Cambridge House Big Hoppy - The Cambridge House Brewpub

argock

Virginia

2.7/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 22 oz brown bomber into an oversized wine glass. No freshness date. Purchased at Total Wine (Norwalk, CT) for $4.29.

A: Copper-red with nice 2-finger light-beige head with decent retention and craggy lacing.

S: Unfortunately, this beer goes downhill after appearance. The aroma is mostly dank and resin but light on all accounts. There is some cardboardy, vegetal aromas as well.

T: The flavor is not much better. It tastes astringent, tea-like, and grassy with too many tannins, like an oversparged beer. There are some dank hops qualities with some resin but not much else. The malt component is cardboardy. Overly bitter but thankfully there are no bad fusel alcohol flavors.

M: Not a bad feel although it is a little too carbonated, but not by a lot. Medium body but the tannic quality is pretty overpowering.

O: This might be an old oxidized bottle, but without bottle dating no one will ever know. Would definitely skip this beer. It tastes like below-average homebrew.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 04:16:52 | More by argock

Flounder57

Massachusetts

2.78/5  rDev -30.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.5

22 oz bottle was poured into a large tulip glass.

Appearance: This beer poured a crazy two finger head that reduced to a thin layer and left nice lacing on the glass. It is a copper amber color with some haziness and slow moving bubbles coming up through the glass.

Smell: Caramel malt, toffee, fruity, buttery, some citrus, and orange marmalade.

Taste: Same as above, but the hop bomb bitterness takes over and the malts don't holf up well too.

Mouthfeel: it was tough to get a few sips down. I poured the rest down the drain.

Overall: Pretty dissapointed about this one. I'll let the store owner know that he needs to take the beers off the shelf.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 06:29:23 | More by Flounder57

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22-oz. bomber into an oversized pilsener glass.

A: Poured a cloudy, orange-amber color beneath a frothy, two-finger head of off-white foam that left some soapy lace and a chunky head of carbonation. Some sediment from the bottle floated ambient with the loose carbonation.

S: Musty orange peel, some spicy, herbal grass clippings and a slight, cooked veggie aroma fill the nose.

T: Sweet, candied citrus flavor hits the palate first, backed by some cooked corn and caramel and caramel sweetness. A slightly hot, spicy hop bitterness hits the palate, but pulls a punch with some yeasty twang to mask some of the flavor. The finish is somewhat chewy and boozy more than bold, bitter or overly flavorful.

M: Full-bodied DIPA with the additional mouthfeel of yeast and sweet, juicy malts, albeit a tad musty and mute.

O: I didn't have the highest hopes for this DIPA from a somewhat defunct Connecticut brewpub brewed at a somewhat mediocre, quasi-contract brewery in Holyoke, Mass. (aka Paper City), so in a sense, I wasn't disappointed. There were a few off-flavors and the 10% ABV didn't endear me to the drinkability, but the fact it exists and wasn't a train wreck of hops or booze was encouraging. I'm not running out to buy it agaon, but I might get it if it were on-tap at the brewpub in Granby.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 04:58:16 | More by Gambrinus1184

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A-An interesting pour. Burnt amber or even copper. Dark but mostly clear. Head has a light orange hint of coloring. Head dies off to a thin, yellowish seam. Loose lacing squiggles line the glass.

S-Pretty light. Definitely balanced. Caramel covered bread and dusty oranges. It really does have a dusty aroma. Light clementines. Not too impressed here. Not enough intensity, the hops are odd and there isn't much depth to the hops.

T-The flavor is considerably better. Hops are more fleshed out. Pine and grass along with puckering grapefruit and unripened orange flesh. Lemony and astringent. Tart, lip-smacking lemon actually. A bit of dust too. Definitely some sweetness with caramel and sugary French bread. Boy is this bitter.

M-Bitter, bitter, bitter. Dry, dry, dry. Booze hidden oh-so well. I was actually shocked to see this clocking in at 10%. Body is medium. Soft but plentiful carbonation.

