Big Daddy IPA - Speakeasy Ales & Lagers

BigIrishman

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Love me some hand pumped IPA. Pours a slightly hazy yellow/orange with a nice big fluffy white head.

Smell: Grassy piny notes that are mixed with orange and lemon zest, fairly light overall.

Taste: I get the lemon and orange right away, as it warms the beer opens up a bit and I can find some earthy undertones and a very light pale malt finish. No bitterness or bite to be found.

Mouthfeel: Extremely light and almost buttery soft on the palate.

Drinkability: Definitely a mid range IPA. There are no noticeable faults or problems and it drinks pretty easy, however if you're looking for a hop bomb or an enamel scraper than look elsewhere as you'll be pretty upset. This beer holds up better in the heat of summer than many others out there as it's not so hit you over the head hoppy. Overall good, not mind blowingly great though.

Serving type: cask

07-26-2010 16:17:49 | More by BigIrishman

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.76/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a twelve ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Pours golden, clear, with 1/4 inch patchy white foam/. Early lacing observed. Leaves islands. Lemon pine nose, sharp. Grapefruit taste, firm hop, even throughout. Latent citrus. Very dry finish, flavorful IPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 21:53:13 | More by KTCamm

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a nonic pint glass.

Appearance: super clear yellow/gold with light bubbles on the body. Head is a straight white with no tint rising about 1/3".

Smell: honestly it feels like a strong floral, and after my first sniff it was more like a forest. Honestly no complaints.

Taste: heavy floral, feels light at points granted I am pairing this with an excellent chicken dinner. The hops are strong, definitely room for improvement but still pretty good.

Mouth: medium to heavy, consistent stickiness to the beer.

Overall: good beer and honestly will be ordering another. Have had it before and honestly thought I wrote a review a long time ago about it but I apparently didnt. Salud!

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2013 03:08:01 | More by BlurryVisi0n

magictacosinus

California

3.34/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a mason jar pint... Because, why not? Consumed on 05/12/13. Review is from my notes.

Produces a golden-amber straw color, complete with 2.5 fingers of head depending on how aggressive the pour was. Some bubbles rise to the top, but luckily the head never fully goes away. No lacing to speak of. Not too viscous in nature, but does look like a thickened IPA as far as the ingredients go. Seems a bit paled, however, and I do prefer my IPAs to shine and glow.

The aroma immediately threw me off with an acrid, skunky earthiness and faded hops, almost to the point where I thought the bottle had been oxidized or was past its prime. However, as I let it sit, the initial off flavors changed for the better, and I got some subtle yet warm lemon rinds, some slight oranges, and an undeniable pine/grass combo from the hop profile. However, this may be TOO subtle, especially when considering the style at hand here. There's a bit of malty sweetness, as well as brief astringency from the hop resins, but otherwise this is not too complex by any means. I wouldn't say it's necessarily "balanced" either!

There's a rush of floral, grassy hop notes, as well as lemon, that melds decently into the crisp grainy profile and finishes with a touch of sweetness and bitterness that is mild yet inoffensive. Slightly earthy, but nothing wrong, unlike the initial skunked phenols in the initial aroma. Not as fruity as I usually like my IPAs, and I'd go as far to call this a golden ale with extra aromatic dry hops included in it. Definitely not too astringent, but the initial burst of floral hops is rather nice. The body is relatively thickened, and to me is the biggest strength of this beer, which makes this easy to drink, if relatively underwhelming.

I remember having Big Daddy in bars across SF years ago when I was first getting into craft and found it to be overwhelmingly mediocre (given the fanboyism that went around for it), but it seems that it might have changed for the better here. There's less of that prickly graininess from the original recipe and little bit more balance here, as well as extra charm added to the hop profile. However, it's not something I'd really have again unless offered.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 16:48:48 | More by magictacosinus

draheim

Washington

3.66/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

22oz bottle into a tulip. Pours a pale copper w/ a big sudsy bright white head that leaves behind some nice big sticky clumps of lace.

Aroma is a clean blend of floral and piney hops, a little muted but I don't know how old the bottle is.

Taste is also a bit subdued. Pale biscuity malt and American hops with a mild bitterness on the finish. A hint of lemon. This could almost be an APA, I'm thinking it might be a few months past its prime. Still, drinkable and refreshing.

Mouthfeel is clean, light, and crisp.

Overall a decent but unremarkable IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 05:18:22 | More by draheim

JG-90

New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

220z into glass

A -Clear and bright copper color. Pours a medium creamy/bubbly head that slowly recedes and leaves heavy lacing

S - Mostly dark malts, not a huge nose, just a touch of hops

T - Starts with a slight orange flavor, then hoppiness, with a bit of a heavier malty finish. Has a very clean finish, very drinkable.

