Big Eddy Imperial IPA - Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company

scaliasux

Wisconsin

2.8/5  rDev -27.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

Appearance - Clear, medium amber. Medium tall reddish, tan head. Persistent.

Smell - Sweet caramel, molasses, raisin. Surprised to note little hops aroma.

Taste - Much more richly malty than I expected. Hits a range of rich, medium-roast flavors. Dark fruit and molasses most prominently. Citrusy hops are apparent in the finish, though much less prominently that I'd expect from an IIPA. Orange and a hint of resin.

Mouthfeel - Full and creamy. Noticeable alcohol.

Overall - Not being a fan of excessively hopped beers, I actually like this quite a bit. The malt flavors are rich and complex. The hops matches nicely, balances the rich malt flavor, and doesn't overpower. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if some who picked this beer up were looking for something quite a bit different.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 03:36:07 | More by scaliasux

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.65/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a bottle into a shaker pint, the beer is a vibrant, crystal clear, ruby-tinged copper coloring with a thin, low profile, bright white head that froths the surface. Slow, steady carbonation throughout the body. Aromas of resiny and piney hops, with a subtle citrus tang and a deep, roasted, caramel backbone. Smells balanced and rich. Flavors are resiny and slightly bitter on the forward tongue, with a tart citrus component hitting the outer edges of the taste buds. Rich, sweet caramel backbone holds true throughout, and there is a decent balance of flavors as you drink. Light lacing left on the glass, and the beer has a light to mid-body feel to it. The aftertaste is tangy sweet and slightly spiced, with a lot of the pine and resiny characteristics coming forth again. Clean, slick, slightly drying finish.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 02:19:13 | More by GarthDanielson

shand

Florida

3.9/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

These Big Eddy brews are always an instant buy for me. Leinenkugel, purveyors of fruited specialties everywhere, putting out "big boy" crafts just strikes me the right way. Big Eddy Imperial IPA looks the part, with an amber body and two fingers of head that retain very well. The aroma has a deep, resinous, piney hop with a big caramel malt presence. The taste really follows the nose, with the deep piney hop presenting some more citrus character, and the big malt doing it's thing. The malt isn't overpowering though, there's a nice sense of balance. The mouthfeel is on the heavy side of medium and the drinkability is solid. Overall, Big Eddy Imperial IPA is a solid attempt at a DIPA, and one that I may pick up again if looking for a maltier brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 03:37:25 | More by shand

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.7/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a crystal clear deep amber/copper color with a decent sized off white head that quickly dissipates to a cap. Aromas of earth citrus and pine with an almost buttery aroma as well as hints of light sweet fruits and plenty of bread and caramel to fill in the gaps. The flavor is kind of heavy on the malt side of things with sugary and sweet fruits up front. Resinous citrus comes up next, but gets drowned out pretty quickly by the presence of a bit of ethanol. Long sweet lingering finish with a firm earthy hop bitterness. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet almost syrupy mouthfeel. Seems a bit sweet and thick for a double IPA. Tasty brew, but more like a barleywine honestly.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 00:30:15 | More by johnnnniee

Zorro

California

3.63/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Clear deeply red colored ale. Far from the expected IPA orange something. It is an agreeable shade. Small white colored head.

Smells malty and hoppy with a big menthol and mint scent. Woody and earthy with a bit of mushroom and abundant strong tea scent. Slight plum, fig and melon aromas.

Starts out sweet and a little savory with a strong melon flavor. Slight citrus flavor but this is quite woody. Melon, Citrus and wood, that sums this up.

Mouthfeel is full.

Overall sort of a weird one. Sort of half barleywine and half IIPA. Needs to decide what it wants to be.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 22:27:32 | More by Zorro

brewdude1982

North Carolina

3.86/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

This was a draft poured into a 10 oz. snifter.