O/D-Definitely has its own flavor. This is one of those rent-a-brewery brews. But they did a heck of a job with this one. It is not my favorite hop profile (I prefer a bit more tropical fruit) but I can always get down with a super-bitter hop elixir. This is a monster and I am having trouble grading it. I didn't love it…but wait…did I?

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 19:11:10 | More by VelvetExtract

Durge

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A thick cloudy amber colored brew with a major cloud of off-white head and gobs of sticky lacing. The aroma brings a fruity pine hop medley that pleases. The flavor offers a fairly sweet grapefruit with a mineral grain malt theme. A polite bite blended nicely with the cereal grains we all love. The body is about medium. with a solid, edible feel and fair carbonation. A very solid DIPA by my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 05:35:17 | More by Durge

jim102864

Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Solid effort from Cambridge House with this one. A ballsy Double IPA, coming in at 10% and served in a 12 oz snifter glass. Lovely golden yellow in appearance. Somewhat cloudy. This is jacked up with heavy citrus aroma: think oranges and lemons. I detected pear and apple overtones as well. Somewhat chewy yet smooth and still more citrus in the mouthfeel and finish. Lace hugged the glass all along. Served at the proper temperature. Their best beer on tap, bar none. Drinkable, but not something you'd seek out to exclusively consume during a night out.

Serving type: on-tap

01-07-2007 17:15:32 | More by jim102864

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

if there ever was a deserving moniker...

A - this DIPA has a coppery pinish color with a very thin creamy head and little if any carbonation

S - what else do you expect from a high quality DIPA, floral piney aromas with associated grapefruit and a lurking sweetness

T - hops hops hops hops hops, man is this hoppy, but not overly so, still slightly sweet and damn tasty, with all the aromas translating to the taste

M&D - dare i make the comparison to DFH 120 min, its that level of superhoppy drinkability, with a smooth and easy down mouthfeel, only the ABV holds it back

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2007 02:35:55 | More by sinstaineddemon

bigone4

Rhode Island

4.35/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This brew poured a hazy dark orange straw color. There was a nice fluffy off-white head that stuck around until the last sip. The beer provided a great cascade of lace down the whole glass. Unfortunately it is only served in a 12 oz. pilsner glass and there are no growlers available. But I can certainly see why. Oh well. This beer proved to have very well rounded citrus tones and a strong hop floral scent. Mild tones of grapefruit and the distinct smell of hop oils are also mixed in. Five varieties of hops were used to brew this beer. The smell is very characteristic of an American Double IPA.

Very hoppy brew not intended for everyone’s pallet but it was perfect for mine. Nice use of bitterness and the hop flavors throughout the whole taste, from start to finish. Lighter hop flavor up front with a hint of mild malt on the tongue followed by a huge blast of hoppy bitterness in the back of the mouth. The taste paints a perfect picture of hop flavor for any IPA lover. Cambridge House has crafted a true to style ADIPA. They did not use any Cascade hops for this one.

It certainly holds true to its name though, Big Hoppy. Being a Red Sox fan the name was also quite appealing. This beer is exceptionally smooth and drinkable. It hides the 10% ABV very well. You would never know it was that high from the taste. But once your cheeks get rosy you know it’s in there. Great after taste of lingering hop bitters creating a very enjoyable drinking experience. I highly suggest trying this brew before it disappears. Congrats to another great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2006 18:58:07 | More by bigone4

Boto

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Draught @ Brewpub: This one came out without much of a head on it, and it dropped off rather quickly. The beer has an orangish, darker amber hue to it. The aroma is potent: almost like a glass of grapefruit juice. Needless to say, this beer is very aromatic. With a nose like that you might expect the hop bite to be overpowering: it isn’t. There is a strong presence of grapefruit hop taste, but it is not overdone. In fact this is very well balance. Somewhat fuller malt body behind the beer. Some fruity notes coming through also. Very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2006 12:30:07 | More by Boto

far333

Connecticut

4.43/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the brewpub
1.091 OG
Made with 100% organic malt from British Columbia and a variety of American hops

