Big Bird
Trillium Brewing Company

Big BirdBig Bird
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From:
Trillium Brewing Company
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
New England IPA
Ranked #111
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
97
Ranked #487
Avg:
4.42 | pDev: 5.66%
Reviews:
47
Ratings:
241
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 24, 2023
Added:
Jun 29, 2017
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  30
Making its return migration to New England, Big Bird remains one of our hoppiest beers ever. Drawing inspiration from our “small birds” by utilizing speciality grains and unique hop varieties, Big Bird has an amped profile worthy of a larger fowl. Pouring a noticeably cloudy yellow, this intensely aromatic Double IPA conjures up a tropical fruit cocktail nose of fresh pressed orange and ripe pineapple with a garnish of lemon and light spruce tip spice. Strong citrus flavors of key lime pie, mandarin orange, and tangy grapefruit pith lead into a creamy profile of kiwi flesh, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon with papaya. Medium bodied, Big Bird’s tropical sweetness on the front of the palate is balanced out on the finish by a soft herbal bitterness. Don’t sleep on this bird, it’s one for the books!

MALT: American 2-Row Barley, White Wheat, Dextrine Malt, Flaked Wheat, Valley Danko Rye, Valley Malt White Wheat Malt, Malted Oats, Dextrose

HOPS: ?
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Underclaw:
Photo of Underclaw
Reviewed by Underclaw from Massachusetts

4.46/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Poured into Teku from can dated 6/12/19. It's tough to divorce expectations from reality...this release was very much hyped. I find that the high ABV beers skew higher on ratings, and this one coming in at 9% ABV would touted. And it was. I liked it for sure. I did note that the higher ABV did come across. But it was still very drinkable. Notes of pineapple, mango, citris. A very good Imperial but not the top level of the Trillium class IMO.
Jun 23, 2019
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.23 by benjaminsa from Vermont

May 24, 2023
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Reviewed by TLWalsh from New York

4.56/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Poured on 5/4/2023 from a 16oz can that was purchased at the brewery on 4/27/2023 into a tall tulip glass. Color is a very light gold and very densely hazy with a thin white head that dissipated very quickly. The aroma is plenty up front, tropical and fruity. The first taste offers a powerful smack of pineapple and other tropics. Then the malt rolls in and balances it all out really well. The finish is crisp and dry. A truly delicious double IPA that left me wanting more!
May 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.79 by petrusek23 from Ohio

Aug 26, 2022
 
Rated: 4.5 by The_Beer_Guru from New York

May 18, 2022
 
Rated: 4.23 by lochraneg from New Hampshire

May 13, 2022
 
Rated: 4.52 by abrodsky from Massachusetts

May 11, 2022
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

4.64/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Poured on 5/4/2022 from a 16oz can that was purchased at the brewery on 5/1/2022 into a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a very hazy light gold color, with a short white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains very strong floral and hops, juicy citrus and tropical fruits and light caramelized malts.

T: The taste likewise starts out with a very strong burst of floral and dank hops bitterness that is quickly followed by strong juicy and sweet flavors of citrus and tropical fruits. The malt character is on the light side and brings an excellent balance. There is a bit of a hops spice bite in the finish. The after-taste is hoppy and sweet.

M: Very crisp and very smooth, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Very tasty, goes down extremely easily, not too filling, well-disguised kick, very good representation of style, this is an excellent NE-style hop/juice bomb to drink for a very long time.
May 05, 2022
 
Rated: 4.5 by kevindp9 from Arizona

May 03, 2022
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Reviewed by CHickman from New York

4.47/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours cloudy bright yellow color which looked like a glass of grapefruit juice with a 2 finger thick head that faded quicker than most Trillium brews, leaving minimal lacing. Smells like a glass of grapefruit juice too, with the additions of tangerine, orange peel, lemons, limes, melon, starfruit, mangoes, pineapple, and potent citrus hops, then biscuit, floral hops, grassy notes and coriander. A great nose overall, which is how it tasted as well. A nice fresh, tasty DIPA…good balance, great feel, everything you’d expect from these masters of the NEIPA.
May 01, 2022
Photo of lucius10
Reviewed by lucius10 from California

4.43/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
2022 Batch! Sweet tropical hoppy, slightly malty, and prominent orange-tangerine citrus nose on this one! Taste follows with a juicy and hoppy, lemony orange-grapefruit citrus bitter finish...some citrus bitter hop burn lingers a bit on the back of the throat as it warms. This is more juicy than soft, and may be a tad under-carbed, but still feels nice on the palate. This is fantastic!
Apr 27, 2022
 
Rated: 4.78 by TheeWarPig from Michigan

Apr 21, 2022
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Glad to finally try this and thank you PhineasMcClintock for bringing this can back from Boston. Canned on 04-15-21.

A - Opaque, bright light milky gold color with a thin, dense white lacing ring resting on top.

S - Citrus fruit aroma with vinous pineapple, grapefruit, and papaya with some spicy citrus rind. Aroma is not intense but assertive, impressive for being two months old.

T - Pithy citrus, citrus rind, spicy/peppery citrus rind, pineapple, sweet grapefruit, tangy lemon, and some tropical fruit.

M - Thick, chewy, and a little frothy with very well hidden ABV.

O - I can't believe how well this beer has held up after two months.
Jun 24, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by aucanuck from Georgia

Jun 13, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by gelasin from California

May 16, 2021
 
Rated: 4.49 by DaveCash from New York

May 13, 2021
 
Rated: 4.44 by Jcarriglio from Florida

May 07, 2021
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Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

4.49/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
The word is out about Trillium Brewing's Imperial New England IPA. With a racy collection of contemporary hops and a juicy mindset, this beer is big. Looks like bird is the word after all.

With a matte finish on the glass and a milky yellow appearance overall, Big Bird tops it all off with a creamy white froth and a billowing bouquet of zesty citrus, tangy tropical and botanical herbal scents. A background of sweetness breaches the tongue with early palate introductions of wafers, agave and angel food cake.

But anything that resembles malty is short lived as the hops simply blossom on the tongue with a burst of citrus. Grapefruit, lime, lemon and orange carry that racy citrus acidity and bitterness that's most associated with the actual fruit and rarely seen in hops. But the complex flavors continue as a more tropical under current of passionfruit, papaya, gooseberry, white grape and under ripened pineapple all fold into the mix. Closing with a tangy and bitter interplay, the smooth hop bite includes that mineral and racy "zing" that only Trillium provides.

Medium bodied and finishing on the drier side of malty-dry, Big Bird has a lighter and much more palatable mouthfeel than the normal cereal laden hazy IPA. With a crisp finish and a highly refreshing taste, the ale lingers into a medium length flavor of tropical fruit peels, hemp and herb.
May 04, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

Apr 25, 2021
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Reviewed by VTbrewfan from New Hampshire

4.53/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Canned on 4/15/21 and enjoyed in a tulip glass. Pours a milky pale canary yellow with minimal head and lacing. Lots of fresh queened lime on the nose, some freshly cut grass and citrus ring. Getting prominent lime flavors - creamy lime, definitely reminiscent of key lime pie. Super creamy smooth mouthfeel. Not very bitter, but a substantial amount of linger hoppy bitterness on the palate. First time having big bird after a few years of missing it - glad I was able to snag some. Really enjoyable beer with the standard Trillium DIPA character.
Apr 25, 2021
Big Bird from Trillium Brewing Company
Beer rating: 97 out of 100 with 241 ratings