Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing 6Pk

Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing 6Pk is a hazy imperial IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, California, packaged as a six-pack of 12 oz cans at 9.5% ABV. Conceived as the bigger, bolder sibling to the wildly popular Hazy Little Thing, this expression pushes the hop intensity and alcohol content into imperial territory without losing the soft, approachable character that defines the lineup.

Quick Facts: ABV: 9.5%  |  Origin: Chico, California, USA  |  Style: Hazy Imperial IPA  |  Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Production & Heritage

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., founded by Ken Grossman in 1980, helped launch the American craft beer movement and remains one of the largest independent craft breweries in the United States. Big Little Thing is brewed with a two-row pale malt base and an aggressive mashing technique designed to yield a higher ratio of fermentable to unfermentable sugars. This allows the yeast to metabolize nearly all available sugar, driving the ABV up to 9.5% while keeping residual malt sweetness in check. The hop bill—Citra, Comet, El Dorado, and Mosaic—is added during active fermentation through a process called biotransformation dry hopping, where live yeast cells chemically alter hop compounds to unlock entirely new aromatic profiles that standard dry hopping cannot achieve.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: A wave of ripe tropical fruit greets the nose first—mango and pineapple dominate—followed by bursts of tangerine zest and a subtle floral note from the Mosaic hops. A faint berry sweetness lingers underneath the citrus.

Taste: The entry is surprisingly soft and juicy for a 9.5% beer, delivering immediate flavors of orange, grapefruit, and honeydew melon. Mid-palate, the mango and pineapple notes intensify, carrying a maraschino-like sweetness that gives the impression of drinking tropical fruit juice. The high ABV is remarkably well-hidden behind the dense hop flavor, revealing itself only as gentle warmth toward the back of the palate.

Finish: The finish turns drier than expected, with citrus zest, a touch of pine, and mild bitterness providing balance. It closes clean rather than cloying, a direct result of the aggressive mashing approach that leaves little residual sugar behind.

How to Drink Big Little Thing

Pour it into a tulip glass or wide-mouthed pint to release the full aromatic payload of the four-hop blend; drinking straight from the can shortchanges the nose significantly. Serve it cold—around 40–45°F—and let it warm slightly as you drink to watch the tropical layers unfold. While this imperial IPA is best enjoyed on its own, it can anchor a few cocktails: a Hop Shandy blended with fresh lemonade tames the ABV while amplifying the citrus character; a Michelada variation using Big Little Thing adds tropical depth to the traditional tomato-lime-hot sauce base; and a Beer Margarita built with tequila, lime, and a float of this hazy IPA creates a dangerously drinkable hybrid.

Best For

• IPA lovers ready to graduate from session-strength hazies to something with more punch
• Backyard cookouts and summer gatherings where bold flavor needs to match bold food
• Gifting to a craft beer enthusiast who already knows and loves Hazy Little Thing
• Side-by-side tastings comparing imperial and standard-strength hazy IPAs

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Big Little Thing taste like? Big Little Thing delivers a juicy, tropical profile dominated by mango, pineapple, orange, and grapefruit, with a drier-than-expected finish that shows citrus zest, mild pine, and restrained bitterness despite its 9.5% ABV.

How does Big Little Thing compare to Hazy Little Thing? Both share Sierra Nevada's hazy IPA DNA, but Big Little Thing runs at 9.5% ABV versus Hazy Little Thing's 6.7%, with a noticeably denser body and more intense tropical hop character. The imperial version also uses an aggressive mashing process and biotransformation dry hopping that produce flavor compounds not present in the standard-strength original.

Is Big Little Thing good for sipping? Yes—the soft mouthfeel and layered tropical flavors reward slow drinking, and pouring it into a proper glass at 40–45°F makes the complexity far more apparent than drinking from the can.

Where is Big Little Thing made? Big Little Thing is brewed at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, California, a facility Ken Grossman founded in 1980 that remains one of the most respected independent craft breweries in the country.

What foods pair well with Big Little Thing? Spicy Thai curry benefits from the beer's tropical sweetness cutting through the heat. Grilled fish tacos with mango salsa echo the hop-driven fruit notes. Sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese creates a satisfying contrast with the juicy body. Jerk chicken pairs naturally with the citrus-forward profile, and coconut shrimp mirrors the tropical aromatics.

What sizes does Big Little Thing come in? Big Little Thing is commonly available in 6-packs of 12 oz cans and as individual 19.2 oz stovepipe cans.

Is Big Little Thing worth the price? Big Little Thing positions as a premium craft imperial IPA, and its 9.5% ABV delivers significantly more intensity per can than a standard hazy IPA. For drinkers who find regular Hazy Little Thing too tame, the step up represents strong value within the imperial IPA category.

Why Big Little Thing?

The biotransformation dry hopping technique Sierra Nevada employs here is the production detail that separates Big Little Thing from the crowded imperial hazy IPA field. By introducing Citra, Comet, El Dorado, and Mosaic hops while yeast is still actively fermenting, the brewery coaxes out aromatic compounds that conventional dry hopping simply cannot produce. The result is a 9.5% imperial IPA that drinks with the juicy ease of something far lighter, hiding its considerable strength behind layers of mango, pineapple, and citrus. For anyone who fell in love with the haze craze through Hazy Little Thing, Big Little Thing is the logical next step—same philosophy, significantly more firepower.