Pours dark amber/rusty brown with a mild head with low retention. It has a sweet pine aroma as well as something metallic/inorganic. It has a well balanced malt and hop character which was a little surprising since it was an imperial ipa. It seems that all too often it's one or the other with this style. However I could have had more on the hop end. Medium body with medium hop character. It was slightly dissapoint in but only since it was listed as an imperial.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 21:06:39 | More by brewdude1982

Geegar

Wisconsin

3.65/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Picked up as part of a pick- six.

A - Poured into a tulip. A deeper color than expected, almost red. Nice head, maybe a bit more than a finger with a creamy color. Head stuck around for a while, longer than expected.

S - A pungent citrus, with a bit of pine. A nice pleasant aroma from a Leinie.

T - Bitter up front that was quickly taken over by a tremendous sweetness. A little too sweet for my liking, but not overwhelming. Whatever malt was there was covered by the sweet.

M - A nice feel. Thought it would be a tongue-coater after tasting the sweetness, but went down smooth. Not overly carbonated in the mouth.

O - Not quite as nice as lest years batch, but still worthy. I think the Big Eddy Stout is a fine RIS and was hoping this Imperial would match the quality. Still better than the majority of what Leinenkugels produces.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 01:17:22 | More by Geegar

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.61/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2012.

A: Pale apple skin coloring, sharp clarity with a very faint display of carbonation. 1/2inch frothy head barley yellow with a short span of retention. Light spacious speckled lacing.

S: Sweet caramelized pine on the nose. Lemony honeysuckle spicy flowers are fresh, and light in nature.

T: Boozy caramel is the first impression. Spicy floral, lemony scotch-pine. A strong malt character, the alcohol is a bit high perhaps overshadowing the hops character. A good warmth, some woodsy pine and cypress notes.

M: Nice malt fullness, quiet carbonation, good deal of alcohol warmth.

O: Overall decent flavor, though hoppiness suffers at the hands of higher alcohol. The hops dont appear bright, rather subdued and stands in the back of the room to the alcohol and malt.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 23:33:12 | More by beerthulhu

OliverBlaze

Wisconsin

4.35/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Leinies has really done it this time. Living only 10 minutes away from this brewery, I was excited to hear that they would be releasing an IPA. As soon as I spotted it on the shelves of my local store, I snatched it right up. From the bottle it had a surprisingly fruity taste, distinct hop presence, along with a strong malt backside. Leinenkugel's does an excellent job of masking the sturdy 8.2% alcohol content as the beer tastes delicious. Each sip encourages the next and soon you are wishing that this was available in more than a four pack. My only beef is the ritzy price tag. Nonetheless a great brew. Go get it.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 00:57:36 | More by OliverBlaze

Omnium

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours a cloudy amber color, very minimal head, which doesnt really impact my view of it.
S - A sweeter malt, lots of lemon peel, some grapefruit, a hint of alcohol, strong pine and floral.
T - Hop extract oil, big malt backbone thats sweet and a little roasty at the same time, not a lot of the lemon flavor I smelled though. Tastes a lot like an english style ipa.
M - Sticky sweet flavors stay on your palate for a long time, medium bodied feel though.
O - While its not bad, this has a much stronger malt trait to it that makes me feel like this should be labled English style IPA. Though you definitely get the higher alcohol content from this, there's still that signature "artificial" feeling I get while drinking this beer as I do from all other Leinenkugel beers. Not bad and not great for sure. Much better out there for the money.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 03:11:55 | More by Omnium

laynerjohnson

4.9/5  rDev +26.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Draught is impeccable. Bottle is average (3.5).

ABV differs 0.7% between draught and bottle, but dramatically effects the experience and balance of the brew. Higher ABV on draught (9.6%) brings out a complexity (+ more mango) that is lacking in bottle (8.9%). Bottle renders tart.

When poured, a gorgeous beer both ways.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2013 00:11:31 | More by laynerjohnson

ChiPool

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle dated 12/03/12; Consumed & reviewed on 1/6/13.

Poured into a snifter. BEIIPA pours a medium orange color with 1/2 inch of off-white head. Retention is somewhat minimal: a few floating bubbles persist. On the nose: malts, honey, a bit of booze. More of the same on the palate: not much of a hop bite, and finishes sweet. This isn't a bad beer at all: just not a representation of the style that I prefer. Tastes a bit like SN Bigfoot, without the bitter finish. Mouthfeel is on the heavy side of medium. Does have some lingering bitterness, but not a ton.

