Russian River Blind Pig IPA

12 oz. bottle @ liquid sunshine - thanks bitbucket; while I was a little underwhelmed by this at the brewery, a bottle a few weeks later really knocked me out; pours dark amber and mostly clear; huge aromas of sweet pine hops and citrus; smooth and bitter, but never overwhelming; a little chewy and syrupy; wow, a great IPA

I was on a good beer slump and glad to try this. On tap: light copper color with a aromatic scent of hops citrus, pine and with some caramel notes. Tate is the same not overdone on hops but very noticeable. I love this sort of robust, sharp pine hop profile where the hops start and coast through the finish. Very drinkable.

500 ml bottle. Pours goden yellow with a frothy white head that quickly diminishes to a thin film that leaves some lacing.

The aroma is pretty subdued (esp after Pliny). There are some sweet sugary malts and a little melon and some peppery hops.

The flavor is some sweet malt and fruits with a kind of abrasive charcoal hop bitterness in the finish that has a good amount of bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, I didn’t really care for the hop flavor profile. I was surprised considering how much I liked the Pliny (which was much more balanced). Given the same price, I would take the Pliny over this any day of the week.

pours a golden amber color with a big white head. aroma is heavy of hops with hints of caramel and light malts. flavor is strong with a nice bite of green hops, grapefruit, and pine. overall, I thought it a good brew.

BOTTLED ON 072208: sharp and bitter with citrus peels; tight streams of tiny beading bubbles, warm yellow glow, soapy and lacy white head; juicy; plenty of fresh green hops; a tough IPA as it ought to be--get it? you need to be a friggin’ warrior to get this... an American IPA--you want this.

500ml bottle from Harvest in Boulder. Glowing honey amber colored body, light to medium haziness. Stenchy, strong nose of honey scented, robust hop cones, very juicy and alive, a lot of orange juice pulpiness along with a lighter touch of cedar wood shavings. Flavor is the same, very juicy, some sweet nut notes and a more prominent note of cedar wood, but it’s all quite harsh, abrasive and overdone. Harsh medicinal notes in the finish, and overall just unnecessarily abrasive.

I’m not going to lie, I don’t know what makes an IPA or IIPA in the database. But from my few years consuming a few of each of those styles this to me is an IIPA all the way. Maybe the ingredients dont tell that story, but there was very little if anything that made me think IPA. Strong potent hops flowing from the glass and slightly burning down the throat as I consumed it. Reminisent of any IIPA i’ve had. Huge piney citrus flavors all over. Fantastic for sure, wish I could keep a keg of it in the fridge at all times, becaus at 6% I could seriously keep on drinking it.

Bronze-hued golden. Healthy dollop of persistent white cream laces nicely. Resinous and grapefruit-peel hop aromas reside over artfully restrained nut- and caramel-tinged malts. Hints of aspirin, tangerine and peach skin. Soft and fluffy carbonation. Unfiltered. Hops immediately unleash their resinous sting on the palate. Subdued yet bright pockets of airiness surge forth to offset the tacky oils while briefly unveiling softer, juicier dabs of mango, assorted melon, overripe peach, and grapefruit flesh. Bitter resurgence of hops evokes thoughts of pungent blood oranges and salted grapefruit rind, though the resin stops just shy of becoming fatiguing. Raspy notes of aspirin and chalk further tarnish the underlying succulent hop character which is just begging for attention. Malt remains steady, though always relaxed in its supportiveness, gently imparting pillowy textures of straw, nuts, and caramel. Finishes with hints of sharp candied lemon zest which does its best to keep the oily hops from becoming overly oppressive. While undeniably well-constructed (malts are clean, composed and soft, along with some nicely integrated esters), there is still a bit too much emphasis on the yeast and resin and not enough on bright hop flavor. Middle of the road.