Size 11
Steel Toe Brewing

Size 11Size 11
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From:
Steel Toe Brewing
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
ABV:
11%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.14 | pDev: 9.9%
Reviews:
50
Ratings:
274
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 30, 2022
Added:
Feb 26, 2012
Wants:
  43
Gots:
  27
This beastly Triple India Pale Ale is the biggest of brothers to Size 7. Aromas of ripe Tuscan melon, honey dew and citrus explode at first sniff. Built on the same back bone, but doubled in all aspects. Malt sweetness up front, with a full mouthfeel, give way to ridiculously copious layering of hops. Wave after wave of citrus peel, grapefruit, honey dew melon and guava are pronounced from aroma, to flavor, to finishing bitterness. Warming but not hot, this one will definitely rock your hoppy world!

111+ IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Goblinmunkey7:
Photo of Goblinmunkey7
Reviewed by Goblinmunkey7 from Massachusetts

4.09/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Thanks to KWMiles and Minnesotaryan for the bottle.

Appearance: A dark orange infused copper. Head is massive, pillowy, creamy, and dense. Drops to a small creamy cap and collar after a couple minutes. Great head retention. Sheets and big notches of lacing. Moderate carbonation on the pour. Really spot on here.

Smell: Big hit of juicy citrus coupled with a solid earthiness. A bit of an oily leafy thing. Massive juicy fruit, some orange, grapefruit and apple. Even pushes in to mango a bit. Malts are huge and sweet, but they have to be to balance the hops. Caramelized malt sugars hit caramel, toffee, and a touch of brown sugar. Can you big and balanced and aggressive? Yes, you can if you're Size 11. Oh, did I mention the alcohol in the back. Yeah, it's assertive.

Taste: Big leafy and herbal. Some of the citrus drops out. Juicy grapefruit with some bitter pithiness. A bit more oily pine needle than the nose would indicate. Backing alcohol increases a bit as it warms. Mega boozy. Sweet biscuity malts. Huge caramel and toffee flavors. Almost like raw honey. Distinctly earthy. A bit floral on the edges. Hop spiciness. Juicy.

Mouthfeel: Slick and oily. Smooth with a solidly dry finish from the alcohol. Moderate carbonation breaks it up giving it a medium body, carefully avoiding that syrupy fell mess that "triple IPAs" tend toward.

Overall: Insert Spinal Tap reference.

Another solid take from Steel Toe. A big IPA that doesn't push too far. I'd drink it again, and that's rare, especially for the style. A bit too boozy in the long run, but that's really the worst of it.
Jun 07, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.01 by einman from Minnesota

Jan 30, 2022
 
Rated: 4.31 by MykeJ from Minnesota

Mar 07, 2020
Photo of Taybeh
Reviewed by Taybeh from Minnesota

3.69/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
At the brewery, into a snifter. I've been going to this tap room since it first opened but have never tried this one...have hesitated because I'm not a big fan of the Size 7, though I love their Sticker Fight, which I think is excellent. Well...damn. This one just doesn’t do much for me: too sweet, the melon is too heavy and not complemented by enough pine or any kind of bitterness or tart citrus...just too sweet. The construction isn’t bad, so I’m probably being a little severe here. It looks great in the snifter (kind of a heavy flowering orange amber, with decent lacing) and the nose announces that you’re going to get a serious dose of melon, balanced with a bit of pine. On the tongue and finish, though, it doesn’t deliver or develop. A little syrupy, oily and heavy feeling. Meh. Maybe its me...I like these guys a lot, live close by, and want them to succeed and am a hop head, but their hoppy stuff is hit or miss for me. If I want a big beer from ST, I’ll stick with Sticker Fight or Lunker.
Mar 03, 2020
 
Rated: 3.86 by JDizzle from Indiana

Feb 25, 2020
 
Rated: 4.11 by Dave2234 from Minnesota

Apr 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.33 by ian_graf from Minnesota

Jan 23, 2019
 
Rated: 4.33 by frank_the_tankMN from Minnesota

Sep 16, 2018
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from 750ml bottle into glass. No bottling date information found on bottle or on label, but this is a January, 2018 release.
Clear, pale gold colored body. Fluffy off white head. Lacing coverage is extensive.
Aroma of melon and citrus (grapefruit and orange).
Taste follows nose but adds dank and piney notes. Still lots of melon and grapefruit, and bitter citrus peel. Overall taste is quite sweet. The high IBU's show up throughout but ramp up at the end.
Lip smacking, full mouth feel. Slight numbing of the tongue.
Very pleasant all around, striking appearance, wonderful aroma and taste, and mouth feel enhances the experience.
Jan 26, 2018
 
Rated: 4.46 by Bolio from Minnesota

Jan 23, 2018
 
Rated: 4.08 by warrendietrich2001 from Nevada

Feb 24, 2017
 
Rated: 3.84 by npachl from Wisconsin

Feb 01, 2017
Photo of BeerGuy8315
Reviewed by BeerGuy8315 from Iowa

4.46/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Had this on tap at the Taproom in a snifter.

A: Pours a slightly hazy, amber-gold in color with a one inch, frothy, tannish-cream colored head with good retention. Thick, tannish-cream colored, billowy lacing throughout.

S: Big aromas of tropical fruit and citrus with mild notes of piney and earthy hops. Nose mostly consists of pineapple, mango, orange, grapefruit, and tangerine.

T: Starts off with big notes of grapefruit, orange rind, and tangerine followed by pineapple, mango, and melons. Ends with a piney, resinous, slightly dry, lingering hoppy bitterness.

F: Medium bodied, smooth, and crisp with good carbonation. Somewhat dry.

O: Overall, a great TIPA. Fruitiness and hop bitterness is well balanced. Fruitiness helps hide the ABV, though it is definitely still present. A great beer, but hard hitter, so you have to be careful with this one. Fairly easy drinking. Would definitely try this one again.
Jan 31, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by jonbonfondle from Minnesota

Jan 22, 2017
 
Rated: 4.19 by muskiesbadgersnbeer from Minnesota

Jan 12, 2017
Photo of joshcmn
Reviewed by joshcmn from Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Review based on 4 month cold-aged (35 F) 750ml bottle served in a tulip glass

Slightly hazy orange color with 1,5 inch rapidly fading white head with moderate lacing on the glass. Smells of sticky sweet dank hops, stone fruit and citrus. The taste is resinous, grapefruit juice, sweet, candied orange, booze, and dank. The mouth feel is like a sticky, oily, syrupy elixir that warms all the way down. This is fantastic beer from Steel Toe. I was lucky enough to try this fresh as well and I found that they are similar despite being months apart in age. Some of the hop aromatics have faded and the flavors have mellowed but it's still an incredibly complex and delicious tasting beer if you enjoy IIPAs. At 11% ABV and 111 IBUs this beer will kick your butt and rip up your tongue but it tastes damn good! Nice work Steel Toe! Thanks for bottling this in 750ml instead of 22oz, the extra 3.4 ounces of beer are delicious and appreciated.
Jul 31, 2016
 
Rated: 4.42 by BeerSnobRobinson from Minnesota

Apr 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by kylemckinnis from Colorado

Mar 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by Skellbop from New York

Mar 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by Sweffin from Wisconsin

Mar 01, 2016
Size 11 from Steel Toe Brewing
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 274 ratings