Tastes more like a IIPA that was "best by" 12/3 (a month ago), not bottled a month ago. As a barleywine, I rather like this.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 22:20:59 | More by ChiPool

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks again go to Kegatron for gifting me with a bottle of this. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a tulip shaped pint glass. The brew appears amber to burnt copper with a finger of silky tap froth across the top that fades to a thin film. Some patches of lace stick to the glass and a swirl agitates less than a finger back to the surface.

The aroma has a strong malt backing smelling of toffee, caramel and some sticky sweet vanilla to almost candy inclusion. Playing off of that sweetness is a bit of fruity to floral hop component that meshes well with the alcohol. The fruity aspect here of the hops is borderline orange-like with a nice floral accent that somewhat flirts into the realm of being herbal but not quite. I am surprised by how much the aroma is focused on malt.

The flavor brings things back into the expected profile. Hops are a bit more present here with some rindy to herbal flavoring coupled with fruity hints that are primarily orange-like with a hint of pineapple and lemon. A bit of tangy alcohol is present which breaks things up and the finish has some hints of residual sweetness. Instead of being candy-like a full of burnt sugar quality like the aroma suggests, this instead is more toasty grain which is nice. As the brew warms up, it has a bit of resinous pine aspect that is a nice change of pace.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. Pretty decent across the board but the nose was a bit much with the malt and the flavor had an interesting tangy fruity component that while not distracting did seem a bit out of place. I didn't bother to check bottled on dates, just fired this into the fridge and cracked her open when cold. I would possibly get this again if the opportunity presented itself but it isn't something I would go out of my way for. Thanks Heath!

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 03:18:41 | More by stakem

wvsabbath

West Virginia

3.3/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Serving Type - Bottle

Appearance - Burnt yellow, dark tan, 1/2 inch creamy head and lots of sticky lacing.

Smell - Hops, orange, some lemon, pine, grapefruit. Mild malts, and a little alcohol.

Taste - First sip is hoppy with a strong malt backbone. Has a artifical hop extract flavor that comes out in the finish. Added sugars counter the bitterness and overpower it some. Lots of citric fruits, pine, orange, grapefruit. Caramel nutty malts really come out after beer warms.

Mouthfeel - Hops coat tounge with bitterness, malts add caramel and boldness. Palate gets sugars, hops and more malts. Aftertaste is sweet, hoppy and sugary.

Overall - Decent, added hop oils and extracts adds a fake flavor i cant ignore. Its not as hop heavy as most dipas either. Malts add a real strong caramel flavor that works well with the added suagrs. A decent attempt for a dipa but nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 08:33:31 | More by wvsabbath

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.43/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

And with its deep amber hue and a charged hazy appearance, the beer simply appears as honey. Even a turbulent pour amounts to a medium stature of foam which retains moderately and laces even so. The love of color is tempered by lackluster head character.

Fruit, caramelized sweetness, and herbs are all present in the nose. While starting sweet with caramel, the beer's aroma develops toward woodish pine, fragrant citrus, and an earthy counterpart that reminds me of fresh field-torn tobacco.

Citrus laden caramels hit the early palate, and does so with the balanced brunt of oranges pith, grapefruit, wet grass, and straight-up caramel. As the beer extends onto the middle palate, the sweetness waivers and starts to favor the pithy resinous of pine sap, and fragrant tree bark. Still, the sweet taste lingers and balances the beer ever so slightly in finish.

Full to medium-full, it's easy to read both IPA because of its early creamy dryness; yet the residual sweetness questions barleywine. But its the transition that the beer makes midstream that decides on dry malty textures that's favored over residual malt. A conclussion semi-clean hop bitterness closes the beer with clumsy malty-sweet texture.