M - Medium body and carbonation, with a bit of creaminess

O - Maltier than I expected for a west coast IPA, but still balanced and drinkable

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 01:19:39 | More by JG-90

Dbrown144

California

4.1/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

A: Dark copper or amber with an average foam head.

S: smells great. Smells like piney hops with a little citrus and barley.

T: has a strong, but far from overpowering hoppy flavor, definite hints of citrus, and a decent malt backbone.

M: goes down very nicely and has exceptional consistency to it. As the bottle says, it does have a strong hoppy flavor with a clean dry finish.

O: one of my very favorite beers.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 05:22:34 | More by Dbrown144

constantine_272

Oregon

3.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: Highly carbonated. Dark copper with a thick head with great retention. The average bubble diameter is quite small lending to great color uniformity of foam.

S: I smell oats and barley. A touch of earthiness with hemp.

T: Sweetness up front followed with soft caramel and nutty walnut flavors. The taste finishes with a mild floral hop and mild fruit. I get a hint of raspberry on the slightly tangy fruit finish, usually only a flavor from darker stouts. The tanginess is slightly citrusy, predominantly orange peel. After a few more drinks I get a metallic copper flavor that builds.

M: Mostly clean finish, a little residual flavor from the hops is to be expected. A bit heavier than your average ipa in consistency. No doubt due to the extra malts.

O: Quite a unique ipa. I like the sweetness and the odd mix of fruit tones from the malt but not the copper flavor. Overall a nice ipa that sets itself apart from the other thousands quite well.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 05:03:33 | More by constantine_272

ElSid

California

3.58/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The Beers of California

#72

Bottled Date: 2/14/13

A: Clear, pale yellow with an ephemeral white head. The head reduces to a layer of white with decent layering on the glass.

S: Fresh spring flowers, pine, citrus zest, and touch of black pepper along with some honey and caramel sweetness.

T: Clean hop bite with earth, pine, and lemon peel. The spice also has elements of pepper and garlic. The fruit that is there is predominantly citrus and much more muted relative to the nose. The malt is barely there with honey and caramel breadiness. The finish is puckering.

M: Oily linger that coats the mouth with a feel that is ale medium and carbonation that is faint to medium.

O: A decent IPA with nice bitterness but little complexity. This brew is not much to look at and the label of 'good' can barely be applied here. Although decent and drinkable, this beer is not quite an IPA regular in the refrigerator.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 06:37:30 | More by ElSid

BryanCarey

Texas

3.91/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Golden/amber in color, this beer has a nose that is floral, spicy, a little bit citrus- like, with some caramel and pine. The foam level is nice, sits atop a clear body, and does hold its own for a while, even though it leaves only a small amount of lacing.

Moving to the taste, this IPA offers flavors consistent with other west- coast IPA. The taste of citrus, piney hops dominate, but they rest on the solid malt backbone that adds some caramel malt, pale malt, and bread flavor to the mix. The body of the beer is medium and the ale has a long, dry finish that mellows out with each passing minute.

I love a good IPA and Big Daddy IPA is certainly a beer worthy of a try. With its citrus and floral hop- accented flavor, this IPA is much like other American west coast IPA. At the same time, however, this IPA actually offers a good degree of balance and its malt contributions, while trumped by the flavor of the hops, are still noteworthy and they offer a good, solid base to support the hops.

This IPA is a tasty one for certain and I recommend a six pack if you can track one down. Its distribution base is still somewhat limited, but Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA is certainly a beer worth taking some effort to find.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 04:09:08 | More by BryanCarey

lordofstarside

Nevada

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12oz to a pint glass. Bottled on 10/30/12, a little over three months old, should still be pretty fresh. Just finished reading Elie Wiesel's "Night" along with a book about Clinical Ethics. Needless to say, even though it's only 3pm I could really use a beer :(

Pretty interesting bottle art, the colors and theme make for a nice presentation. The beer pours a nice consistent light gold with a perfect two fingers of head. It receded down to one finger pretty quickly, and is retaining a finger of foam. Mild carbonation stems from the bottom of the glass against perfect clarity with the lacing almost up to par. Nearly a flawless looking beer, a bit more color would have a perfect score. There's an aroma of thick piney hops among a consistent floral citrus base. Notes of orange zest meld well with some grapefruit that comes together with a a solid bready malt. At 6.5% no alcohol comes through, leaving this an above average smelling brew. Taste of moderate hops come along with a rigid malty base. Not much of the citrus from the nose translates well across the palate, leaving the beer a little bland. Feel, like most other beers, is done well, with a crisp body that's a little on the light side. Little to no alcohol in the taste makes this pretty easy to drink, with a dry finish. Overall this is a bit mild for a west coast ipa in the sense more efforts seem to be taken to balance the beer. As always I'm sure the beer would have a stronger hoppy profile fresh off the tap opposed to three and a half months in a bottle, but the malt detracts from much of the other flavors. Still pretty good though, though I've had many better I've had even more a lot worse. Pick it up and give it a try if you have the chance