Deep copper colored with a thin off-white frothy head that sinks slowly down. Big aroma of sweet malt and citrus. Rich flavors of sticky oily citrusy hops, some tangerine and grapefruit. Finishes piney. Never bitter, just very flavorful. A sweetish base of bready malt gives a great base for the hops to stand on. Very well-balanced hops and malt, but make no mistake, this is a hop monster. The 10% ABV is completely hidden, doesn't take away from the flavor at all. A great DIPA.

Serving type: on-tap

10-17-2007 15:20:53 | More by far333

Hautacam

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A slightly hazy deep amber....small tan head.
Smells like a northern spruce-fir forest..where fresh grapefruit is being served....by chipmunks..?? Anyway, it smells awesome. First sip and the hops are on the attack...piney grapefruit..wow..a nice puckering bitter that knocks the malts way into the background...they're there, but it is definitely not a malt / hop balance... it's called "Big Hoppy" .... it lives up to it's name. There is enough malt. There is an almost astringent , dry finish that leaves you with nothing but...you guessed it ...hops.
The mouthfeel is medium....carbonation is a little low, but seems just right for the flavors. 10 % ABV, but I'm not tasting it...dangerously drinkable...probably good that it is a 10 oz serving. I'll be back for this one again !

Serving type: on-tap

05-21-2007 23:06:41 | More by Hautacam

goodbyeohio

Oregon

4.55/5  rDev +14%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

on tap last week of dec 06

solid amber pour with consistent, thick haze on the surface and maximum strength lace walls surrounding the surface. clear as a spring day.. but in the winter.

aroma laden with sweet clementines and peach nectar, peppered by an earthy catbox funk. west coast in its pleasant lack of sugar sweetness and apparent dry nose. smell here bleeds expert hop execution.

starts dry and tart, grapefruit juice-filled pulp chambers pop with flavor, releasing earthy citrus to much delight. finishes even drier, erasing all memory of alcohol from my brain. thick maybe, but layered with oily green hop flavor. sweetness is sacrificed in favor of piney resin and drinkability, which makes for a welcome trade-off east of the mississippi.

best cambridge house beer yet? quite possibly.

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2007 16:23:03 | More by goodbyeohio

jaxon53

Connecticut

4.6/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the brew pub. Came to the table in a 10oz. glass. Was a beautiful dark amber orange that was capped off with a short, tight, off white head. Head faded pretty quickly but did leave a bit of sticky lace behind. Awesome nose that was mad up of thick grape fruit and pine with a bit of sweet malt buried in the background. Taste was just about on par with the smell. Strong grapefruit and pine like hops, some sweet malt, with a bit of a bready, yeasty touch. Very west coast in my opinion. Slightly carbonated, and the ten percent alcohol was not a bit noticeable. A nice full, thick mouthfeel. This one is pretty much a taste bud burner. Not really balanced, but with a name like big hoppy why should it be. Dangerously drinkable with a 10% ABV. An excellent offering from The Cambridge House.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2007 01:03:40 | More by jaxon53

IntriqKen

California

4.8/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Amazing.
Thanks to goodbyeohio for this growler.
Pours a perfect orange amber with a nice half finger of white.
Aromas are immediately fresh, very fresh hops...citrus and piney.
Mouth gets hit with sweet amber malts and then a big blast of grapefruit and pine oil hops. What becomes most amazing is how fresh the ingredients taste...and how perfectly balanced they are. Often DIPAs overpower you with sweet malts...the balance doesn't work....this one is wonderfullly balanced and there is nothing cloying or sticky in the mouth after swallowing. Just a yearning for another sip.
But watch out...it's 10% but you would never, EVER know it until it was too late.
Good stuff...maybe the best of DIPAs

Serving type: growler

02-10-2007 04:25:00 | More by IntriqKen