There's a lot of the malt sweetness that causes me to read English IPA. But the level of hops and the proportion of supportive character speaks to American versions, the beer promotes strong strength for those who are undecided between malt and hops but prefer stronger taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 06:17:36 | More by BEERchitect

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

While waiting for my anniversary growler at Lucky Monk this afternoon, a Leinie's rep offered to buy me a glass of this to enjoy to pass the time. I declined, but it was great to be offered. Good people sometimes... Anyway, this stuff pours a clear sunset amber topped by a finger of off-cream-foam. The nose comprises sharp pine needles, sweet caramel, grapefruit rind, and a hint of alcohol. The taste brings in more of the same, though the grapefruit is a tad brighter. The body is a light-leaning medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a lightly sticky finish. Overall, a pretty nice DIPA, nothing truly outstanding, but a definite win for Leinenkugel's.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 03:51:32 | More by TMoney2591

Quackershnoc

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: cloudy, copper color; very warm and rich; white head that dissipates pretty quick but retains a ring
Aroma: really malty; molasses; a bit of hop; hint of apple notes
Taste: molasses/sugary sweetness up front; big bready flavor; a bit of hops; moves into apple-y crispness and then into rich dried, dark fruit (prune and raisin maybe); finishes with a great hoppiness and fig; some alcohol warmth on the back end; finishes pretty dry
Mouthfeel: thick and kind of syrupy; well carbonated
Overall Impression: this is a nice beer; really well balanced; crisp, kind of clean feel; it's got a nice depth and a complexity of flavor to it that continues to develop as you drink it; the dryness welcomes another sip; quite drinkable, but one to sit back and really enjoy

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 04:16:56 | More by Quackershnoc

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle - $3.49 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

"NOV1912" on the bottle neck. I assume I haven't a second to waste!

Appearance: Pours an amber body with noted clarity underneath a foam layer, slightly yellowed.

Smell: Sugar encrusted toasted bread with floral, orangy notes from the hops (a slight candied, dried apricot fruitiness, too) and a slight whiff of alcohol.

Taste: Toasted, bready malts with a heavy pour of golden syrup and caramel. Large sweetness. Touch of dried apricot. Drizzle of orange oil with some comparatively easy-going resinous, floral qualities. Medium-plus bitterness, some heat from the alcohol. Sweetness slackens some, as does the body past the midway point, taking one an alcoholic sweet tea laced with citrus juice taste until the warming finish. There is a lingering bitterness, but, again, it's comparatively light when set against many IPA's, imperial or otherwise.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Some apparent stickiness to the mouthfeel.

Overall: While not exactly cloying, it's not what many people are looking for from a Double/Imperial India Pale Ale. Sorry, it just isn't.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 00:45:10 | More by ChainGangGuy

challenja

Virginia

4.68/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle drank straight from the neck then to the Dogfish Head Pint glass for further inspection.

A: Dark amber orange. Thick cloudy appearance with light carbonation. It has a really nice thin white froth head that is resilient sip after mouthwatering sip. Well done.

S: Brown sugar malts jump off first. Sweet nectarines, blood orange, rose pedals. This is full of sweet hop varietals, 5 in total, with Warrior and Chinook hops springing forth through the crowd. No real trace of pine which you get with almost all double IPA's..strange.. but hey its all good.

T: This is a slightly spicier Lagunitas Brown Sugga clone. This has more malts, spice box, and peppery flourish than most DIPA's. This beer is coated with loads of residual sugar and tangerine fruit.

M: Creamy, smooth, full bodied deliciousness. A really well rounded chewy mouthfeel. NICE

O: This is my second Big Eddy series from Leinenkugel, there other being one of my top 5 stouts Their Oak Barreled Russian Imperial Bourbon Stout, and let me say DAMN GOOD JOB!

nothing else to report but this BUY THIS BEER...put your regular good old boys down and GET THIS NOW... you will thank me and your tastebuds later..