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 23:18:28 | More by lordofstarside

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Two finger of fluffy head on a medium straw colored body.
It has a strong aroma of lemon and pine. Really nice.
The taste has good malt backbone with medium lemon bitterness. It's smooth and straightforward.
A softer texture with moderate carbonation and medium body.
A solid, go-to IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 01:13:54 | More by Fatehunter

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A: cloudy dirty orange, trace off-white head, quite solid lacing

S: orange jam, grassy, malt, sugar/candy

T: orange jam/peel, hint of grassy, malt, sugar/candy
slow bitter finish

M: med body, oily mouth

O: Nice IPA offering. Perhaps good intro
for newbie. Would buy again. Nearly sessionable
American IPA, fine balance. New to this brewery;
love to explore and support new craft breweries.

DELIGHTFUL; NOT MUST HAVE!

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 22:28:17 | More by BeerLover99

smakawhat

Maryland

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured on tap into a shaker pint.

A real nice classic amber orange with lots of cola carbonation rising up. Head is a little soapy off white, laces real nicely and always leaves a puck. Otherwise pretty solid.

Nose is muted hop, a little citrus barely peeks out, some nice hit of caramel malts. Good balance but not hop forward.

Palate hits toned down but real nice balance. Nice sweet malts and light toasty brown sugar. Hop angle comes out nicely with some citrus orange and hits of pine. Mildly coating with a balanced finish on the palate. Carbonation is dialed down nicely letting everything coat.

Overall not an amazing brew, but certainly one to know about. I could easily have this again. Drinks very easily too.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2013 17:43:46 | More by smakawhat

TheMarkE

California

4.34/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Excellent. Everything an IPA should be, full of citrus hops assaulting the tongue with enough malt to keep it honest. Smooth and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 03:29:34 | More by TheMarkE

FosterJM

California

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1664th Review on BA
Draft to 16oz Stella Artois Chalice

@Buffalo Wild Wings, Chino Hills, CA for $5.25
Paired with Asian Zing, Thai Curry and Parmesean garlic boneless wings

App- A big glowing orange color with some tans/browns around the edges. A bit of yellow and gold in the center. A nice 2 finger fluffy head was there and had a good amount of soapy cling. A little bit less as it got to the bottom of the glass.

Smell- Fairly hoppy with a bit of a thicker citrus note. A bit dry at a big pull and a bit grassy as well. A nice balanace but still a bit thick and dense vs. bright and hoppy. A bit creamy as well.

Taste- I thought it was good. A nice solid IPA from Nor. Cal. Had a good amount of balance and hops behind it. The malts were a bit subtle and thick, but overall the whole flavor was a bit thick. Thicker hops and a bit more deep citrus created a good flavor that went well with the wings.

Mouth- A solid medium body. Not sure where they intended this in a bottle version. Might have to compare. A solid carbonation and a bit dry and citrusy with a bit of bitter hops on the finish. More residual citrus is on the finish.

Drink- This was a solid West coast IPA. A bigger beer than the 6% would lead on. A nice balance and fairly dense. A well rounded flavor. Solid but not wowing. A good go to it would seem for the bottle price. Id have again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2012 19:22:18 | More by FosterJM

nUgZ

North Carolina

4.48/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle poured into a pint glass. Thanks to SanFranJake for this opportunity.

A: Pours a nice golden color with a 1 1/2 finger head and nice lacing.

S: Tons of floral and citrus hop aromas. Not much malt to speak of.

T: Just like the smell, the flavor is full of citrus and floral hops with a hint of malt in the background.

M: Medium bodied with good carbonation.

O: I really like this beer!! It's just what I look for in an IPA. It absolutely assaults your senses with hops! If it was a little hazy, I would give it a solid 4.5.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 03:15:52 | More by nUgZ

elNopalero

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This pours a straw golden in color with loose sloppy white bubbling.

The aroma is lightly hoppy with some grassy straw rounding it off. The flavor starts off with a straw bitterness then develops warming orange mmmarmalade notes (the extra ‘mmms’ are for how delicious they are). This is a dry & approachable IPA with a light malt backbone that plays nicely with the hop profile.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 08:41:26 | More by elNopalero

riored4v

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Crystal clear body with a 1 finger white head. Pour was in to a tulip. Good lacing.

