Russian River Blind Pig IPA

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

In short: A fantastic very crisp and dry IPA. Amazing.
How: Bottles. Many times from many people (Kegbear and others). Thanks a millon to you all and keep these coming!!! Always consumed fresh immediately upon reception.
The look: Clear golden blonde body topped by a medium white head
In long: Nose of orange peels, citrus fruits and distant pine-needles. Taste is focussed on high-drinkability. Side-by-side with Pliny the Elder I thought the Pliny was a lot more resinous while the Blind Pig was a lot more on the dry side with cedar and sawdust flavours. Sweetness is more on the crisp honey/caramel while the Pliny had a rich caramel. Side-by-side with the Pliny Elder the Blind Pig clearly didn’t have the complexity or the Elder but its dryer character almost makes-up for it. A very nice beer I can really relate to, although I’ve never been called blind before.

On tap at O’Brians RBSG. Pine and grapefruit nose, floral but still sharp. Pours gold with a white head. Sharp hop flavor, very dry and crisp which amplified the sharpness. Good IPA, but a palate scraper from the bitterness.

Draft at the brewpub. Pours crystal clear medium amber with a thick, slightly moussy whitish head. Humongous resin and pine nose right from the drop. Nice light/medium body with firm carb that’s actually a bit raw. Huge caustic resin and pine notes scour the tongue all the way across, and leave a deep bitter resin cling behind. The raw carb exacerbates the harshness of the chosen hops. Certainly not the bitterest beer I’ve had, but the light body, harsh carb, and single-mindedly resiny/piney notes of the hops make it quite a tour de force. As refreshing as a hard slap in the face from a beautiful woman.

Bottle. Slightly hazy orange-gold. Big passionfruit and grapefruit husk and resin aroma. Hop driven palate all the way. Tropical fruit and conifer oils. Slightly soapy. Decent malt structure without being sweet or heavy. Crisp dry finish that is very bitter.

Consumed on tap at Toranado. It poured clear deep gold with bright white head and decent lacing. The aroma is medium in strength consisting of grapefruit citrus hops. It is pretty fruity in its citrusiness. The flavor is solid grapefruit hops beginning with both bitterness and mild sweet grapefruit hop flavors. It then becomes more and more bitter into the finish.

If someone could analyze my tastebuds and creat a beer perfet for me, I suspect it would taste a lot like this. Very, citrusy - grapefruit, to be exact - on the nose and in the mouthStick and bitter aftertaste. Its not overly thick, and what sweet malt characteristics that are present are subtle and understated. I could drink a ton of this. Thanks to robertjm for the trade. Brewed on 02/02/09, consumed 03/2809.

Sampling from Mike. Thanks again bro! Big citrus hop aroma. Orange gold color with a nice head and sticky lacing. Hops over power much everything in this one. A touch of caramel malt lends "balance", but this is how I like it. The hop resins lingering in this one forever. Freaking awesome. Best tasting ever.

Rich yellow, clinging head. The West Coast IPA--low malts, to be sure (I would prefer more) but beautifully executed as an example of the style.