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 23:58:20 | More by challenja

raznug

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: It pours a hazy dark orange color and is topped with a thin layer 1/8” of white colored head that lingers.
Smell: The blend of hops in the aroma of this beer is excellent I get pine grass citrus all blended into one delicious sniff. Big Eddy maybe one of the best smelling beers that I can remember.
Taste: The flavor isn’t as distinctive and complex as the aroma but that would be a hard thing to live up to. There is a tasty balance to the flavor that makes it a good IPA just wish that the hops were more prominante.
Mouthfeel: This is on the heavy bodied side to most IPAs but it is still easy drinking without losing any flavor.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 14:55:01 | More by raznug

Gotti311

Wisconsin

4.6/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I feel at this time I can pretty much try any beer without a preconceptions. But I would be lying if there wasn’t something deep in my brain that had some questions before I popped this bottle open.

Any thoughts deep within my subconscious were immediately drowned out by this really amazing offering from Leinies. The nose is a dense cluster of citrus. I have had a few one note citrus IIPA's recently and I crave complexity. The nose has a number of distinct notes, grapefruit, slight orange, and maybe even a more pungent lemon. The smell carries almost perfectly over into the first part of the taste, which is actually pretty rare now that I think about it. Most beers tend to move on to other flavors, but I am glad this one let me really think about that citrusy nose. The flavors hang for some time before a really nice dank mouth rounds out the mouthfeel. God I love dank beers and this one isn't insanely dank, but still very forward.

If I am going to nitpick this brew, I think it could have handled almost a whole extra percent of ABV. I think the bottle said 8.2% and I wouldn’t have minded it sitting in the mid to low 9's. But that is really nitpicking.

Bravo to the brewers up in Chippewa Falls and their Big Eddy Series. Glad the folks down in Milwaukee let you off your leash because you are accomplishing some great things.

A side note - I refuse to rate appearance so every beer gets the same score as overall. Smell and taste are the only things that truly matter when rating a beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 18:06:16 | More by Gotti311

homebrew311

Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap in Big Eddy snifter. Deep red clear appearance with thin white head. The nose features an onslaught of pine, wood, resin, and grapefruit. Caramel malt backbone present. Taste is very malty with a swift kick of piny grapefruit hops. Lots of flavor, a touch on the boozy side. Mouthfeel is somewhat heavy. Overall, a vey well executed beer by Leinenkugels, too bad this isn't their m.o. Worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2012 01:43:23 | More by homebrew311

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a clear copper color with a white head on top. The head was white, it had a decent retention and it left a good lacing too. The smell of the beer is more malty than hoppy I think... The taste is moderately hoppy, it's got a bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is oily, it's thick and had a decent carbonation. Overall this beer is decent, it's not quite lively enough for an Imperial IPA. It's drinkable but not the best example of the style out there.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 01:05:54 | More by Knapp85

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - A very dark amber brown/copper with a 1/2 inch of mocha colored head. Like the sticky lacing on this it runs all throughout the pour.

S - Malty, caramel like with a musky grapefruit and a touch of bittering pine.

T - Not as malt forward as I expected yet not a hop bomb. Pleasant malty grapefruit balanced with caramel sweetness and a touch of pine in the finish. Palatable and tasty.

M - Medium bodied yet goes down easy enough.

Overall much better than the RIS and on par with the style like the Wee Heavy. Seems like these guys know what they are doing.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 02:09:27 | More by DrDemento456

KKB

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A – A caramel/orange colored body, light carbonation, with a yellow-white head. Nice looking 1 finger head. Great retention.

S – What a great smelling IPA. The hops smell really wonderful and diverse, there is also a fruity element to this, either a grapefruit or a pineapple.

T – Good, not amazing. Has a nice malty character to it that does not overshadow the hops but contribute to it in a very balanced manner. Both bitter and sweet at the same time. Extremely well-masked alcohol, and overall actually a very well crated IPA. It really gets better as it warms up a little bit too. But like I said, good, not amazing.

M – A nice medium body, with carbonation that lasts the whole way, has a nice mouth-feel.

O – Overall, Big Eddy made a damn fine IPA, very drinkable, very tasty, I would totally buy this again if I saw it.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 22:28:56 | More by KKB