Nice citrusy aroma with a good amount of orange. Some good maltyness, slightly floral and a hint of caramel.

Nice IPA flavors. Good floral and bright citrus flavors up front and turned to a touch of caramel, malty sweetness and a bit bready. Mild bitterness in the finish. Grapefruit/orange with a hint of lemon.

Mouthfeel was medium body, medium carb and a dry finish.

Overall a good IPA. Nice balance. Good malt presence without an overpowering bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 00:59:41 | More by riored4v

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This brew was served from the tap at Rattle N’ Hum in New York, NY. It arrived in a Coney Island pint glass, showing a transparent, light gold coloring. It held a one finger white head of creamy bubbles. This showed nice retention, leaving splotchy lacing around the glass. No haze or sediment was noted, and carbonation appeared average. The aroma was spicy, with earthy and citric hops. Pale malts and light metallics made up the grain bill, with bittering lemon rind on the back. Our first impression was that it was light in flavoring, but nice. The flavor opened up with pale toasty malts that bittered, and light citric hops that added to this. The middle peaked with chalked, pale malts, and those same light hops. Bittering citric hops, earthy tones, and stone marked an end that was otherwise watered out a bit, and light in flavoring. The final flavor was a plastic bite, with some lighter metallics. The aftertaste breathed of bitter hop cone, grass, and lemon rind. The body was medium, and the carbonation was medium. Each sip gave nice slurp and smack, with little cream or froth. The mouth was lightly coated in a nice toasty cream. The abv was appropriate, and the beer drank easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the fresh hop aroma. This was light, and very refreshing and inviting. The flavoring was a bit washed out but it, too, was rather refreshing. In the end this guy is average for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2012 13:08:08 | More by TheBrewo

brianrr23

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a Duvel glass.

Appearance - Nice golden color
Smell - Honey and Pine
Taste - Nicely done. Tastes like it smells with a nice light hoppiness.
Mouthfeel - Very easy to drink and good carbonation
Overall - Easy drinking and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 05:04:01 | More by brianrr23

TheSixthRing

California

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a clear, brilliant orange amber with a frothy, white 2 finger head. Decent retention, the resulting lace is thin and semi-sticky.

Smell - Subtle notes of peach and citrus.

Taste - Ooh that's different... and tasty. There's a predominant flavor in there that I wanna say is very candy-like, like a peach or pear or starfruit gummy, and it's supported by a strong citrus undertone. Malt flavors are subdued, but do well enough to give this brew some balance. Flavor profile is fairly simple, and basically finishes the way it starts, but it's a good one. Layers of alcohol warmth and bitter orange peel do present themselves in big gulps and, at least in the orange peel character, hang back behind the top molars well into the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation providing a lively tingle on the tongue. Finish is somewhat dry.

Overall - A good, original IPA. I can't say I've had one that's close to this. That's hard to accomplish in the hop dominant world of India Pales, and for that I applaud them.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 03:47:25 | More by TheSixthRing

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a clear golden orange pour with 2 fingers of head.patches of lacing. smells mostly of malt with some hints of honey and a bit of floral hops and grapefruit zest.
the taste is quite bready and hoppy at the same time. a very hopped up english ipa. just like double daddy, except a tiny bit tastier.. which is weird, considering it's got double the grain content... hmm. grassy hops, slight spicyness on the lips. light-medium body with a slight creamy feel with a boozy kick!
this is an awesome ipa. i like it better than double daddy. weird!

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 23:28:37 | More by facundoCNB

Kisejohn

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Aroma:  Some pine and citrus aroma.  Malt sweetness in the mix.

Appearance:  Golden honey color.  Clear and bright.  One finger of head and good lacing.

Flavor:  Pine and citrus flavors much like the aroma.  Bitter to start and in the finish.  Som sweetness in the middle.  Finishes dry with a nice lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel:   Light to medium body.  Good carbonation.

Overall:  This beer is well balanced between hop bitterness and malt sweetness. Hop aroma could have been more pronounced.  Very enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2012 21:09:55 | More by Kisejohn

clayrock81

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a rather clearigh or light amber red with two-finger head that died quick and left minimal lace. A basic citrusy and piney hop aroma along with barebones sweet caramel malt. Taste is more of the same; light, low-key, hoppy and sweet with a good balance. A good beer but not great as the citric hops are minimal and there's not much else flavorwise, nor do the malts really stand out either.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2012 11:38:43 | More by clayrock81