The countdown has begun for December 25 and here at Volume by Alcohol we decided to spread the cheer in a more adult fashion, a Beer Advent Calendar. Every day we will count down to December 25 with one unique beer, since we’ll be enjoying these brews on the actual date of the calendar we will post about them on the following day. These will not be extensive beer reviews but more of a snap-shot. Hopefully you will find these helpful and can locate some of the beers we will be discussing at your local bottle shop or pub!

Day 9: Heavy Seas’ Big DIPA | ABV: 10.5% | Style: Double IPA 

Beer Advent Day 9 – Heavy Seas’ The Big DIPA – Photo credit: Lindsey Scully

The Big DIPA by Heavy Seas is an oak-aged double IPA under their Uncharted Waters series. The beer poured a slightly cloudy amber with a foamy white head which stuck around for a little while.

Initial smell is that of oak and alcohol, which is to be expected on a 10.5% ABV beer.  After second whiff I got dried fruits and bread crust.

First sip is quite sweet, tasting mostly of malts and caramel. As you let it sit on your tongue for a second you get the oak-aged qualities alongside the bitter hops towards the end. You get hints of pine and small amounts of fruit from the hops. Once you begin to swallow you get the burst of alcohol from this high ABV beer. The beer is an easy-drinker and the booziness of it can easily catch up to you. Big DIPA is a heavily malt and hop-forward beer, but it balances both of those out quite nicely. 

While Heavy Seas does not distribute to the Mid-West nor West Coast, if you have a chance I do recommend seeking them out if only for this beer. It was delicious and definitely worth a try.