Big Hugs would give them yet another solid offering in their lineup, if this is to be more of a permanent thing.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2010 21:10:53 | More by keithricker

jhoban19

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Growler fresh from the brewery (and only walked a block from there to my house), served in my favorite personalized chalice (12oz).

A: Jet black with a finger's worth of foamy, caramel head. When held to the light, some subtle ruby hues are visible. Head dissipates very quickly into a thin ring around the edge with sparse surface coverage. Dotted lines of lacing cling to the glass like a stock chart on the sipping side of the glass. On the opposite side, a solid yet fleeting lace akin to a receding tide on the beach.

S: Initial aromas of coffee with some dark chocolate and even a hint of hazelnut. As it warms, not much change- the bitter coffee and dark chocolate continue to dominate the nose.

T: tastes like a cold cup of coffee with cream (no sugar), in a good way. A pleasant coffee bitterness lingers throughout the entire glass. I don't detect the 10% ABV at all. I also don't detect any hop flavors, but I'm usually not very good at detecting hops in a beer like this. Guess I need to get working on my Hops Appreciation kit!

M: before warming up, Big Hugs is a little too fizzy. As it warms, the carbonation settles and I'm left with a medium-bodied beer with a smooth and creamy finish, though still a pleasant fizz as the liquid hits the back of throat. I was expecting a bit more of a full body and this where Big Hugs loses a little bit of steam. Some sticky hops resin on the lips also starts to develop (at least I assume that to be a result of the hops). The bitterness (and probably the alcohol) is really creating a dry-mouth situation as I near the end of my glass, though nothing a sip of water or a few scoops of vanilla ice cream wouldn't cure!

D: if you like stouts, this is a good one. At 10% I'm finding myself being cautious- was saving it for a NYE party tonight, but I couldn't wait, just had to bust it open (one glass now, I'll save the rest for when my guests arrive). This is a good one for a cold day when you want to sit back and really take your time to enjoy a big beer like Big Hugs.

Serving type: growler

12-31-2009 20:22:01 | More by jhoban19

beerad666

Illinois

4.63/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Love the label on this one!

Pours out pitch black with a medium sized light brown head that settles down to a thin coat. This big guy punches you with a ton of coffee aroma. I would say a little bit of chocolate but I think that's coming from the coffee beans and not so much the beer. Other than that there is a slight sweetness but it's hard to pick out much over the delicious coffee aroma. I'm a big fan of Dark Matter Coffee (I get it at Star Lounge all the time) so I was extremely excited to give this beer a try. The taste follows the aroma... tons of coffee. It's creamy, slightly sweet, roasted and a slight bitterness on the finish whether from the coffee or hops. Quality coffee in here! The let down is the mouthfeel, I think it all kinda feels slightly empty in the mouth, wish there was a little more going on. But then again it isn't a RIS...

Just under 10% and this guy hides it well and makes it very drinkable. You can easily knock out a bottle alone and I think I might just end up doing that.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 21:14:02 | More by beerad666

paco1029384756

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Pours black with one finger of creamy tan head that settles into a smooth thin layer.

Scent of sweet dark fruit, a hint of juicy hops, sugars, earth, caramel, and a nice punch of bitter coffee. This stuff smells incredible, the fresh coffee and sweet dark fruit work so well together.

Taste of dark fruit and strong coffee start, juicy hops, roasted malts, and sugar round it out. Finishes with a lasting coffee flavor, very nice.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and oily, but thin and fairly flat.

Serving type: growler

12-20-2009 23:26:01 | More by paco1029384756

wilwfu

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

So i went and got a growler for a tasting with some BAs on friday and while checking out the brewer came out and gave me a bottle that didnt make the fill cut. So this review is a mix of my thoughts on the growler from friday and the 21 ouncer I am enjoying today... I thought that was a pretty solid "gift" from halfacre!

Pours jet black, with a huge dark dirty mocha brown head- it hangs for about 5 minutes and leaves solid lacing the whole way down. The nose is dark chocolate, coffee and cream, real inviting. The growler pour on friday had a much more pronounced roasted coffee nose, the bottle is more balanced. The mouthfeel follows suit, like a nice creamy roasted expresso; the chocolate and coffee flavors really come out in this one, and this guy should fall somewhat into an imperial russian/coffee/milk stout. The drinkability of this thing is crazy good, the 10'ish% is hidden really well...

If you are in the chicago area, go and hit the brewery up, may end up with a free bottle of some good stuff!!

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2009 22:43:41 | More by wilwfu

rudylaw

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a growler on release day 12/18/09. Served in my Boulevard Smokestack chalice.

Pours a deathly black with a whispy light brown head that quickly subsides into a thin rim.

This sucker smells like freshly brewed coffee! Immediately, I'm reminded of the beauty that is Founders Breakfast Stout. Fresh ground coffee beans, dark bakers chocolate and the slightest hints of marshmallow and whipped cream.

Tastes like a coffee stout. In fact, this is much better described as such, rather than a straightforward imperial. Screw it, this IS a coffee stout. Now, the taste is much more complex than the smell. Sure, the coffee grounds and chocolate are here, but I'm also picking up dark fruit. Plums... the farmers market kind, some heavy cream, toffee and roasted malt. There's also a slight bit of hops here on the finish.

At 9.5%, this is amazingly drinkable. It's too thin for an RIS (this is where FBS separates itself), but as a coffee stout, it's darn solid. I know there are to be other takes on Big Hugs and I can't wait to see where it goes, or how it translates to the bottle.

Serving type: growler

12-20-2009 18:34:43 | More by rudylaw