Big Gunz
Sterling Pig Brewery

 

 

Super good dipa, and like a similar review is similar to Alchemists’ heady topper. Great beer

 

Really good DIPA. And this is from a guy who lived next to the Alchemist cannery in Waterbury Center Vermont. Not Heady, but real nice.

This was one of the few times I had to check others' reviews before recording mine. My rating was so high, I had to give pause. I'm into my second 16 oz. can poured into a clear liter mug and I'm sure this is the real deal. These servings are among the best looking beers I've had. The color is an unfiltered orange, the perfect amount of head close to pure white. The lacing is as substantial as I've seen. A wonderful hoppy aroma greets the nose. It tastes exactly like a dry hopped double IPA should. Tremendous hop delivery within a secondary malt base, with a lingering sharply dry hop aftertaste. There's enough balance to make this a very smooth 8% swallow. This is my favorite beer category, so I'll usually run a little higher than most in this arena. If a hoppy taste is unappealing to you, please stay away for your own good. I can only guess that those that rated this under 4.0 don't like hops, or didn't get a serving as fresh as I did.

 

On tap.

A - Hazy dark orange color with little to no lacing.

S - Spicy citrus and light grapefruit. Aroma is light overall.

T - Nectarine, sweet red grapefruit, some spicy citrus and ends with a sharp citrus bitterness.

M - Thick mouthfeel with lots of sharp carbonated pricklies.

O - A nice old school D-IPA. Old school is good.

A thanks to the founding father of the canquest, woodychandler, for this beer. Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a golden/orange color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is herbal, grassy. Taste is of pine, some herbal notes, fairly bitter. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is an enjoyable beer.

Par for my goofy course - I was focused on beers from Sterling Pig (Media, PA) & 2SP (Aston, PA), initially thinking that they were in the same city! Aston is only six (6) miles from Media, which my have led to my CANfusion, but I spent the day alternating between the two. I left off at the end of the night with 2SP's Bellcracker, an ADIPA & so I decided to pick back up with Sterling Pig's ADIPA.

From the CAN: "Double IPA India Pale Ale"; "Warthog from Hell!! Big Gunz is small batch brewed with selected Pale Malt from Ireland and dry-hop finished for an uncompromised freshness. A snort of floral bouquet and well balanced bitterness makes this a dangerously drinkable Double IPA. Best served fresh."; "Mess With the Best [-] Columbus Hops[;] Ekuanot Hops[;] Centennial Hops[;] Simcoe Hops[;] Citra Hops"; "80 IBU".

8% & 80 IBUs?!? Perfect! I beCAN by Crack!ing open the vent & starting a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. The pig wasted now time in coming out, gunz a-blazin'! He was clearly angry about my pig roast last night & puffed up to form two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with very good retention. Color was Amber to Deep-Amber/Light-Copper (SRM = > 9, < 13) with NE-quality clarity. Nose ripped into my sinuses like a burst from the M-60, the machine gun known as "The Pig". I am on the Catspotting page on Facebook & although I could not see her, I could definitely smell that mischievous little kitty, Simcoe! Phew. I also got resinous pine, bitter grapefruit & sweet orange. Mmm. Mouthfeel was big, full & sticky, like a dollop had been scooped onto my tongue. The Pig Big Gunz were unapologetic about their bitterness! Immediate & unrelenting, to the point that I had to reach for my asthma inhaler. Phew! 80 IBUs? No kidding! Once the initial shock wore off, I allowed it to roll around on my tongue & warm, slightly. The pine resin was the prevalent flavor, followed by the CANbined citrusiness of grapefruit & orange. Phew. Finish was super dry, hardly any malt presence at all, leaving Simcoe to cover her kitty business unabated. I will be frank - as an unabashed hophead, this is just the sort of thing that really pulls my trigger! That said, I know that highly bittered, hoppy beers are not for everyone. My scores might come in high, but it is because this is what I dig. YMMV.

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at the brewery taproom in Media.
Cloudy yellow-amber body
Fruity and hoppy with hint of very ripe soft fruits and some floral elements.
Smooth, lightly warm and prickly body. Medium:light carbonation.