Russian River Blind Pig IPA

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

So I’ve had this out of a two month old bottle that I deemed too old to rate. If Russian River is nice enough to bottle date I will respect their wishes and not rate a non-fresh sample. I also had a one month old sample. Debatable but again I deemed it not fresh enough. So after having a very fresh pint at Toronado and a super fresh pint at the Brewpub I think I’m qualified to finally give this a proper rating. Pours a light, hazy orange with a nice fluffy white head. Intensely citrusy hop nose. Loads of mango, pineapple, peach and orange. The intensity rivals that of Pliny though this lacks the pungent, dank Columbus-type edge that Pliny has – this is all fruit. The aroma is the best thing of this beer. Taste is super hoppy, harshly bitter, balanced between sweet and dry. The bitterness is over the top and slightly astringent, it certainly lacks the cleanness and drinkability of Pliny. While this is a good IPA I can’t help but think this is highly overshadowed by its bigger brother.

(Bottle from Highland Liquor in Denver, CO). Cloudy copper/yellow color. Medium off white, frothy head. Hoppy grapefruit aroma. Strong hop flavor. Avg duration. Slick texture. Moderate lacing. Slightly astringent and bitter finish. Good lacing.

Nice yellow color, much lighter than the Pliny I had earlier. Smells good, some of that west coast. Very hoppy flavor and only slightly bitter. Probably too easy to drink. I think Russian River will have no problem selling beer in Colorado. I will buy it all. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 08-21-2008 04:01:24

Pours from 500 ml bottle a light orange hue, forming a nice head of foam. Aroma strong of grapefruits, hops, pine resins, with field grass flowers. Flavour of the same, perfectly balanced, sticky mouth feel. Not exactly a hop bomb, but close enough to appreciate the balanced that RR has done in producing this fine beer. Hops, malts, in perfect harmony with one another, both bitter and somewhat sweet. Simply an unbelievable IPA, pure bliss with each lovely gulp. IPA lovers delight!

The third offering in a continuum of Russian River IPAs bottled unofficially by BA RedwoodGeorge from a 5 gallon keg into 22 oz. bombers, the beer came out paler than the two bigger Pliny’s but had a little more carbonation, and a bigger head. The aroma was much milder than I had anticipated, with a floral-citric hop smell vaguely reminiscent of Mangos. The taste was citric, sugary, and a little soapy. Body was light and airy, and the hops faded quickly after each sip. Like the rest of Russian River IPAs, this was lighter in body than the strength on the label suggested. Unlike the bigger beers, the lightness of the body had a slightly detrimental effect on the single IPA, where more character is usually better than less. An easy to drink beer, that left me wishing it was a little less simple.

Thanks to BlackForestCO for the bottle!
Golden-amber with a nice, bubbly white head, long-lived. Nose is mainly pine but exhibits some grapefruit and a little grass. Extremely bitter flavor, but simultaneously clean and somewhat hollow. The mouth is way too soft given how abrasive the flavor is. While easily enjoyable, it’s not very diverse, nor does it excel in its focus.

Pours an amberish orange color with a foamy, off white head that quickly settles to a thin flim. The aroma shows hints of fresh oranges and grapefruit to go with some piney hops over a toasted toffee malt backbone. The flavor follows suit with the orange and grapefruit dominating the flavor with just the right amount of bitterness. The toffee malt comes through and add just a hint of sweetness. Medium bodied with good carbonation and very crisp and clean finish. A very easy drinking ipa that I would drink all the time if I could.

Big ups to BlackForestCO for this gem in a trade. Thanks Jake. Pours orange with fluffy, white head, dissipating quickly to film. Sweet, resiny hop nose with earthy and piny notes. Citrus and piny hop flavor with a moderat ebitter than lingers. Dry but full mouth feel, nice caramel backbone. This ipens up as it breathes. Tasty IPA.