East End Bigger Hop

I had my friend Eileen get me some bottles of East End Bigger Hop that I used as an excuse to get to Mount Washington in Pittsburgh to proposed to my (then) girlfriend (she said yes!). The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white head that is about a pinky finger thick and leaves some lacing behind on the glass. The aroma consists of a soft caramel undertone with plenty of bitter hops giving off wonderful citrus notes including orange, lemon, tangerine, and grapefruit. There is also some pepper and pine mixed in as well. The taste is bitter with lemon, orange, tangerine, and grapefruit right up front. The flavor transitions into pine and pepper spicy bite before a sugary sweet grapefruit flavor pokes through with caramel undertones. The after taste is bitter and has a spruce flavor about it. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I was always a huge fan of Big Hop and an even bigger fan of Harvest Hop, and I think this beer is up there with those two beers. The citrus notes that this beer hits is perfect and bitters nicely of a soft caramel base, making this beer all about the hops.

East End Big Hop IPA

I stopped in to Buffalo Blues in Pittsburgh to help patronize their local food and beer initiative. At Buffalo Blues, they feature $3 East End Brewing Company drafts, making a visit completely worthwhile. I ordered a Big Hop IPA to go with my wings. The beer pours an orange color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of caramel malts with fresh lemon and pine hops. The taste is bitter and piney with good lemon accents and a caramel backbone that waits to reveal itself. The beer finishes with a pine dryness. The alcohol content is 5.8% ABV. The Big Hop is a very delicious brew and a great IPA, especially at $3 a pint.

East End Big Hop Harvest Ale

On my last trip to Pittsburgh, I picked up a growler of East End Big Hop Harvest Ale from the brewery. The coolest part of this growler pick up is that they added fresh hops into the growler before sealing the lid. This way, the hops will be able to soak into the beer and bring out a little more of a hop profile. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a foamy off-white head. The aroma is piney and hoppy with some caramel and lemon hints. The taste is sweet and smooth with caramel with a good delicate pine and pepper hop balance. The beer then finishes smooth with a pepper bite on the back of the tongue. The alcohol content is 7.4% ABV. This has become one of my all time favorite IPAs. The balance that East End achieved with this beer was perfect and the hops bit perfectly on the back of the tongue.