Russian River Blind Pig IPA

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Santa Rosa, California USA

Bottle. Aroma very baldly bitter hop-forward, only a touch of sweet/fruity malt way back there. Flavor still a touch overly bitterly hopped for me, but some fruitiness from probably both the hops and malt comes in more. Doesn’t go over the edge to bitter water though, so good, but not a great one for me.

Bottle courtesy of xmarcnolanx (thanks Marc!). Bottled 7/22/08. Pours a light orange with a thick foamy white head. Aroma of bitter bitter hops. Flavor is quite bitter initially with some orange peel. Drinkable, but this beer is lacking a good malt backbone to balance out those super bitter hops. Just ok for me.

Bottle. Poured a clear golden color with a thick off-white head that stuck around quite well and left some spotty lacing as it receded. Aroma of floral, resiny hops, grapefruit, lemon, mango, and a hint of pine. Hops right from the beginning with a light honey caramel sweetness rapidly transitioning into a resiny, leafy hops with a nice citrus fruit compliment of grapefruit, mango, and orange. Some light piny flavor on the finish. Overall, I think I liked this more than Pliney, I guess I will have to revisit both to be sure.

Nice hazy golden color with a white head. Nice aroma of hops, citrusy flavors, and flowers. Taste is of very bitter hops and oranges. Nice carbonation. Bitterness lingers after each sip. Overal, I was unimpressed. Though it was a quite refreshing beer.

bottled 7/22/08 Pours a amber/orange with a half inch off white head. Aromas of pine, citrus, and floral hops. Taste like hop juice with a little honey. Not as nice and/or fresh tasting as the pliny the elder, even though they were bottled only 8 days apart. Overall Great IPA, this would be lesser breweries "IMPY IPA"

Quarter inch of off-white foam fell quickly to a thick creamy oil slick covering most of the top. Honey colored. I could smell the hops as I walked down the hall, holding the glass in front of me. Now as I sniff deeply, the sharpness is blended with a nice fruity odor. Blueberry? Constant flow of bubbles, like champagne. The lacy slick is actually strengthening as I type, staining the side of the pint glass when I pick up the brew. Sharp hoppy sharp. No fruity taste in that first drink. Long lingering aftertaste is toned but still bitter. I can feel it in my cheeks and gums and lips. As I continue I can start to pick up a bit o’ honey flavor. Sharp aftertaste still loiters long after the mouthfull is gone. Yummyyummyyummy. If you like the uberhoppy IPAs, you’ll probably like this one a lot. I do.

Trade from Ross. Thanks man! Pours a hazy golden color with bubbly medium white head. Aroma is of light pineapple, grapefruit and a bit of orange. Taste is citrus hops with a touch of orange pith, lemon peel, and mild malt backbone. Lightly carbonated and quite bitter in the finish, this was good but not as good as the Green Flash I recently had.

Pours a golden color, with minute particles that make it cloudy - a thin foamy white head. Aroma is amazing - pineapple juice, grapefruit, and a bit of syrupy malt characteristics. The taste is very smooth (minor carbonation). Taste is a bit of orange pith, some citrus, with a bitter finish. Very good, but nothing revolutionary to me.