Russian River Blind Pig IPA

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

Big thanks to zythum for the trade! This beer pours an orange color with a thick off-white head. Lots of lacing. Aroma is really nice and hoppy with a pine scent, floral and citrusy. The flavor consists of a generous amount of piney hops with some citrus orange as well as a little lemon. Crisp bitterness and a bit dry in the finish. Nice malt backing too. This is terrific and can probably stand up to any IPA out there. Thanks again zythum! This was even better the second time I had it, if that’s possible.

On tap at the Rose and Crown. Smells AMAZING, hoppy with a touch of sweetness. Tastes great. There’s a great, full mouthfeel on this one. Russian River impresses me again.

Wafting tangerines in the aroma. Slightly hazy medium gold in color. Little head. Medium bodied, certainly better as it warmed. Very specific hoppiness, live and direct with the simcoes and amarillos. Incredibly juicy and resinous with a lingering hoppiness. Quite a nice IPA.

(on-tap @ Toronado) pint is a very pretty glowing orange/amber, with a sticky white head that retains well and leaves good lace. nose is wonderful, like sugar-dipped lemon slices, maybe chewed in a bed of pine needles. flavor is fuller and richer than Vinnie’s normal IPAs - a lot of chewy malts up-front with tons of citric hop flavor and a good whack of bitterness in the back. great burps. great beer, but perhaps a bit heavy for multiple pints.

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.

Draft. Poured golden orange in color with a medium fluffy white head that left fantastic thick sticky lacing on the glass. Aroma of pine, grapefruit, sweet fruit. Nice body... Taste is resiny, with piney hops, grapefruit, caramel. I could drink this all the time. Fantastic.

Centennial hops... has to be. This one is awfully close to Bell’s 2 Hearted or Ballast Point Big Eye IPA. Pours slightly hazy golden hue with contrasting white head. Nose is quite aromatic with pineapple and grapefruity, and grassy. Palate is pleasantly sharp with hops up front, centennial is my guess, and leads into waves of tangy grapefruit and a light honeyed malt in the distant background. Very citrusy, grassy, and drinkable.

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!