Russian River Blind Pig IPA

On tap at Local 44 in West Philly. Pours with a finger of white fluffy head. Nice golden/hazy color. Smell is of pine and citrus hops, a good blend between the two. Taste is more citrus hops than pine but also a good blend. Mouthfeel was actually light for this type of beer, which was a refreshing surprise. Overall, a very drinkable IPA. I was expecting more of a hop bomb but it really isn’t. This beer is a fairly, but not overly hopped IPA with a crisp and clear mouthfeel. Not overly sweet and not overly hopped. My first of what will hopefully be many Russian River beers.

On tap at Johnny Brown’s Dtown SD. Pours clear pale golden/orange. Big hoppy citrus nose. Solid hop taste that is a little on the fresh, citrus side. Very good.

Thx to Glenn @ Alvinne, last saterday 12.09.09. From bottle 50 cl. Almost clear golden color, with creamy white head. Aroma flowery, sweet, fruits, hops. Medium body. Taste flowers, sweet, caramel touch, honey, fruits, hops. Good IPA.

Draught at the Horse Brass. Copper color with alce. Crisp hoppy aroma with citrus and pine. Medium light flavor of malt, aromatic hops, fruity, with good bitterness. Balanced and drinkable IPA, good but not overly special.

This beer is awesome. Had to hunt it down even in SoCal. Ended up finding it in bottle at the PIzza Port. Brought a bunch back to b-lo. This is a kick in the pants IPA but has a nice hearty malt backbone to balance the beer. Better than Pliny? Eh, close but not quite. :)

On tap @ Toronado. Pours a ever-so-slightly clody orange with a decent sized white head. Big citrus-hop aroma, lots of orange on this one. Suprisingly light bodied, in a good, drinkable way. Bright frutiness dominates the mouth; lots of grapefruit, hint of watermellon, pear. Great bitter hop finish. Welcome to west coast IPA’s...

Orange with good, creamy off-white head / Nose of weed, earth, cut pine, and citrus / Medium body, sharp biting hops, with good balance and finish / Flavors of weed, cut pine, grapefruit, peaches, caramel, and resin / Outstanding.

I think I enjoyed the Blind Pig a little bit more than Pliny. It’s a little weird to say that, but I think it’s true. This IPA really blew me away. It poured a light amber color with a very generous white head. The head leaves a great amount of lacing around the glass, as well. The nose is full of grassy and floral hops, as well as sweeter notes like caramel hops and citrus. There’s even a little wood note with some bread thrown in for good measure. The flavors are downright delicious, featuring a big hoppy and spicy profile, but balanced terrificly with an outstanding malty backbone. There’s definitely enough hops to go around in the body, with hints of bread, caramel malt, wood and citrus. The finish beckons you to get another glass, with spicy and dry notes, along with the same sweet malty balance. This is one heck of an IPA!